Artificially bred giant panda Luo Sheng celebrates 20th birthday

(ECNS) -- Lou Sheng was served a cake to celebrate its 20th birthday at Qinling Giant Panda Research Center in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Wednesday.

Lou Sheng is the first panda born by artificial propagation in the province, according to the center.

It is the offspring of the female giant pandas Xuexue and male Pingpingand fathered seven cubs from five pregnancies. In 2020, Lou Sheng's daughter Yong Yong also became a mother.

The Qinling Giant Panda Research Center is primarily responsible for the rescue, captivity, breeding, and population recovery of giant pandas and other rare wildlife in Shaanxi Province. It possesses the world's only artificially captive-bred brown giant pandas and is one of China's three major giant panda breeding bases.

The center has successfully bred and raised 39 cubs from 33 pregnancies of giant pandas since 2003, and the technology for artificial breeding of giant pandas has been continuously improving.