◆Birth from mating◆
On August 10, 2012, at 4:30 p.m., a female baby was born to a giant panda, Yoshihama.
This is the third time and the fifth baby born since Yoshihama gave birth for the first time in 2008.
　The baby grew up smoothly with full of mother's love and affection, and was given a wonderful name "Yuhama" by the public.
　In the spring of 2012, the season of love came to male Eimei and female Yoshihama as well; their mating signs became obvious in mid-March, and from March 31 to April 3, we confirmed five mating attempts.
　Pandas sometimes show behavior and body changes similar to those of pregnancy, called pseudopregnancy. Also, the babies are very small, weighing only 100 to 200 grams, so the mothers' bellies do not grow. Even though Yoshihama and Eimei have successfully mated, we cannot rest assured until we see the baby.

　Early in the morning of August 6, Yoshihama began to act restless, and it seemed that the birth was finally approaching; from August 9, the staff began 24-hour observation to prepare for the baby's birth at any time.
　On the 10th, she scratched the wall, gnawed on the wood, stood up, and became restless all the time. At 4:30 pm, her water broke, and the baby was born with a cheerful birth voice. Yoshihama carefully picked up the baby, who was crying and moving around energetically, and continued to lick him without resting.
　This was the third birth for Yoshihama, and she looked like an experienced mother holding her baby.


Sad event:
Even if one baby is born safely, we can't feel relieved, because Yoshihama has had two babies in the past. Because she had given birth to two babies in the past, both of them were doubles. We continued to watch over Yoshihama with the feeling that maybe this time, too, she would give birth to a second baby. Then Yoshihama lay down with the baby in her arms and began to strain, and at 5:06 p.m. the second baby was born. While holding the first baby, she began to lick the second baby that was born, but soon lost interest. The baby did not move an inch. The baby was taken away and placed in an incubator, but its heart was not beating. The baby weighed only 47 g. Unfortunately, it was stillborn.

◆Open to the public ◆
When Kaihama and Yohama gave birth for the second time in 2010, we opened the birth room to the public after 100 days of age so that visitors could see the parent and child. This time, we have prepared a room where you can see the inside of the birth room through a glass window.
　The room was designed to provide enough space for Yoshihama to relax and for staff to observe from anywhere. Yoshihama was able to raise her baby calmly in the new room, and we were able to show her to our customers from August 23, when she was 14 days old.
　At this time, the baby had not yet fully grown out its hair, so Yoshihama was in charge of taking care of the baby. Although the baby was too small to see, many guests cheered as she worked hard to hold the baby, lick its body, and feed it milk. When they saw the baby, they cheered and many were moved by the sight of the baby.


◆Future ◆
Baby pandas grow very fast and grow up to 30? in weight by the age of 1 year. Mothers change the way they interact with their cubs as they grow. For the first month or so of parenting, she takes care of her baby without leaving his/her side for a single moment, but after two months, the time that parents and children spend together becomes shorter and shorter. After 3 months, when the baby can walk, and up to 1 year after birth, the baby learns what it needs to learn to live by working with its mother.
We hope you will join us in watching over Yuhama as she grows up and how she raises her child.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Rinko Yoshida)

〜Thank you for the wonderful name.

On October 5, we held a naming ceremony for a baby panda and received about 20,000 submissions from all over Japan. After a strict screening process, we received a wonderful name "Yuhin" (Yuuhin). We hope that he will grow up to be a gentle and beloved panda worthy of his name.


The thought behind the name]
Yuhin
Yuhin is the son of Rahama, who was born in Shirahama, a town surrounded by the richness of the sea and nature. It is our hope that she will grow up with her mother's love and grow up to be a beloved female who brings kindness and happiness to people she encounters.