Twin Pandas Born in China

The year 2012 received its first twin pandas that were born July 11 in Sichuan, the southwestern Chinese Province, at the Research and Conversation Centre for the endangered species within the Wolong Nature Reserve. 

The twins were born to 12 year old Xi mei a female panda born in 2000 and Lu Lu a male panda chosen for reproduction by the institutions. These newly born cubs born at 4.47 am are declared as the first to be born from that species in 2012 in China.

The sex of only cub could be identified as a female weighing 154.2 gram while the sex of the other still remains undisclosed.

It was in the month of March that Xi Mei became pregnant and the centre then began its intensive surveillance after mid June to watch for parental behaviour. This is not the first time that Xi Mei has given birth to twins. The first twins she delivered were in 2005 and then 2006. It was in 2009 that she gave birth to just one cub.

July 11 witnessed both joyous and distressing moments where China celebrated the birth of the first twins and on the other hand Japan suffered the loss of a Panda's cub at the Ueno zoo in Tokyo that was a victim of pneumonia.

Liu Weimin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China offered his condolences for the death of the animal that was born last Thursday as it was the first giant panda at the Japanese zoo in the last hours.

The Chinese government has sent pandas to other nations. The pandas born abroad remain Chinese property and should be returned when they reach sexual maturity, never later than four years old.