Twin pandas born in Hong Kong – adressa.no

The day before she turns nineteen, giant panda Ying Ying gave birth to two cubs – a male and a female – at Ocean Park on the south side of Hong Kong Island. She and her husband Le Le are the second pair of pandas Hong Kong has received as a gift from China after the British returned the old crown colony to the Chinese in 1997.

Pandas are considered by many to be China’s unofficial national animal, and the program where zoos around the world can borrow giant pandas has long been an important tool for soft power and Chinese diplomacy.

– Both panda cubs are currently very vulnerable and need time to stabilize, especially the female, who has a lower body temperature, weaker screams and eats less, says Ocean Park in a statement. Visitors to the park will have to wait a few months before the new pandas are ready to meet the world.

The park says that it is very difficult for giant pandas to reproduce, especially as they get older, and that it is not easy to detect when they are pregnant.

Although Ying Ying started to show signs that something was up as early as July – her appetite decreased, while her need for rest increased and her hormone levels changed – it was not confirmed until last Sunday.