Pandas have been taken off the ‘endangered’ list and moved to ‘vunerable.’ Lauren Caskey, Assistant Curator at the Memphis Zoo, joined FOX Weather Sunrise to talk about the animals.
HONG KONG – Giant panda Ying Ying gave birth on Thursday to two cubs, becoming the oldest giant panda in history to successfully become a first-time mother, according to Ocean Park Hong Kong.
The cubs were born one day shy of Ying Ying’s 19th birthday. For reference, the Smithsonian National Zoo said giant pandas reach breeding maturity between the ages of 4 and 7.
Ying Ying drinks inside the new giant panda habitat at the Hong Kong Ocean Park June 30, 2007.
(pool / Getty Images)
“Giant pandas have a notoriously difficult time reproducing, especially as they age,” Ocean Park officials said. “However, Ying Ying’s perseverance and expert care from the Ocean Park team have resulted in the arrival of the twin cubs.”
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The first giant panda twins to be born in Hong Kong, the newborn cubs include one male and one female weighing about 4 ounces each. According to the Smithsonian, apart from marsupial babies, a giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother’s size.
FILE: Female giant panda holds her pink newborn in her mouth.
(An Yuan / China News Service / Getty Images)
Like all panda cubs, the twins were born small, pink and blind.
Park officials said the animals are currently fragile and are under 24-hour intensive care. A close eye is being kept on the female, as she has a lower body temperature, weaker cries and has eaten less food after being born.
The cubs will make their debut to the public after a few months, park officials noted.
Giant pandas Ying Ying (right) and Le Le (left) are the parents of the new twins. Here they are in the giant panda habitat at Ocean Park Hong Kong on June 30, 2007.
(Robert Ng / South China Morning Post / Getty Images)
One of the reproduction challenges pandas face includes females only ovulating once a year and only for two to three days, the Smithsonian said. This has contributed to complications with increasing the panda population.