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The birth of twin pandas at a research center in China gives new hope to the survival of the species as it struggles with loss of habitat and opportunities to breed in the wild.
Giant panda twins born in China as species struggles for survival
Twin giant pandas have been born at a breeding center in southwestern China, a sign of progress for the country’s unofficial national mascot as it struggles for survival amid climate change and loss of habitat.
The male and female cubs, born on Tuesday at the Qinling Panda Research Center in Shaanxi province, are the second pair of twins born to their mother, Qin Qin. Another panda, Yong Yong, gave birth to twins at the center earlier this month.
Qin Qin was also born at the center and previously gave birth to twin females in 2020.
State media gave no word on the father, but Chinese veterinarians for years have been using artificial insemination to boost the population of the animals, which reproduce rarely in the wild and rely on a diet of bamboo in the mountains of western China.
