STORY: Giant panda cub born at Moscow Zoo
DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:51
LOCATION: Moscow
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of giant panda and cub
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian): SVETLANA AKULOVA, Head of the Moscow Zoo
3. various of giant panda and cub

STORYLINE:

A giant panda cub has been born at the Moscow Zoo, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Wednesday.
   
The cub, weighing about 150 grams, was born last week to a young pair of giant pandas, Ruyi (male) and Dingding (female), that arrived in Moscow in April 2019 from China's southwestern province of Sichuan.
   
"This unique and very rare event is the result of the coordinated work of our specialists and our Chinese colleagues," Sobyanin said in a Telegram post, describing the birth of the cub as a significant event for Russia and the global environmental community as a whole.
   
The newborn is the first ever panda cub born in Russia.
   
The Moscow Zoo called the birth "very unique", considering that Ruyi and Dingding are still quite young.

SOUNDBITE (Russian): SVETLANA AKULOVA, Head of Moscow Zoo
"The cub weighing about 150 grams was born to a young pair of giant pandas, Ruyi (male) and Dingding (female). The gender of the cub is still unknown. Dingding showed great care and immediately accepted the baby. Dingding is being monitored around the clock and all the necessary tests are taken."
   
The Moscow Zoo renovated its existing enclosure ahead of the pandas' arrival in 2019, and employees there spent several months learning how to take proper care of the animals, Sobyanin recalled, noting that the transfer of the pandas to another country is a "sign of great trust".

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Moscow.
(XHTV)