New captive panda cub born in China

A new captive-bred panda cub was born in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the provincial forestry department said Thursday.

With a birth weight of 111 grams, the female cub was born on August 25 at the Qinling panda breeding and research center. The third panda cub born this year in Shaanxi, it has grown to 800 grams at present.

The 16-year-old mother Lousheng underwent artificial insemination in early May. The staff at the center took immediate measures after the experienced mother started to show prenatal behaviors in the middle of July.

Lousheng was born in 2003 and also the first panda born in the center through artificial fertilization using the center's own technology. So far, Lousheng has given birth to six cubs.

The birth of the new cub has increased the center's captive panda population to 24.

The number of captive pandas was 548 globally as of November last year. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi.