Panda cubs take turns with their mom
Source: Agencies |
July 18, 2013, Thursday
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TWO giant panda cubs are being rotated between their mother and an incubator to ensure the newborn twins are properly fed and receive equal doses of maternal nurturing, according to Zoo Atlanta.
A 15-year-old giant panda named Lun Lun gave birth to the cubs on Monday evening at Zoo Atlanta.
An ultrasound confirmed Lun Lun's pregnancy in June, but officials say they were unaware she was having twins until the second cub emerged minutes after the first.
"It was a surprise to us but not a shock to us that she had twins. Lun (Lun) did not really comply with the ultrasound all that well. This pregnancy she slept most of the time," said Zoo Atlanta's deputy director, Dwight Lawson.
He said the mother's long bouts of sleep during pregnancy didn't leave veterinarians much time to check her thoroughly.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated in March and has been under 24-hour observation by a camera providing a live Internet video feed from her den. The father is another giant panda at the zoo, Yang Yang.
The cubs of unknown gender are the first giant panda twins to be born in the US since 1987. Each came into the world hairless and taking on a pinkish color. Lawson said one weighed about 100 grams at birth and the other just over 140 grams.
Lawson said both cubs appear healthy, but zookeepers are taking precautions because of a high mortality rate among panda cubs.
The cubs are tiny, undeveloped and able to nearly fit in the palm of a hand. They were born with their eyes closed like many mammals, and they're unable to regulate their own body temperature. Zookeepers say rotating the cubs between incubator and the mother is a key step in their survival.
"They're doing well, the trick with panda twins is that the female typically only cares for one and abandons the other. That's normal, they're just not able to raise twins on their own," Lawson said.
Rebecca Snyder, curator of mammals, said in a statement released by the zoo that Lun Lun is a "good mom," but is reluctant to give up whichever cub she has at any time.
"We have not been able to swap the cubs as frequently as we would like. Because of that, both have been supplemented with some formula. Both are doing well with this," she added.
Snyder said the first days are critical and will guide the actions of the caretakers. Zookeepers said the last twin pandas born in the US in 1987 died, adding twin births raise the likelihood of complications.
If the panda cubs survive, they're expected to be open to visits from the public this fall, according to the zoo.
A 15-year-old giant panda named Lun Lun gave birth to the cubs on Monday evening at Zoo Atlanta.
An ultrasound confirmed Lun Lun's pregnancy in June, but officials say they were unaware she was having twins until the second cub emerged minutes after the first.
"It was a surprise to us but not a shock to us that she had twins. Lun (Lun) did not really comply with the ultrasound all that well. This pregnancy she slept most of the time," said Zoo Atlanta's deputy director, Dwight Lawson.
He said the mother's long bouts of sleep during pregnancy didn't leave veterinarians much time to check her thoroughly.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated in March and has been under 24-hour observation by a camera providing a live Internet video feed from her den. The father is another giant panda at the zoo, Yang Yang.
The cubs of unknown gender are the first giant panda twins to be born in the US since 1987. Each came into the world hairless and taking on a pinkish color. Lawson said one weighed about 100 grams at birth and the other just over 140 grams.
Lawson said both cubs appear healthy, but zookeepers are taking precautions because of a high mortality rate among panda cubs.
The cubs are tiny, undeveloped and able to nearly fit in the palm of a hand. They were born with their eyes closed like many mammals, and they're unable to regulate their own body temperature. Zookeepers say rotating the cubs between incubator and the mother is a key step in their survival.
"They're doing well, the trick with panda twins is that the female typically only cares for one and abandons the other. That's normal, they're just not able to raise twins on their own," Lawson said.
Rebecca Snyder, curator of mammals, said in a statement released by the zoo that Lun Lun is a "good mom," but is reluctant to give up whichever cub she has at any time.
"We have not been able to swap the cubs as frequently as we would like. Because of that, both have been supplemented with some formula. Both are doing well with this," she added.
Snyder said the first days are critical and will guide the actions of the caretakers. Zookeepers said the last twin pandas born in the US in 1987 died, adding twin births raise the likelihood of complications.
If the panda cubs survive, they're expected to be open to visits from the public this fall, according to the zoo.
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