Toronto Zoo has released new pictures of the newly born panda cubs of mother Er Shun. They are “becoming quite vocal, active and bright,” the zoo said in a statement. “Their white fur appears to be fuzzier and hints of black pigment can now be noticed on their skin over their ears, around their eyes and even over their shoulders. While their eyes are still closed, they are wiggling and demonstrating all of the right behaviours looking for nourishment from mom.”
SEVERAL MONTHS TO DETERMINE SEX
Er Shun “continues to demonstrate strong maternal instincts, cradling, nursing and continuing to form a bond with both cubs.” The pandas were born on Oct. 13 and it is still a critical time, the Zoo cautioned. It may take several months to determine the cubs’ sex and they have not yet been named. There is no immediate plan to show them to the public, but the zoo has been updating its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds with photos of the cubs. For now, they are living between their mother’s care and an incubator set up in a quarantined room next to the panda’s maternity ward, which is closed to the public. Sperm from three different donors – Da Mao and two pandas in China – was used during the one-day fertility window back on May 14, and it’s unclear whether the cubs are twins. If they survive, the cubs will live at the zoo for about two years and will likely return to China once they are weaned from Er Shun.
