VIENNA (AFP) - A baby panda was born Thursday at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo, the first in Europe to be conceived naturally while in captivity, the zoo said.

The cub, which measures about 10 centimetres (four inches) and weighs just 100 grammes (0.22 pounds), is the product of the zoo's two giant pandas in residence, Yang Yang and LONG HUI.

The couple, now aged seven, came to Vienna in 2003 as a loan from China and became an item a year later.

"The two lived in perfect harmony," conceiving their first cub on April 27, Schratter told a press conference.

Caretakers discovered the zoo's newest arrival, which is bound to become a favourite with visitors, early Thursday after they heard sharp little noises coming from Yang Yang's enclosure. Surveillance footage then confirmed the happy event.

Father LONG HUI however could only be seen munching dispassionately on some bamboo later in the day.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070823/sc_afp/austriaanimalspanda_070823173041