Meet Ying Ying, the oldest first-time Panda mom who just gave birth to adorable cubs

A 57-year-old has just given birth, and it’s nothing short of miraculous. But we’re not talking about a human—this is a 19-year-old panda, equivalent to 57 in human years. This giant panda has just become the oldest known first-time mother after giving birth to twins, following over a decade of attempts to successfully mate.

Ying Ying and her partner, Le Le, had been trying to have a baby for years without any luck. The two pandas, who live at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, had been together for over a decade. But when the park shut down due to the coronavirus, something magical happened—they finally mated!

But, it is only recently that Ying Ying became pregnant and delivered babies.

Ocean Park shared sweet photos of Ying Ying before she went into labor, and of her tiny, pink twin cubs—the first giant pandas born in Hong Kong.?

It’s especially exciting because Ying Ying, at 19 years old, is the oldest panda on record to give birth for the first time.

Ying Ying had been through miscarriages before, so this five-month pregnancy wasn’t easy. The park said she was nervous as a first-time mom, spending a lot of time lying down and twisting around.

"Both cubs are currently very fragile and need time to stabilize, especially the female cub who has a lower body temperature, weaker cries, and lower food intake after birth," the park said, in a statement.

Giant panda gestation

Giant pandas have only one fertile period each year, which lasts just one to three days, making mating opportunities extremely rare. In the wild, their preference for living alone further reduces the chances of mating.?

Once pregnant, the gestation period for giant pandas can vary greatly, ranging from 72 to 324 days.

At birth, panda cubs are incredibly tiny—about the size of a stick of butter—and are born blind and nearly hairless. They rely entirely on their mother for warmth and nutrition in the early months.

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