The giant panda born six months ago at Ouwehands Dierenpark is a male, the zoo announced on Wednesday.

The animal, which was given the name Fan Xing, or Starry Night in a reference to Vincent van Gogh’s painting, could only be seen via the webcam and that made it difficult to ascertain its sex, the zoo said.

The baby panda is doing well, the zoo said and is learning to climb – and break his fall – as well as gnawing on bamboo. ‘He’s vigorous and healthy and has good motor skills,’ a zoo worker said.

Fan Xing will make his first public appearance on November 15, the zoo said.

The young panda will stay at Ouwehands for four years after which he will be shipped back to China. He will then become part of the international breeding programme.

Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas are currently living in the wild, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature .The main threats to the survival of the species is illegal logging and poaching.