The Singapore Zoo and River Safari are two very popular attractions in Singapore. Not only are they known for their world-class exhibits, but some of the animals at the wildlife parks are stars in their own right. One famous duo is Kai Kai and Jia Jia, River Safari's giant pandas and one of the park's main highlights. On 14 August 2021, Kai Kai and Jia Jia welcomed their first baby which is also Singapore's first panda cub!
River Safari's Kai Kai and Jia Jia give birth to Singapore's first panda cub
On Facebook, the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) posted a video of the panda cub's birth and added that they were thrilled to welcome it to the Giant Panda family.
Screenshot from WRS Facebook video
The video showed the highlights and journey of Jia Jia's pregnancy. It started all the way from the ultrasound to the animal care team taking very good care of Jia Jia and monitoring her round the clock to make sure that she had a smooth pregnancy.
Screenshot from WRS Facebook video
Then, at 7.50am on 14 August, Jia Jia went into labour.
Screenshot from WRS Facebook video
Childbirth is a beautiful thing and the video showed how the first-time mom had instant maternal instinct as she picked her baby up and cradled it ❤️
Currently, Jia Jia and her cub are in an off-exhibit den so they have some private time to nurse and bond. The gender of the cub is still undetermined and will be announced at a later date.
According to The Straits Times, Kai Kai and Jia Jia had only been successful after their seventh breeding season, since they began mating in 2015. Earlier in April, the Giant Panda Forest was closed for a while when the couple entered mating season.
While it's known to be difficult for giant pandas to breed when they are in captivity, WRS vets carried our artificial insemination using frozen semen collected from Kai Kai before their mating season this year.
Kai Kai and Jia Jia are on a 10-year loan from China since September 2012. Kai Kai is 13 years old while Jia Jia is 12 years old. These pandas are typically found in the mountains of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and are vulnerable to extinction.
Congratulations to Kai Kai, Jia Jia and the WRS animal care team! If you're planning a visit to the River Safari in the next few weeks or months, you might just be able to say hello to the new panda cub!
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