China's panda breeding base welcomes its heaviest newborn cub

CHENGDU -- A chubby panda cub weighing 219 grams was recently born in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is believed to be the heaviest panda cub born in the base.

The mother panda Aili gave birth to this female cub at around 1:06 pm Friday in the base in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the base said Monday.

"The panda cub is strong and healthy. She drank six grams of breast milk when she was just born, much more than the average newborns," said an expert of the base.

On the same day, giant panda Yuanrun gave birth to another female panda cub, which weighed 172.6 grams, in the base.

Experts said the two newborn cubs and their mothers are very healthy.

So far this year, a total of five panda cubs, three males and two females, have been born in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.