Giant panda gives birth to squirming, squealing healthy twin girls at South Korean theme park

This photo provided by Samsung C&T Corp. shows giant panda Ai Bao and her twin cubs at an amusement park in Yongin, South Korea, Friday, July 7, 2023. Ai Bao gave birth to the cubs, both female, last Friday at the Everland theme park near Seoul, the park’s operator, Samsung C&T resort group, said in a statement Tuesday. Credit: Samsung C&T Corp. via AP

A giant panda has given birth to squirming, squealing healthy twin girls at a South Korean theme park.

Ai Bao gave birth to her cubs last Friday at the Everland theme park near Seoul, the park’s operator said Tuesday.

It released video of the birth and the mother caring for her newborns, as well as veterinarians examining the tiny cubs.

They are the first panda twins born in South Korea, Samsung C&T Resort Group said.

Both Ai Bao and her newborns are in good health, the resort group said in the statement.

Decades of conservation efforts in the wild and study in captivity saved the panda species native to China from extinction, increasing its population from fewer than 1,000 at one time to more than 1,800 in the wild and captivity. The life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they have lived to be as old as 38.

The South Korean resort group said it will observe the cubs’ health and growth to determine when to unveil them to the public. Meanwhile, the group said it will use social media to show off the cubs.

Ai Bao and a male panda, Le Bao, came to the park in 2016 from China on a 15-year lease. In 2020, Ai Bao gave birth to a female cub named Fu Bao.

Ai Bao, Le Bao and Fu Bao had been the only pandas in South Korea. Everland’s Panda World, which houses the three pandas, has received 14 million visitors, according to the resort group.

This photo provided by Samsung C&T Corp. shows giant panda Ai Bao and her twin cubs at an amusement park in Yongin, South Korea, Friday, July 7, 2023. Ai Bao gave birth to the cubs, both female, last Friday at the Everland theme park near Seoul, the park’s operator, Samsung C&T resort group, said in a statement Tuesday. Credit: Samsung C&T Corp. via AP

© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Citation:
Giant panda gives birth to squirming, squealing healthy twin girls at South Korean theme park (2023, July 15)
retrieved 15 July 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-07-giant-panda-birth-squirming-healthy.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2023-07-giant-panda-birth-squirming-healthy.html