Pandapoly

Other Noteworthy Panda Births in 2007

 
August 13:  Four cubs -- two sets of twins -- were born in one day at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center.  Eryatou, a 14-year old female, gave birth at about 7 p.m. to her first cub, a male weighing 218.5 grams, and surprised center staff by having a second cub, a female weighing just 98.5 grams, at around 11 p.m.  Eryatou has been able to feed both cubs so far, which is rare, because most pandas are only able to care for one cub at a time.  Jiaozi, a 12-year-old panda, also gave birth to two other panda cubs on the same day in the breeding center, her fifth delivery since 2001.

Panda-monium! 4 born on the same day in China

August 6:  Jinzhu, 11, delivered two female cubs at midnight on Monday at Wolong Giant Panda Research Center.  The birth of twins to Jinzhu is noteworthy because she was classified as male after her birth.  In December 2000, Jinzhu was sent to Japan to mate with a female panda.  When the pandas showed complete disinterest in mating, experts decided to turn to artificial insemination, leading to the discovery that Jinzhu had no penis.  In 2005, scientists found that Jinzhu's ovaries were positioned in the wrong place, which was corrected after a two-hour operation.  In March 2007, Jinzhu successfully mated with a male and gave birth to baby twin girls 142 days later.

Surprise!  Sexually suspect panda gives birth to twins

July 16:  San Diego Zoo-born giant panda Hua Mei gave birth to her third pair of twin cubs.  Eight-year-old Hua Mei , who returned to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China from San Diego once she reached breeding age, gave birth to one male and one female cub.  Her previous twin births were in 2004 (two males) and 2005 (one male, one female).  When twins are born in captivity, staff at the Wolong Center assist in rearing the cubs by swapping the cubs back and forth for nursing, as the panda mother does not have sufficient milk to raise both cubs.  All of Hua Mei's previous cubs have survived as a result of this technique.

Panda Hua Mei gives birth to twins again

June 30:  21-year-old Bing Bing gave birth to a female cub, her fifth, at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center.  Bing Bing is the mother of Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta's adult female whose female cub, Mei Lan, who will turn one on September 6.  Bing Bing is also the mother of Bing Xing, the male panda sent to Madrid, Spain, in September.  It is very rare for a panda more than 20 years old to give birth, but Chengdu officials say that mother and daughter are in good health.  

Panda gives rare birth at age of 21