Giant panda Jia Jia took her six-month-old cub to meet visitors at the panda house of the Shanghai Wildlife Zoo on April 25, 2020. 

Her son was named Jiajiazai. In Chinese, the word "zai" means "baby of," hence Jiajiazai, which indicates intimacy between the cub and his mother.

As a new mum, Jia Jia is a bit "clumsy" said one zoo visitor. "This is my first time seeing a real interaction between giant pandas. It's quite interesting to see their charming naivety," the tourist said.

However, the mother panda's maternal instinct has allowed Jiajiazai to grow up in good health. It now weighs over 18 kilograms, a significant increase to its birth weight of 185 grams. Zhong Yi, deputy director of the Shanghai Wildlife Zoo, said the panda cub has shown signs of a change in diet as it is learning more and more from its mother.

"It is gratifying to see that the half-year-old giant panda cub beginning to learn from its mother, like picking up bamboo sprouts and nibbling on bamboo leaves," said Zhong.

The giant panda house is sealed off by glass to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A monitor was installed to provide a live broadcast of the movements between the giant pandas and visitors. "It's understandable that visitors cannot enter the house due to the epidemic and this is a way of meeting the needs of visitors," said another tourist.

(Cover image via VCG)

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