giant panda twins arive at zoo in china

A giant panda has given birth to twins at a wildlife center in southwest China. This is unusual because the species is typically difficult to breed, females being fertile only a few days in a year. The newborns are the first twins of their kind born this year, according to The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

About 1,600 pandas currently live in the wild. More than 300 live in captivity, the majority living in breeding programs located in China. The species is critically endangered due to poaching, and have become a symbol of forest conservation efforts in China.

The government is striving to increase the panda survival right, though this is particularly challenging with twin cubs. The mother tends to ignore one of their children, but breeding programs have successfully increased the survival rate of both cubs by using an incubator. Staff swaps the cubs in secret, putting one in the mother’s arms and the other in an incubator, which tricks the mother into caring for both. The twins were born about ten minutes apart on Saturday and both appear to be very healthy, though one of the cubs hasn’t yet been released from the mother.

Sources: CTV News, ABC News