First captive-bred brown bear debuts at Qianlingshan Park

Qianlingshan Park Zoo in Guiyang's Yunyan district welcomed a special new resident on July 28 – a young brown bear named Shutiao.

With a plump build and glossy brown fur, Shutiao's adorable look quickly became a highlight of the park, drawing crowds of visitors.

The keeper strokes the little bear. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

"Shutiao was born on Jan 26 and is now six months and four days old," said Li Da, park representative. "She weighed only around 500 grams at birth, no bigger than a puppy. After careful hand-rearing, she is in stable health, with her weight rising to 17.5 kilograms."

This marks the zoo's first attempt at the captive breeding of brown bears. The team has formulated a detailed feeding protocol, strictly controlling the temperature and humidity of the rearing environment and adjusting nutritional formulas in line with Shutiao's growth stages. The park has also carried out a comprehensive renovation and upgrade of Shutiao's enclosure to support her healthy growth and enhance visitors' viewing experience.

"The successful captive breeding of a brown bear has yielded valuable experience for the zoo in its future efforts in the breeding and conservation of rare wild animals, and has further elevated the park's technical capacity for wildlife conservation," said Li. The zoo plans to launch more breeding programs for native animal species across different zones of the park.