Birth Of A Pair Of Twin Babies, Ying Ying Becomes The World's Oldest Giant Panda Parent

Hong Kong Ocean Park twins. (Instagram/hkoceanpark)

JAKARTA - Hong Kong welcomed two giant panda babies naturally, after Ying Ying gave birth to a pair of twins, males and females, last week, making it the world's oldest giant panda mother to give birth for the first time.

She gave birth to two panda babies on August 15, the day before her 19th birthday, on par with 57 human years, with Ocean Park, which is home to her and her partner Le Le, describing it as a "true scarcity."

The couple managed to naturally mate at Ocean Park in March. The park kept her pregnancy a secret during that time, and only revealed the news almost 24 hours after giving birth.

"As a first-ever mother, Ying Ying was certainly nervous during the process. She spent most of her time lying on the ground and circling," the park said in a statement.

The unexpected news was announced by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. According to him, it means a lot to the couple to give birth to twins who mark the 75th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the country for awarding the giant panda to Hong Kong, which has fully shown its concern and support to the city," Lee said.

"We would also like to thank Ocean Park's team for taking good care of An, Jia Jia, Ying Ying, and Le Le Le over the years, as well as experts from the Chinese Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center for their ongoing support, which allowed Ying Ying and Le to give birth to a pair of panda cubs," he continued.

Ying Ying and Le Le were gifts given by Beijing to the city in 2007.

The journey to become parents for Ying Ying and Le Le is a long and difficult journey. Previously, the couple failed to have offspring, despite having gone through several natural marriages since 2011 and artificial insemination procedures in 2023.

Ocean Park said Ying Ying began showing symptoms of pregnancy or pseudo pregnancy including decreased appetite, increased rest time, and hormonal changes in hormone levels at the end of July.

It said the pregnancy was "undetectable" until Sunday when veterinarians and experts from the panda center confirmed it through ultrasound scans.

The day before giving birth, Ying Ying showed symptoms of childbirth, such as increased activity and being easily offended, his air broke around 10 p.m. She finally gave birth to the twins at 2:05 a.m. and 3:27 a.m. the next day after more than five hours of childbirth.

"This birth is really rare, especially considering Ying Ying is the oldest recorded giant panda to give birth for the first time," said Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the animal care team and park veterinarians for their tireless dedication to Ying Ying Ying and Le Le," he continued.

"Thank you also to experts from the Chinese Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center for their long-term partnership and professional assistance over the years, which allowed Ying Ying Ying and Le Le to become parents,"

The female panda cub, weighing 122 grams, was born first, followed by her brother weighing 112 grams.

Ocean Park said the panda cub was "very fragile" and needed time to stabilize, especially the female, whose body temperature was lower, her crying was weaker and ate less.

It said the two panda cubs underwent intensive care for 24 hours by the vet and veterinarian care team, as well as experts from mainland China, and it took several months before the twins could meet the public.