The first pair of panda twins were born in Korea through natural breeding, marking the achievement of China-Korea research cooperation on this endangered animal.
Samsung C&T said that mother panda Ai Bao (9 years old), living at Everland amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, gave birth to two female pandas on July 7. This pair of panda twins is the child of Ai Bao and his partner Le Bao (10 years old). Both of these pandas were sent from China in 2016.
"Ai Bao gave birth to two pandas at 4:52 a.m. and 6:39 a.m., one hour 47 minutes apart. The oldest weighed 180 grams at birth and the other 140 grams," Samsung C&T said.
Mother panda Ai Bao and her twins. (Photo: Samsung C&T).
An Everland manager said: "Both Ai Bao and the twins are in good health. Ai Bao is skillfully taking care of her children with her parenting experience from her time with Fu Bao, her first child. by Ai Bao, born in July 2020".
According to the Korea Times, the chance of a panda twin is said to be between 40 and 50 percent. Pandas are also known to be extremely difficult to conceive and give birth to. According to Everland, they only have a single breeding season a year, usually around March or April, when they can only conceive for one to three days.
With this feat, Everland became the first zoo in Korea to successfully breed twin pandas naturally. Everland analyzed Ai Bao's hormonal changes through blood and urine tests to determine when mating was most successful, leading to natural mating in mid-February.
From there, the zoo found that Ai Bao showed similar symptoms to when she was pregnant with Fu Bao in 2020, such as sleeping more than usual and eating poorly. The zoo's dedicated team has been monitoring Ai Bao's health and taking good care of her for a smooth birth. This giant panda was specially monitored by a panda expert from China.
Mother panda Ai Bao holds her newborn baby. (Photo: Samsung C&T)
"We are very happy that the first panda twins were born in Korea after Fu Bao. We will take good care of them so that they become a panda family that brings hope and happiness to many people." , said Kang Cheol-won, a panda caretaker in Everland.
"The birth of the panda twins is another important milestone in our collaborative research on pandas in China and Korea. We will continue to expand the zoo's role in the conservation of pandas. conserve endangered species by further strengthening our expertise in animal care and breeding research," said Chung Dong-hee, director of Everland Zoo.
Everland added that they will announce when the panda twins are ready to appear in public in the near future.
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