This panda’s first public appearance was just delightful

See the pictures and videos from the outing at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.

Published Dec 18, 2017

Here we get to see a baby panda being simply adorable as she’s introduced to the public for the first time.

Xiang Xiang made a media appearance at her home in Japan’s Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, the day before her official public debut.

Although Xiang Xiang is only small right now, she is actually a giant panda. She weighs about 12 kilogrammes but will likely reach between 70kg and 100kg as an adult.

Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, right, and her mother Shin Shin take a nap at a cage at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. The baby panda has made a special appearance before Tokyo’s governor, a group of local schoolchildren and the media one day ahead of her official debut. The 6-month-old giant panda Xiang Xiang, or fragrance in Chinese, will debut Tuesday for a limited public viewing for avid fans who obtained tickets in a highly competitive lottery process. (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP) — Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, right, and her mother Shin Shin take a nap (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP)

“Pink, hairless, and blind, the cub is 1/900th the size of its mother. A giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother’s size.”

Female giant panda cub Xiang Xiang climbs a tres (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AP)

Tickets to see her at the panda enclosure have had to be distributed in advance via a lottery system.

Daily viewings will be limited to two-and-a-half-hours so as not to overwhelm her.

Female giant panda cub Xiang Xiang plays during a press preview (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AP)

Uneo Zoo is the oldest such establishment in Japan. It was started in 1882 and now houses more than 3,000 animals from 400 different species.

Ueno Zoo's Ri Ri, father to six-month-old giant panda cub Xiang Xiang (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP) — Ueno Zoo’s Ri Ri, father to six-month-old giant panda cub Xiang Xiang (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP)