A female giant panda has given birth to twins in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the first pair ever born globally this year giving boost to efforts to preserve the highly endangered species.
A panda named 'Haizi' gave birth to the first cub yesterday and ten minutes later second cub was born, according to workers at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda at the Wolong Nature Reserve.
The mother is yet to release the first cub from her embrace, but staff said it should be a healthy cub, given its large size and the volume of sounds it has been making, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.
The second cub is a female and weighs 79.2 grams, the staff said.
Haizi became pregnant after mating with Bai Yang and Yi Bao in March. She began to exhibit prenatal behaviour in late May.
Most giant pandas are not good breeders when in captivity. Pandas are known for being sexually inactive and cubs are often born between July and September.
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