Most of us are familiar with giant pandas, especially when it comes to their adorable black and white markings. You might be surprised to learn that not every panda is born with the same markings and that will become obvious when you see Qizai. He was only two months old when he was abandoned by his mother and amazingly, he is brown!
Qizai means “seventh son” and he was found when he was only a cub. He was weak and neglected but fortunately, he was found after his mother abandoned him in the Qingling mountains of central China. They have not seen his mother, but she was black and white.
It is interesting that Qizai has a brown and white coat rather than one that is black-and-white. It is thought to be due to a genetic mutation and despite the fact that he had a rough start, he is now seven years old and is doing quite well. Chinese experts are now looking for a suitable mate for him as well.
Qizai lives at the Foping Panda Valley, and there were times when he would be picked on by the other pandas. A personal caretaker is assigned to him and he wakes at 6 AM and goes to sleep at midnight, just to make sure that he is safe and satisfied. He now weighs more than 220 pounds and every day, he dines on 44 pounds of bamboo.
This brown panda was abandoned by his mother when he was only two months old. Other pandas bullied him when he was growing up.
He is different from other pandas, so they would steal his food and he had a rough childhood.
That childhood is now over and the brown panda is becoming quite a celebrity.
Introducing Qizai, the only brown panda in the world.
The mother was black and white, so the colour of his fur has been somewhat of a mystery.
It is thought to be a genetic issue, and scientists are looking forward to learning more about it.
Now that Qizai is 7, they are planning on finding him a suitable mate.
In the meantime, he is loving life at the Foping Panda Valley
He has a personal caretaker who plans his schedule around Qizai. He gets up at 6 AM and goes to bed after midnight.
Qizai now weighs more than 220 pounds and eats approximately 44 pounds of bamboo daily.
‘He is slower than the other pandas, but he is also cuter.’
Here is a map of where Qizai is located, just in case you want to visit.
Via: Bored Panda
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