Rare twin panda babies welcomed at South Korea amusement park

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Seoul — An amusement park outside South Korea's capital has welcomed a couple of very rare new residents. Aibao, an adult female panda, gave birth on July 7 to twins, the EVERLAND park told CBS News.

A female baby was born at 4:52 a.m., and her sister followed at 6:39 a.m. The twins weighed in at about five and six ounces respectively, an EVERLAND park official told CBS News on Wednesday, adding that "both their mother and the twin pandas are in good health."

Mother giant panda Aibao cares for her newborn female twins, not long after they were born on July 7, 2023, at the EVERLAND amusement park near Seoul, South Korea.  Courtesy of EVERLAND

There's a 40-50% chance of pandas giving birth to twins. In recent years, twin pandas have been born in France and Japan and, in 2014, the world's first triplets were born in China.

Staff at EVERLAND noticed mother panda Aibao showing tell-tale signs of pregnancy not too long ago, with her sleeping more and eating less. Both she and her partner Lebao came to the park in 2016 on a 15-year lease from China. Aibao gave birth to a single female cub, Fubao, just several years ago.

They have been cared for in South Korea by zookeepers and veterinarians at EVERLAND, as well as panda experts from China's Panda Conservation Research Center.

China has sent its furry black and white ambassadors of good will to various destinations around the world since the 1950s — a program colloquially dubbed "panda diplomacy."

 Twin female giant pandas born at the EVERLAND amusement park near Seoul, South Korea, on July 7, 2023, are seen in a photo provided by the park.  Courtesy of EVERLAND

Once listed as an endangered species, pandas are considered a national treasure in their native China and the conservation efforts have bolstered their numbers, with them now being listed as vulnerable.

There are only three or four days per year on which giant female pandas can be impregnated, so it required a significant and concerted effort to grow their numbers. 

Fubao, a young female giant panda, sits in her enclosure at the EVERLAND amusement park near Seoul, South Korea, in July 2023. Courtesy of EVERLAND

Soon the twins' older sister Fubao will be returned to Sichuan, China, and the search for a suitable partner will begin.

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