Panda gives birth to twins, becomes world's oldest first-time mother

Hong Kong’s beloved female panda Ying Ying has given birth to twins, becoming the oldest first-time giant panda mother.

The glorious panda gave birth to the cubs on Thursday in Hong Kong's Ocean Park, a day before she turned 19. Ying Ying was born in Wolong, China on August 16, 2006.

Her babies are a rarity because if she were a human, she would be 57 years old.

As per the caretakers, the baby pandas are very fragile and to stabilise, they require time and care. They also said that the cubs are under 24-hour intensive care.

"We are all looking forward to meeting the giant panda cubs. Please wait a few months patiently to make their debut and officially meet everyone!" Ocean Park Hong Kong stated as quoted by BBC.

The female panda has given birth to a male and a female cub. Of the two, the sister panda looks to be weaker than her brother because her body temperature is lower and her cries are weaker than the male baby panda. It also does not help that she weighs just 122g.

Giant pandas are reserved when it comes to mating but Ying Ying and the cubs’ father, Le Le, successfully mated at the Ocean Park in March. The pair have been at the park since 2007 when they were presented as a gift by Beijing to Hong Kong.

China has been working tirelessly to prevent the population decline of panda bears. The country’s efforts have led to panda being considered a vulnerable species but not on the verge of extinction.