Giant Panda Ai Bao Gives Birth to Twin Cubs in South Korea Theme Park

(Photo : Odd Andersen / Getty Images)
Ai Bao the giant panda in a theme park in South Korea is now a mother to twin cubs.

It is a first for South Korea that the rented giant panda, Ai Bao, gave birth to two cubs in a tourist park.

Ai Bao The Giant Panda and Her Twin Cubs

The Everland theme park near Seoul's Ai Bao gave birth to the two female cubs last Friday, according to the resort's operator, Samsung C&T Resort Group.

According to the resort organization, this is the first instance of panda twins being born in South Korea.

The report says that Ai Bao and her infants are both well. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, a baby panda is around the size of a stick of butter, or 1/900th the size of its mother. However, as adults, female pandas can weigh up to 200 pounds, while male pandas can weigh up to 300 pounds. Their bulky size do not hinder their tree climbing skills.

Zoo director Donghee Chung stated that since pandas have come to represent endangered species, it feels like a perfect opportunity to advocate for improved preservation and protection of these animals.

The giant panda's population is progressively increasing thanks to conservation efforts; in 2016, the IUCN reduced the big panda's status from Endangered to Vulnerable, according to reports from Daily Mail UK.

Conservation and Breeding Programs

The giant panda species was spared from extinction via decades of conservation efforts in the open and research in captivity, boosting its number from less than 1,000 at one point to more than 1,800 in the wild and in captivity. In the natural habitat, giant pandas typically live for approximately 15 years, but when kept in captivity, they have been recorded to survive for as long as 38 years. 

The South Korean resort company stated that it would wait to reveal the cubs to the public until it could assess their health and progress. The group has stated that it will showcase the cubs on social media.

Ai Bao and Le Bao, a giant panda couple, arrived in the park in 2016 from China as part of a 15-year leasing deal. Fu Bao, a female cub, was born to Ai Bao in 2020.

Also Read: First Endangered Red Panda Cub Born in San Diego Zoo in 20 Years Enters Public Viewing Area 

The only pandas in South Korea had been Ai Bao, Le Bao, and Fu Bao. According to the resort organization via The Associated Press News, 14 million people have visited Everland's Panda World, which is home to the three pandas.

Female bears have an extremely small fertility window, which can be as little as three days a year, and are exceedingly picky when it comes to mating.

Although conservation is an expensive endeavor, it hasn't stopped scientists from all over the world from trying to develop strategies to preserve and perpetuate the species.

Three years after Fu Bao, the first panda to be born in South Korea, the twins were born close to Seoul. Ai Bao and Le Bao are also the parents of Fu Bao, according to Daily Mail UK.

Related Article: World's Only Albino Panda Seen Interacting with Other Pandas in China Nature Reserve