Giant panda twins born in China, offering hope for endangered species

The birth of a new baby animal is always unexpected news, especially if it belongs to an endangered species. Every new birth is a sign of hope for the survival of an endangered species.

So it was recently when a giant panda mom gave birth to a pair of beautiful newborn twins, an event that was celebrated as a major victory for the conservation efforts of the species.

According to AP, the twins — one male and one female — were born on Tuesday at the Qinling Panda Research Center in China’s Shaanxi Province, which aims to help save the panda population by breeding them in captivity.

The mother, Qin Qin, was impregnated by artificial insemination; nothing is known about the father yet. This is Qin Qin’s second twin: she also gave birth in 2020.

At this early stage, newborn giant pandas are difficult to recognize: they are tiny, pink and blind. According to National Geographic, newborn pandas weigh only 1/900 of their mother’s weight, making them among the smallest newborns compared to their mother.

But the pandas are under the safe custody of their mother, and they are reportedly doing well. One day they will grow up and become the iconic black and white animals that we know and love.

Giant pandas have a very low fertility rate due to their short fertile period: a female panda has only 36 hours a year to get pregnant.

That’s why breeding giant pandas in captivity is such an important and challenging task.