A giant panda has given birth to twin male cubs at a zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

 

The first cub was born at 1:13 a.m. on June 10, weighing 161 grams, and the other arrived at 1:49 a.m., weighing 151 grams, said Chongqing Zoo.

 

They are the first panda twins to be born in captivity this year, said Yin Yanqiang, who works at the zoo.

 

The mother, Mangzai, was born in 2011 and gave birth for the first time in 2019 -- to two female cubs. It is the second time Mangzai has given birth to twins.

 

The zoo is currently home to 17 pandas. The number of giant pandas in captivity worldwide reached 633 in 2020. Fewer than 2,000 pandas are alive in the wild, mostly inhabiting the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi.