Associated Press AP Photo/Zoo Atlanta— Zoo Atlanta's baby panda opened it eyes for the first time on Thursday.
Zoo officials made the discovery during a physical examination of the 36-day-old unnamed female cub.
"She's probably able to see now," said zoo veterinarian Dr. Maria Crane. "We noticed she's paying more attention to her environment."
Crane said it's hard to know how much Lun Lun's cub is actually seeing. The newborn appeared slightly startled at one point during her checkup when she noticed staff intently watching her.
The cub, whose name will be chosen in two months, has grown a little more than 16 inches in length in the past week and gained just under a pound, growing to 3.8 pounds.
"She's a very solid cub," Crane said. "Her growth is nice and steady, and that's really a testament to how well Lun Lun is taking care of her."
One Month, 3.8 PoundsLun Lun cares for her cub after its second health check on Oct. 5, 2006, at the zoo in Atlanta. The baby panda opened it eyes for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 12. Zoo officials made the discovery during a physical examination of the 36-day-old, 3.8-pound unnamed female cub.
The baby cub was conceived after seven years of zoo officials trying to encourage Lun Lun and Yang Yang, the father, to mate. Officials finally resorted to artificially inseminating the 8-year-old Lun Lun with semen taken from Yang Yang.
A panda cub at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., born last summer was also the product of artificial insemination.
Only four giant pandas have been born and successfully raised in a U.S. zoo.
Reference:Discovery
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