Sneaky butterstick

Congratulations to a continent: a female panda in Vienna's Tiergarten Schoenbrunn Zoo gave birth to her first cub last Thursday, the first panda cub born in Europe in 25 years. The last panda cub born in Europe was in 1982 in Madrid, Spain.

[Pictured right: cubs make yummy snacks]

The cub's birth came as a complete surprise to Austrian zoo officials, as they were unaware that Yang Yang was even pregnant after they mated her with Long Hui in the spring. Equally surprising is the fact that she was impregnated by natural means, not artificial insemination. Most pregnant pandas in captivity conceive via artificial means.

Sounds like the general panda population could take an evolutionary cue from these two.

It also sounds like they need some certified pandologists working over there at the Austrian Zoo!

Update: This little cub was a twin; his/her sibling didn't survive.