Pigeon pair panda cubs born in China's Chongqing

CHONGQING -- A captive giant panda gave birth to a pigeon pair of cubs in a zoo in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, the zoo said Thursday.

The giant panda, named "Haoqi," gave birth to a female cub and a male cub on Sept 13 at the Chongqing Zoo after she had succeeded in natural mating with a male panda in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in late April, the zoo said.

This is the first time for Haoqi, born in 2013, to become a mother.

After the panda cubs were born, the zoo invited experts from the center to give on-site guidance on nursing work. The two cubs can drink breast milk from their mother and defecate normally, said Yin Yanqiang, a giant panda expert at the zoo.

Currently, the baby pandas are both in good health, with the female cub weighing 232 grams and the male one weighing 306 grams, Yin added.

As of September 2021, a total of 40 giant panda cubs have been born at the Chongqing Zoo.