Atlanta Zoo Welcomes New Addition - Baby Giant Panda Cub Born

The Atlanta Zoo recently announced a new addition to their animal family. Lun Lun, their 11 year old female Giant Panda gave birth to a cub at approximately 10:10 PM on August 30, 2008. The cub was fathered by her mate, 9 year old Yang Yang.

It's too early to determine the sex of the cub This marks the first and only birth of a Giant Panda cub in the United States this year. The cub is Lun Lun and Yang Yang's second offspring in captivity. She gave birth to Mei Lan on September 6, 2006.

Giant Pandas are on the endangered species list with an estimated 1,600 Giant Pandas believed to be living in the wild and another 230 living in captivity.

Dennis Kelly, President and CEO of the Atlanta Zoo issued a statement at the zoo's website. It read, "We are delighted, proud and elated. We are just as excited as we were about Mei Lan's birth. This is another great moment for the City of Atlanta our colleagues in China as well as Zoo members, guests and staff."

Zoo officials are tending Lun Lun and say that a second cub could be a possibility since twin births take place about 50% of the time with Giant Pandas, but the cubs aren't always born at the same time. A second birth could happen as late as 24 hours after the first delivery.

Lun Lun's cub is about the size of a human hand and won't be introduced to the public until early 2009, the cub will be named approximately 100 days after birth, following in Chinese tradition.

To have a look at Lun Lun and her newborn, please visit the Atlanta Zoo Panda Cam