South Korean amusement park celebrates the birth of twin pandas

Seoul— A couple of extraordinary new residents have made their debut at an amusement park near Seoul, South Korea. On July 7, Aibao, a fully-grown female panda, gave birth to twins at EVERLAND park, according to CBS News. The first baby, a female, was born at 4:52 a.m., followed by her sister at 6:39 a.m. Weighing in at approximately five and six ounces respectively, both the mother and the twin pandas are reported to be in good health.

It is uncommon for pandas to give birth to twins, with a 40-50% chance. Recent years have seen twin pandas born in France and Japan, while in 2014, China witnessed the birth of the world’s first panda triplets.

The staff at EVERLAND park noticed signs of pregnancy in Aibao, including increased sleep and reduced appetite. Aibao and her partner Lebao arrived at the park in 2016 on a 15-year lease from China. A few years ago, Aibao gave birth to a single female cub named Fubao. Since then, both the pandas and their offspring have been cared for in South Korea by EVERLAND’s zookeepers, veterinarians, and panda experts from China’s Panda Conservation Research Center.

China’s “panda diplomacy” program, which began in the 1950s, has sent these black and white ambassadors of goodwill to various destinations around the world. Once an endangered species, pandas are now classified as vulnerable due to conservation efforts that have successfully increased their numbers. Female pandas have a limited window of three to four days per year for impregnation, making the effort to grow their population a significant and dedicated endeavor.

Fubao, the twins’ older sister, will soon be returning to Sichuan, China, as the park begins the search for a suitable partner.