KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 ― The Natural Resources and Environment ministry today confirmed that Malaysia's second locally-born giant panda is female.

“I am very pleased to announce that the newly born Giant Panda is a female and weighs 190 grammes.

“The baby is healthy and is being cared for very well by her mother and handlers at Zoo Negara,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a short statement.

The sex of the panda cub born six days ago at the National Zoo in Hulu Kelang, Selangor could not be determined before this due to the mother's overly protective nature of its offspring.

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Wan Junaidi had praised zoologists for creating a very conducive environment for the pair of giant pandas,  Xing Xing and Liang Liang, at the National Zoo’s Panda Conservation Centre, that the duo could produce a second cub within a short time after the first.

Liang Liang gave birth to a second panda cub on January 14.

Liang Liang was reported to have been pregnant for 89 days before giving birth.

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On May 2, 2014, Malaysia received the pair of giant pandas from China as a celebratory token of the two country’s 40-year diplomatic ties.

Nuan Nuan, the first born to the pair was born on August 18, 2015 and returned to China on November 14 last year as a fulfillment of the agreement by the two countries.

Wan Junaidi has said discussions will be carried out with China to determine if the second cub can be raised and kept in Malaysia.