Giant panda in Shaanxi gives birth to twins

XI'AN -- A giant panda named Yongyong has given birth to twin cubs at a breeding base in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, said the provincial forestry authority.

The male cubs weighed 150.4 grams and 134.5 grams, respectively, when they were born on Thursday at Qinling Giant Panda Research Center, and they are in good condition at present.

This is the second birth for Yongyong, who was also born at the center in 2014. Yongyong gave birth to her first cub on Aug 17, 2020, becoming the youngest panda mother at the center.

The Qinling giant panda is a subspecies of giant panda first recognized in 2005. It has a smaller and rounder skull, shorter snout and less fur than the more familiar Sichuan subspecies.

Shaanxi began artificially raising Qinling giant pandas in the 1980s and has established a mature artificial breeding technology system. So far, a total of 34 giant panda cubs have been bred in the province.