Panda twins born in China
2006-09-07 14:39
Beijing - A panda in southwest China has given birth to twins, adding to a cub boom that is giving new hope to the endangered species, state media said on Thursday.
The yet-to-be-named twins were delivered by seven-year-old Yaya early on Tuesday at a breeding facility in the municipality of Chongqing, the Chongqing Business News reported.
Amid the worst heat wave in centuries, staff at the facility installed special air-conditioners to help Yaya through her labour, according to the report.
One of the twins had to be brought to a panda breeding centre in Wolong in neighbouring Sichuan province for care as the mother had only milk for one, said Xinhua news agency.
The event brings the number of panda cubs born in captivity this year in China to 15, according to Xinhua.
The famously sexually inactive giant pandas are among the world's most endangered animals.
Their traditional homes have been the mountains of central and southern China, as well as Myanmar and Vietnam.
But according to experts, their numbers have fallen to less than 1 600 in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan province in China's southwest, as their natural habitats have been destroyed by humans.
Just over 180 more pandas are in research centres in China, with a handful of others around the world in zoos.