JAKARTA, Indonesia — A zoo on Java island has released new photos of Indonesia’s first giant panda cub born in the country, a male infant that officials say is in good health.
The cub, born on November 27 at Taman Safari Indonesia in Cisarua, West Java, is the offspring of 15-year-old Hu Chun. He has been named Satrio Wiratama, or Rio, a name symbolizing hope, resilience and the shared conservation efforts of Indonesia and China.
According to the zoo, the birth is the result of a decade-long international cooperation program between the two nations. Giant pandas Hu Chun and Cai Tao arrived in Indonesia in 2017 as part of a 10-year conservation partnership with China.
Taman Safari said Rio is in stable condition under 24-hour monitoring by its veterinary and animal care team. He has shown healthy early signs including strong vocalization, effective nursing and steady weight gain. In the next one to two months, he is expected to develop better temperature control, fur growth, the ability to open his eyes and the beginnings of motor movements.
For now, the panda cub is not yet accessible to the public. The zoo said it is prioritizing the health and welfare of the mother and her cub, and encouraged the public to pray for Rio’s continued healthy development.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the cub’s name on Thursday and presented his photo during a meeting with Wang Huning, a top Chinese political adviser.
Cai Tao and Hu Chun live in a specially constructed “palace-like” facility at Taman Safari, located about 70 kilometers from Jakarta.
Giant pandas, widely regarded as China’s unofficial national mascot, are central to Beijing’s soft-power strategy known as “panda diplomacy.” Breeding giant pandas is notoriously difficult, making every successful birth significant. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas remain in the wild, found only in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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- EDGARDO HERNAL
