Pandamonium

By John Bolton

As most people know, Pandas are one of our most exotic and endangered species, and are indigenous to China: which basically means most of us will probably never, ever see one. As such, they may not seem a particularly exciting breed. They only eat bamboo and spend much of the day asleep.

But on August 5th, at the Giant Panda Research Centre in Southwest China, a giant panda named Zhang Ka simultaneously broke two records when she gave birth to her first cub. The cub is the heaviest panda ever born in captivity - weighing in at a hefty 218g (half a pound). Her mother's traumatic 34-hour labour is the longest ever recorded in panda reproduction.

Meanwhile, in the Chengdu Giant Panda Reproduction and Research Centre, two twin panda sisters each gave birth to twin boys.

This news is particularly exciting because giant pandas are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. The females only ovulate once a year, there is an incredibly small window of opportunity for artificial insemination, and infant mortality is very high. Up until yesterday, only one giant panda had been born in China. Now the total is six.

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