That's why zookeepers say
it's a "miracle" after a panda gave birth to a healthy set of triplets,
who have now survived over two weeks and are reportedly doing well.
The cubs, which weighed 83 grams, 90 grams, and 122 grams, respectively, at birth, are thought to be the only living panda triplets in the world.
The 12-year-old mother,
Juxiao (whose name means "chrysanthemum smile") gave birth to the
adorable cubs on July 29 in China's Chimelong Safari Park in the
southern city of Guangzhou. The delivery took four hours, said Dong Guixin, the manager of the park.
"After nearly half a month under the care of the mother, the babies are very healthy," China Daily reported Dong as saying.
"They now weigh nearly
two times what they did when they were born... It was a miracle for us
and the births exceeded our expectations."
The new trio are now with their mother and are being cared for by a team of feeders, he said.
Pandas are known for
having very low survival rates. According to the Chengdu Research Base
for Giant Panda Breeding, only one-third to one-half of pandas born in
Chinese captivity manage to survive past infancy.
In 1999, another set of giant panda triplets was born in China, but one died after three days.
In the next few weeks,
another little panda could enter the world: Tian Tian, a panda living in
Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo, is suspected to be pregnant and may give
birth before the end of August.
Source from CNN
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