Giant panda in Chongqing gives birth to twins

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2022 shows twin cubs of giant panda Er Shun at Chongqing Zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Giant panda Er Shun, born in 2007, returned to China in November of 2020 after staying in the Toronto Zoo and the Calgary Zoo in Canada since March of 2013. Er Shun gave birth to a pair of twin brothers on July 22, 2022 at the Chongqing Zoo after she had succeeded in natural mating with male panda Qing Qing in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in March this year. The panda twin brothers made their debut at the zoo Monday. (Chongqing Zoo/Handout via Xinhua)

CHONGQING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A giant panda named Ershun gave birth to twin cubs late July at a zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, and they are in good condition at present, the zoo announced Monday.

Ershun mated naturally with a male panda at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in the neighboring province of Sichuan in March, the Chongqing Zoo said.

The cubs weighed 132 grams and 91 grams, respectively, when they were born on July 22. They have reached a weight of 420 grams and 257 grams, respectively, the zoo said.

This was Ershun's second delivery to twins.

Born in August 2007, Ershun lived in Canada's Toronto Zoo and Calgary Zoo as a goodwill envoy between March 2013 and November 2020.

A total of 21 pandas currently live in the Chongqing Zoo, which began breeding giant pandas in the 1960s.