World's lightest giant panda cub grows from 51 grams to 36 kg

CHENGDU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The lightest ever giant panda cub has grown from 51 grams to 36 kilograms since it was born 16 months ago in a panda breeding center in southwest China.

"Its survival is almost a miracle," said Zhang Zhihe, director with the Chengdu Giant Panda Reproduction and Research Center.

Baby giant pandas usually weigh more than 100 grams, while those weighing less than 80 grams rarely survive as they are too small to hold onto their mother's teats, according to Zhang.

The three daily meals of the giant panda, named "Wushiyike", meaning 51 grams in Chinese, are prepared by nutritionists specializing in animal care, Zhang said.

He has grown soundly with a regular life of sleeping, eating and playing, Zhang added.

The Chengdu center successfully brought up a 61-gram cub in 1993.

The giant panda is among the world's most endangered animals. Around 1,590 pandas are thought to be living in the wild, mostly in the mountains of southwest China.