A giant panda has given birth in a Belgian zoo, its keepers said on Thursday, marking a rare event for the endangered species.
The Pairi Daiza park said in a statement that the cub was born overnight to six-year-old Hao Hao and her mate Xing Hui. The zoo cooperated with Chinese experts to treat the mother by artificial insemination.
There are estimated to be fewer than 2,000 giant pandas surviving in the wild and several dozen in captivity. In Europe, giant pandas have only given birth in Austria and Spain, the last in Madrid in 2013.