On the 100th day of her tiny little life, Oct. 28, Everland’s cutest resident gained her name: Fu Bao. Written in Chinese as 福宝, the baby panda’s name means a treasure that gives happiness. She is still growing rapidly into her new name, and is expected to make her public debut within the year or early next year.
Fu Bao, daughter of Ai Bao and Le Bao
Fu Bao’s name was chosen by a popular vote held from Sept. 22 to Oct. 11. Approximately 50,000 people chose that name out of four possibilities. A newborn panda gets a Chinese name when it is 100 days old as a celebration of its good health in the first days of its life. After the name was chosen, Fu Bao’s name announcement ceremony was held on Nov. 4, which also corresponded to her first public appearance.
Fast-growing sprog
Fu Bao has grown quickly over the past 100 days. When she was born she was only 197g, but now she has reached the respectable weight of 5.8kg. Also she used to stretch only 16.5 cm from nose to tail, but now she takes up a whole 58.5cm. Check out the video below to see a compilation of Fu Bao’s first 100 days!
When she was born, she was mostly pink. But around 20 days after birth she started to get the characteristic white-and-black pattern that pandas have. When she was 40 days old she began to roll and crawl around, and could drink milk and sleep on her own. Now around 100 days old she is able to sit like her mother sits all on her own, even though supporting her own head is still sometimes difficult. She keeps leaning forward, as she is still a little top-heavy. Some of that weight comes from the teeth that she is furiously growing at a breakneck pace (for teeth). She already has four canine teeth and eight molars!
Her rapid growth and explosive cuteness can be attributed to her own mother’s attentiveness, but also the excellent care that Everland’s resident veterinarians and zookeepers have been giving her. Most of the time the little baby is cared for by her mother, but the staff of the zoo do regular health check-ups on Fu Bao. Also, when she was 15 days old, one of the zookeepers started acting as a babysitter three hours a day to provide some rest and recharge to Ai Bao, her mother.
Zookeeper Kang Chul-won said, “I am very grateful that Fu Bao has grown healthily over the past 100 days and that Ai Bao has raised her well. I hope she gets continued love and support as she learns to walk on her four paws and eat bamboo all on her own.”.
Everland’s zoo is considering starting Fu Bao’s public life before the end of the year, or early next year, after she learns to walk on her own.
To see a special documentary about Fu Bao’s first 100 days of life, check out the video below.
