On Thursday, August 15, 2024, Ying Ying, the panda gave birth to twin cubs at Ocean Park, Hong Kong. The twin pandas consist of one male and one female with the female cub weighing 122 grams (4.3 ounces) and the male cub weighing 112 grams (3.95 ounces) at birth. The births occurred at 2:05 a.m. and 3:27 a.m. following more than five hours of labor by Ying Ying.
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Ying Ying gave birth after more than a decade of attempts to mate successfully, her first successful pregnancy.
The twin pandas, a female weighing 122 grams and a male weighing 112 grams were born in the early hours of Thursday.
The birth is particularly significant as giant pandas generally have a difficult time reproducing especially as they age. Ying Ying’s age of 19 years, which translates to approximately 57 human years.
Ying Ying, who turned 19 the day after the births is the oldest panda to give birth for the first time, a rare occurrence considering the typical breeding age for giant pandas is between 4 and 7 years.
The twin cubs were conceived naturally, which is noteworthy given the difficulties associated with panda reproduction in captivity.
Ying Ying and her mate, Le Le, had attempted to mate naturally multiple times since their arrival at Ocean Park in 2007 but were unsuccessful until March 2024.
In 2020, Ying Ying and Le Le had gained attention when they mated naturally for the first time after 13 years in captivity.
However, that attempt did not result in a successful pregnancy. Giant pandas are difficult to breed, both in the wild and in captivity, due to their low libido, short breeding window and difficulties in detecting pregnancies.
Ying Ying’s pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasound on Sunday, August 11, 2024, just days before the birth, as panda pregnancies are hard to detect.
The gestation period for pandas can vary widely ranging from 72 to 324 days and it is often difficult to determine if a panda is pregnant until close to the birth.
The newborn cubs are currently under 24-hour intensive care at Ocean Park with special attention being given to the female cub, who has a lower body temperature, weaker cries and lower food intake compared to her brother.
The park has enlisted the support of experts from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda to ensure the twins receive the best possible care.
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As a first-time mother Ying Ying experienced nervousness and discomfort during labor, spending much of her time lying on the ground and twisting.
The birth of the twin cubs is the first time that giant pandas have been born in Hong Kong, an achievement for Ocean Park, which has been home to Ying Ying and Le Le since 2007.
Giant pandas are difficult to breed, both in the wild and in captivity. Their nature in the wild contributes to the difficulty in finding mates, as they typically have only one fertile period per year, lasting just one to three days.
This short window for reproduction combined with their preference for solitude, means that successful mating is rare.
Ying Ying and her partner, Le Le, who have been housed at Ocean Park since 2007 after being gifted by the Chinese government, had struggled for years to mate successfully.
It was only in March that they finally succeeded leading to the birth of the twins.
In 2017, these efforts led to milestone when the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the species from endangered to vulnerable following a nearly 17% increase in their population over the previous decade.
There are approximately 600 pandas in captivity around the world and China’s practice of loaning pandas to other countries has played a huge role in their conservation.
Ocean Park’s announcement of the birth of the twins was met with joy and excitement with photos of the newborns receiving over a thousand congratulatory comments on social media platforms like Facebook.
The park has asked the public to be patient as the cubs receive the necessary care and attention before making their official debut.
Ying Ying’s achievement as the oldest first-time mother is significant when compared to other pandas such as Jia Jia, the world’s oldest-ever panda in captivity, who died at age 38.
Other pandas like Meng Meng at the Berlin Zoo are also contributing to the species’ survival with Meng Meng currently expecting her second set of twins.
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