A giant panda cub has been captured on video comfortably settled inside a hippopotamus-shaped enrichment toy while enjoying fresh bamboo shoots at the Wolong Shenshuping base in southwest China.
The base is part of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan Province, the world's largest breeding center for the giant pandas.
In the footage, panda cub Fei Hong sits snugly inside the small, green hippo-shaped toy. As she munches on a tender bamboo shoot, her calm and contented demeanor shines through, capturing a peaceful moment of play and nourishment.
The hippo toy is a form of cognitive enrichment. By providing novel items or interactive setups, caretakers stimulate the pandas' curiosity, encouraging them to think and explore to receive rewards. This approach helps prevent boredom and the development of repetitive behaviors.
Fei Hong is a female cub born on Sept. 2, 2024, at the CCRCGP. Her mother is the panda Shen Bin.
The CCRCGP is a world-leading institution dedicated to the breeding and conservation of the giant panda. The center has established the world's largest captive population of giant pandas and pioneered research on captive breeding and training for rewilding.
The center also holds the largest global platform for promoting international cooperation and exchanges on Panda conservation, involving 18 zoos from 16 countries and regions, 39 domestic animal breeding institutions, and over 10 scientific research institutes.
Panda cub enjoys bamboo feast in hippo-shaped tub
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had a phone conversation with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss the end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
In a video statement posted to social media platform X, Zelensky said both sides have "good ideas for lasting peace". He stressed that Ukraine is working around the clock to bring closer the end to the conflict and to ensure that all documents and steps are "realistic, effective, and reliable."
The two sides discussed certain substantive details of the ongoing work, the Ukrainian president said, adding that they have "good ideas that can work toward a shared outcome and the lasting peace."
He expressed the hope that the understandings and the ideas discussed between the two sides can be useful.
Zelensky added that Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, held follow-up communication with Witkoff and Kushner later during the day.
The latest development came after Zelensky has recently unveiled a 20-point draft peace plan, which was agreed on by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators and is being reviewed by Russia.
On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is analyzing the peace proposal on Ukraine submitted by Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, following his recent meeting with U.S. officials.
"We are analyzing these materials, and subsequently, in accordance with the decision made by the Head of State, we will continue consultations with the U.S. side," Peskov said.
Earlier, Peskov said Dmitriev had briefed President Vladimir Putin on the outcomes of his trip to Miami.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told at a press briefing on Thursday that negotiations with the United States are progressing "slowly but steadily."
She said that Russia is "ready to continue working within the framework defined at the highest level in Anchorage," referring to summit between President Putin and President Donald Trump in Alaska this August.
Zakharova also accused Western European states of "torpedoing" the diplomatic progress.
She also added that Russia is ready to formally state in a written document that it has no intention to attack NATO or EU countries.
Also on Thursday, Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, said his company had received information concerning the United States' willingness to cooperate with Russia on the issue of electricity supply from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
He said that some of the electricity from the Zaporizhzhia plant may be transmitted to Ukraine in the future, but the specific volume needs to be determined through negotiations.
Zelensky holds phone conversation with U.S. envoys as Russia analyzes peace proposal
