 |
| Twin pandas receive medical checkups at Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, shortly after their birth. Courtesy of Samsung C&T |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Giant panda twins were born in Korea for the first time through natural breeding, marking an important achievement in collaborative research between China and Korea on the endangered animal species, according to Samsung C&T, Tuesday.
Samsung C&T said Ai Bao, a 9-year-old giant panda residing at its theme park Everland located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, gave birth to twin female pandas on Friday. They were born to Ai Bao and her partner, 10-year-old Le Bao, both sent from China in 2016.
"She gave birth to two pandas at 4:52 a.m. and 6:39 a.m., an hour and 47 minutes apart. The oldest weighed 180 grams at birth and the youngest 140 grams," Samsung C&T said.
Their older sister, Fu Bao, born in July 2020, weighed 197 grams at birth.
"Both Ai Bao and the twin cubs are in good health, and Ai Bao is skillfully taking care of her babies, using her parenting experience from her time with Fu Bao," an Everland official said.
The chances of a panda giving birth to twins are said to be only 40 percent to 50 percent. Pandas are also known to be extremely difficult to conceive and give birth. They only have one fertile season a year, usually sometime in March or April, when they can only conceive for one to three days, according to Everland.
Against this backdrop, Everland has earned the distinction of being the first zoo in Korea to successfully breed twin pandas naturally.
 |
| Ai Bao, a giant panda, licks her twin panda cubs after giving birth to them at Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of Samsung C&T |
Everland has been scientifically analyzing Ai Bao's hormonal changes through blood and urine tests to determine when she is most likely to mate successfully, which led to the natural mating in mid-February.
Since then, the zoo noticed that Ai Bao had been showing behavioral patterns similar to when she was pregnant with Fu Bao in 2020, such as sleeping more than usual and not eating well, and its dedicated team monitored her health carefully. The giant panda had also been under the intensive care of a panda expert from China.
"We are very happy that the first panda twins were born in Korea after Fu Bao. We will take good care of them so that they can become a panda family that brings hope and happiness to many people," said Kang Cheol-won, a panda caretaker at Everland.
Samsung C&T said the birth of the twins was the fruit of research demonstrating cooperation between China and Korea.
"The birth of these panda twins is another important milestone in our collaborative research on pandas in China and Korea," said Chung Dong-hee, chief of Everland Zoo. "We will continue to expand the role of the zoo in the conservation of endangered species by further strengthening our animal care expertise and breeding research."
Everland added it will announce when the twin pandas will be unveiled to the public at a later date.
![[INTERVIEW] Ecolab helps Korean partners profit from ESG management](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/7a924189dbb7426ab12275ba98702309.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8fb4b5d381da49df90276394550f2889.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Korea to work with US, Japan to fight climate change](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/800d9054a14b4a0f9cc576366cc1b914.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
