3 pandas born on same day
2007-08-14 12:45
Beijing - Three pandas were born in captivity in China on the same day, a rare occurrence after 34 were born in all of last year, state media reported on Tuesday.
Xinhua News Agency said Eryatou delivered a male baby on Monday evening at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Centre in Sichuan province after Jiaozi gave birth to a male and a female at the same centre in the morning.
Chinese panda breeding centres have reported 13 cubs born so far this year, with eight at the Chengdu centre and the others at the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, Xinhua said.
The panda is one of the rarest animals, with an estimated 1 590 living in the wild. Another 180 have been bred in captivity.
Of the 34 pandas born by artificial insemination in 2006, 30 survived. Both were record figures, Xinhua said.
- AP