Everland's baby panda Shu Bao to make public debut this week
Five-month-old panda Shu Bao, left, with mother Ai Bao, Monday / Courtesy of Samsung C&T
Shu Bao, the youngest member of Everland's giant panda family, will venture outside her indoor enclosure for the first time on Friday, at the age of five months.
Everland, operated by Samsung C&T Resort Group, announced Monday that Shu Bao, born on June 3, will begin making regular outings at Panda World starting Thursday. A female giant panda born naturally to parents Ai Bao and Le Bao, Shu Bao is the fourth giant panda cub born in Korea, following her older sisters Fu Bao and twin pandas Rui Bao and Hui Bao.
Weighing just 171 grams at birth, Shu Bao now weighs more than 9 kilograms and is growing steadily under the care of her mother Ai Bao, zookeepers and veterinarians. She began taking her first wobbly steps at around 120 days old. More recently, she has been moving around on her own near her mother and actively exploring her surroundings.
Ahead of her public debut, Shu Bao has been undergoing a gradual acclimation process to help her adjust to new spaces and environments. She has been expanding her range of activities little by little, following her mother from the indoor enclosure where she previously stayed to venture into the outdoor enclosure when no visitors are present to familiarize herself with the space. Throughout the process, Ai Bao has stayed close to her cub, helping her explore the unfamiliar environment with confidence.
Baby panda Shu Bao / Courtesy of Samsung C&T
For the time being, Everland plans to gradually extend Shu Bao's viewing hours and increase the number of visitors in stages, prioritizing her health and adjustment to the new environment.
Meanwhile, Shu Bao's older sisters Rui Bao and Hui Bao are scheduled to move to China at the end of the year, with Dec. 11 set as their final day at Everland. This means visitors will have an opportunity to see all five members of the panda family together throughout November and the beginning of December.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.