(Seoul) A South Korean zoo has announced the birth of twin giant pandas, the first to be born in the country, sparking a wave of enthusiasm on social networks.
The twins were born Friday in the Everland amusement park, near the capital, which presented them in a video on its YouTube channel.
The video, uploaded on Tuesday, shows the mother, Ai Bao, in labor, rolling around in her cage before giving birth to two tiny pandas.
The first twin weighed 180 grams and the second 140 grams, the zoo said.
“The mother and twin pandas are in good health,” a zoo representative said in a statement.
Ai Bao gave birth in July 2020 to Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea by natural reproduction.
The video of the twins’ birth has been viewed 640,000 times on YouTube since it was uploaded.
“Welcome to the world, dear babies! Congratulations Bao family,” one netizen wrote.
Another commented, “Tears keep pouring out of my eyes because I’m so proud of Ai Bao! Well done, Ai Bao! »
Ai Bao and Le Bao, the father, arrived in South Korea in 2016 as official gifts from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Outside of China, only about twenty zoological parks have these herbivorous plantigrades, symbols of Beijing’s diplomatic friendships.
Beijing lends pandas to foreign zoos, which generally have to send their potential offspring to China within a few years of their birth, in order to integrate them into the country’s breeding program.