Tokyo Zoo's Giant Panda Gives Birth To Twins For The First Time

One of the giant panda cubs in the incubator. (YouTube screenshot/毎日新聞)

JAKARTA - Two giant panda cubs were born Wednesday June 23 at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Park, the metropolitan government said, marking the first time twins have been born at Japan's oldest zoo.

According to Kyodo News, the panda's mother, Shin Shin, 15, gave birth to twins on Wednesday morning, the sex of which is still unknown, the zoo said.

The mother and cubs appear to be in good health, but since pandas rarely raise two cubs at once, one of the twins has been placed in an incubator so that zookeepers can take care of it. The child weighs 124 grams, according to the zoo. Another child with its mother.

Shin Shin and his partner Ri Ri who are the same age, are also parents of the giant panda Xiang Xiang (4). The couple, on loan from China, also had a child in July 2012, but the child died six days after birth of pneumonia.

News of the birth of the twins received the attention of the public. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato welcomed the birth, calling it very positive.

The giant panda Shin Shin. (YouTube screenshot/毎日新聞)

A Matsuzakaya department store in Ueno posted a congratulatory message on an electronic billboard, while an employee at a nearby cafe said he hoped the birth of the twins would draw tourists in, after the coronavirus pandemic hit tourism.

"We are all very happy to hear the good news," added, "The giant panda is China's national treasure and business card," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

The birth of a baby panda is a good thing for China-Japan relations which have been strained by several issues, including Japan's Senkaku Islands which China claims.

"I was relieved when Shin Shin held the baby. I was surprised and really happy when the second one was born," said zoo director Yutaka Fukuda.

To note, Shin Shin and Ri Ri arrived at the Tokyo zoo in February 2011 from China. Their loan period was extended until 2026, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Xiang Xiang has extended his loan period until the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Ueno Zoological Garden, which opened in 1882, received its first panda in 1972 from China, to commemorate the normalization of bilateral relations between the two countries.