Giant panda cub Xiao Liwu reached for treats at the top of his birthday cake this morning at the San Diego Zoo. The panda received the three-tiered ice cake in honor of his first birthday. The exhibit queue was filled with guests looking to get a glimpse of mom and cub moments after the Zoo opened to the public.
The cub, whose name means “little gift”, now weighs 41 pounds and measures 3 feet, 4 inches tall. Xiao Liwu is still nursing and not eating solids but was very interested in the sweet treats that were placed in and around his cake.
Staff from the Zoo began creating the cub’s cake three weeks ago and finished it off with bows made out of bamboo leaves, colored pieces of ice, and a “1″ on top. The cake design included a bowl in the bottom tier that was filled with the giant pandas’ favorite fruits and vegetables – yams, carrots and apples.
Animal care staff also stuffed boxes with alfalfa and biscuits and hung them from the trees in the exhibit he shares with his mom, Bai Yun. The cub was able to show off his agility when he climbed and balanced on limbs while opening the boxes.
Xiao Liwu is the son of Gao Gao, a wild-born male giant panda who arrived at the San Diego Zoo on Jan. 15, 2003. His mother, Bai Yun, a 21-year-old captive-born female giant panda, arrived at the San Diego Zoo in September 1996.
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