Indonesia panda cub set for debut

Cisarua: Indonesia’s first giant panda cub is growing healthy and adapting well ahead of his public debut later this month at the Indonesian Safari Park near Jakarta.

The cub, Satrio Wiratama, nicknamed Rio, underwent veterinary checks on Friday to assess his hearing, eyesight and overall development. Veterinarians said the cub can walk independently, climb on his mother and has started eating bamboo shoots.

Rio weighs 10kg at 169 days old. As per veterinarians, his growth has been faster than average in some areas, particularly the development of his teeth. “What’s important to note is that all of Rio’s senses are active. He can understand the environment, assess situations and adapt to people and noise gradually,” veterinarian Bon­got Huaso Mulia said.

Rio was born on Nov 27 through artificial insemination to Hu Chun and Cai Tao, both 15-year-old giant pandas sent to Indonesia in 2017 under a 10-year conservation partnership with China.

The pandas live at the Panda Palace in Cisarua, West Java. Rio’s birth has generated excitement among panda enthusiasts across Indonesia.

Park president director Aswin Sumampau said Rio’s birth marked a significant achievement in panda conservation efforts, especially as no panda births had been recorded at ex-situ conservation facilities worldwide in the previous two years. —AP