Hong Kong has welcomed the birth of twin cubs to Ying Ying, who, on Thursday, became the oldest giant panda on record to successfully give birth for the first time, according to an amusement park that houses them.
The city's Ocean Park said one female and one male offspring were born just one day before Ying Ying's 19th birthday. This also marked the first-ever twin panda birth in the semiautonomous region of China.
Ying Ying and partner Le Le, the cubs' father, were given as a gift by Beijing to Hong Kong in 2007. Ocean Park Chairman Paulo Pong thanked the mainland and the Hong Kong government for their "continued support and generosity" that had made the event possible, adding that the birth was a "true rarity."
The park first suspected that Ying Ying was pregnant in late July after seeing changes in her behavior, which was later confirmed by an ultrasound last Sunday, according to its statement.
The first-time mother went into labor Wednesday night and delivered the twin cubs after more than five hours of a lengthy and challenging birth.
The newborn cubs are currently receiving round-the-clock care due to their fragile state, the park added. Visitors will have to wait a few months before they can meet the panda cubs in person.
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