Hong Kong’s Ying Ying recovering slowly since giving birth as panda twins start crawling
Ocean Park’s Howard Chuk says the cubs have developed stronger mobility in their limbs and can move around their cots
Giant panda Ying Ying is recovering slowly post-partum at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park while her two-month-old twin cubs have grown at a remarkable rate, experts have said.
Ying Ying – the world’s oldest first-time panda mother – had made a 70 to 80 per cent recovery in her appetite since giving birth on August 15, her caretaking team revealed on Monday.
Howard Chuk Hau-chung, head of zoological operations and conservation at the park, said the twins had grown a lot since birth.
“The elder female cub weighs 2.7kg [6lbs] while the younger male cub is around 2.54kg,” he said.
The cubs weighed around 100 grams when they were born.
“They opened their eyes in early October and have grown more hair since,” Chuk said. “They no longer need to be in an incubator and can regulate their body temperature under normal indoor conditions.”
