Fluff ball twins meet each other at city park
Print Edition
THE first pigeon pair — a male and a female — of pandas born in Shanghai were 1 month old yesterday and Shanghai Wildlife Park wants the public to name them.
They met each other for the first time yesterday, and had a physical examination at the park, which hosts a giant panda preserve.
Looking like fluff balls when they were born, both cubs are now chubby, healthy and energetic. They have grown black-and-white fur and now have the classic “panda eyes.”
The male giant panda weighs 1,350 grams, and his younger sister 1,168 grams.
Their limbs are strong and all tests show they are healthy, said Ni Li, a park employee.
“But it is still too early to tell their characteristics because they are too young,” Ni added.
They were born on October 4 within 16 minutes of each other, weighing 131.5 grams and 113.2 grams. When You You, the mother, gave birth to the male cub at 4:30pm, she held him immediately and started breast feeding, but she ignored her daughter, because it is the nature of giant panda mother if she has twins, to nurture the stronger cub. This is a “breeding strategy” of the species to ensure survival rates, Ni said.
Keepers used artificial means to feed the newborn female cub. Because she was in poor health at birth, keepers kept her under round-the-clock observation. Ten days later, she was in a stable condition.
The pair now take turns being breast fed and artificially fed.
Visitors are advised they need to be patient when they come to see the twins. “It still takes time for the pair to say hello to visitors,” Ni said.
They don’t have names yet, and the park will release details on how the public can vote for them on its WeChat account.
You You was pregnant when she was brought to the park from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong in Sichuan Province.
On July 9, a giant panda was born in Shanghai, which was the first giant panda born in the city. She was named by the public as Hua Sheng, which denotes healthy growth and fertility.
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