Panda gives birth to twins

CHENGDU -- A giant panda gave birth to a pair of twins at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province during the early hours of Friday.

The female cubs, the fifth pair of panda twins born at the center this year weighed 110 grams and 101 grams respectively, according to the center.

The mother, named Qiyuan, has given birth four times in the past. Her appetite began to decrease in late May and her water broke at around 4:30 a.m., said Wu Kongju, a panda expert at the center.

"After giving birth, she caressed and licked the babies, developing strong maternal and nursing experience," Wu said.

Pandas are in the high season of reproduction, and experts at the center said they have gone to great lengths to take care of the mothers and their babies.

According to official figures released in May, there are more than 1,300 wild pandas in Sichuan, 15 percent more than 10 years ago. The number of captive pandas in Sichuan is more than 360, accounting for 86.3 percent of all captive pandas nationwide.