Hong Kong welcomed the birth of its first locally born giant pandas last week, with their mother becoming the world’s oldest first-time mother of its kind on record. Ying Ying gave birth to the twins — one male and one female — just a day before she turned 19 years old. She and her partner Le Le are the second pair of pandas gifted by China to Hong Kong since the former British colony returned to China’s rule in 1997. Giant pandas have a notoriously difficult time reproducing, especially as they age, and panda pregnancy is not readily detectible. Although Ying Ying started showing symptoms of pregnancy, including decreased appetite, increased need for rest time, and changes in hormonal levels in late July, her pregnancy was only confirmed on August 11. On August 15, her care team noticed Ying Ying’s labor symptoms, and her amniotic fluid broke that evening. After over 5 hours of labor, the babies were safely delivered. The average lifespan of a panda in the wild is 18-20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years.
