Lun Lun gives birth to twins @ Zoo Atlanta
Lun Lun gave birth to twins at Zoo Atlanta on July 15, 2013.
The fourth and fifth cub of Lun Lun & Yang Yang are the first panda twins born at the zoo. Lun Lun gave birth to single cubs in 2006 (Mei Lan), 2008 (Xi Lan) and 2010 (Po).
The cubs are the first giant pandas to be born in the U.S. in 2013 and the first twins to be born in the U.S. since 1987.
The zoo could become the third institution outside of China, after Adventure World Wakayama in Japan and Zoo Madrid in Spain, to succesfully raise panda twins, and the first in America.
The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams are currently caring for one of the cubs in the nursery unit in the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Center; Lun Lun is currently caring for the other. Assisting Zoo Atlanta staff is an animal care colleague from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where Lun Lun and Yang Yang were born. Lun Lun is an experienced and capable mother, but she has never before given birth to twins, which are not unusual in her species.
The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams will base their continuing strategy for the cubs’ care on Lun Lun’s behavior and the cubs’ health. If necessary, they will rotate the cubs’ time with her to ensure that both receive an equal share of maternal care without overexerting her. In the wild, giant panda mothers typically care for only one cub when twins are born. Thus, it is normal in the wild for only one of the twins to survive. Giant panda twins have survived in zoos within and outside of China. Usually this is accomplished by rotating the cubs with the mother for the first few months. However, giant pandas are born very tiny, and there is a high risk of mortality in the first few months. This risk increases in twins, which tend to have lower birth rates than do single cubs.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s twins. This is a success we share with all of our fellow zoological organizations working to understand and protect this iconic species, and we share our joy with our local community and with our colleagues in China,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “Twins are an entirely new scenario for Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta and our animal care teams, who will no doubt be extremely busy over the next few months.”
Follow Lun Lun on Zoo Atlanta’s webcam: http://www.zooatlanta.org/home/panda_cam
Source: Zoo Atlanta
