Fu Bao's third younger sister born at Everland

A third younger sister of Fu Bao — the giant panda who captured the hearts of people across South Korea — has been born at Everland.

Everland, operated by Samsung C&T's resort division, announced Wednesday that a female cub was born to mother Ai Bao, 12, and father Le Bao, 13, at 10:53 a.m. on June 3. The birth marks South Korea's third successful case of natural giant panda breeding, following Fu Bao in 2020 — the country's first panda cub — and twins Rui Bao and Hui Bao in 2023.

With this birth, Ai Bao and Le Bao now have four offspring in total: Fu Bao, Rui Bao, Hui Bao and the newborn.

According to Everland, Ai Bao delivered the 171-gram cub roughly two hours after labor began. The birth weight compares favorably with those of her siblings — Fu Bao weighed 197 grams at birth, Rui Bao 180 grams and Hui Bao 140 grams. The cub and mother are in good health and receiving round-the-clock care from zookeepers and veterinarians, the park said.

Everland said the birth carries special significance this year, as Panda World marks its 10th anniversary and a decade of joint Korea-China panda conservation research. Giant pandas are notoriously difficult to breed naturally: females are fertile only once a year, and the window typically lasts just one to three days in spring. Confirming a pregnancy is also challenging because hormonal changes during actual and phantom pregnancies are nearly identical, making it hard to verify conception until just before birth. Everland's zoo analyzed blood and urine samples to track Ai Bao and Le Bao's hormonal patterns scientifically and identified the period with the highest probability of successful breeding. The pair achieved natural mating in February.

In the weeks leading up to the birth, Ai Bao had been showing signs of pregnancy — sleeping more and eating less — and was moved to an indoor habitat at Panda World for close monitoring. From mid-May, staff activated a dedicated birthing room with 24-hour surveillance and maintained close coordination with China's Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.

"Ai Bao is drawing on her past experience and caring for the baby with great skill," an Everland official said. "Panda World's zookeepers, veterinarians and specialist keepers dispatched from China's Giant Panda Protection and Research Center are doing everything they can to support Ai Bao's postpartum recovery and assist with cub care."

Kang Cheol-won, the zookeeper widely known as the "panda grandfather," said he was "overjoyed and deeply grateful to welcome another new life, following Fu Bao and Rui Bao and Hui Bao."

Everland plans to share footage of the newborn cub through its official social media channels, including the YouTube channels "Everland" and "Talking Zoo Ppuppa TV," as well as the Naver cafe "Zootopia," before the cub makes its public debut at the zoo.

By Kim Hyun-il