A two-year-old panda at a zoo in the Netherlands turned out to be a female, not a male

a giant panda It caused surprise in a Dutch zoo, when it was discovered that it is a female and not a male, as was established shortly after its birth, in 2020.

The discovery stunned workers at Ouwehands Zoo in the center of the country during a routine medical examination. Fan Xing is the first giant panda born in the Netherlands.

“Fan Xing has surprised us. For us, gender was something we wanted to verify during a health check under anesthesia, just to be sure,” said José Kok, head of the zoo, in a statement.

Months after his birth, on May 1, 2020, Fan Xing underwent a medical examination without anesthesia, carried out quickly so that the bear cub could return to its mother as soon as possible.

However, it is not easy to determine the sex of a giant pandaKok explained, especially when it comes to a baby that won’t stop moving.

“We were so convinced that it was a male that we had never questioned it”Kok told Thursday night on a television program.

As is done with all males, the animal underwent special training at the zoo to strengthen its hindquarters so that it can reproduce without difficulty.

“This female will have solid hind legsKok joked.

The surprise does not affect the health of fan xing nor to his mission, the zoo said. The panda will soon be shipped to China, as planned, as part of an international breeding program.

Photo taken on May 1, 2022 when the giant panda Fan Xing celebrated two years of life / Photo: AFP