Abandoned by his mother at 2 months old, and having to face bullying from other pandas growing up, now Qizai, the only brown panda in the world, is thriving and becoming a celebrity of the animal world!
Qizai, whose name means ‘the seventh son’ was found as a weak and neglected cub in a nature reserve in Qingling Mountains in Central China. Apparently, his mother disappeared into the jungle, but one thing is sure – she was black and white.
Therefore, the fact that Qizai has a brown and white coat is even more intriguing. Scientists guess that it’s due to some genetic mutation. Despite his tough childhood, Qizai, now at age 7, has turned into a fine specimen, and Chinese experts are planning to find him a mate. Being able to observe and study the appearance of his child, researchers would get a step closer to solving brown fur’s mystery.
Meanwhile, Qizai is enjoying a good life at the Foping Panda Valley, and times when other pandas would steal his food are in the past. Qizai has a personal care-taker, who plans his life around her eating schedule. The keeper wakes up at 6am and goes to sleep at midnight, just to make sure Qizai has a full bellly and is safe and sound.
The celebrity panda now weighs more than 220 pounds and eats around 44 pounds of bamboo every day.
‘He is slower than the other pandas, but he is also cuter,’ Qizai’s keeper told MailOnline, describing the bear as a ‘gentle, funny and adorable’ animal.
See more pictures of this adorable panda on Bored Panda.