China hears patter of tiny panda paws

BEIJING - China has had a double summer surprise with two pairs of twin pandas born at a remote and foggy mountain reserve.

Guo Guo, seven years old and a first-time mother, gave birth to two cubs on Friday at the Wolong panda reserve in southwest Sichuan province a week after her neighbour, Ying Ying, had twins, Xinhua news agency said.

"Under our experts' 24-hour wardship, the mother panda and her baby cubs have safely passed 'the first three post-delivery risky days'," Li Desheng, assistant director of the reserve, was quoted as saying of Guo guo.

Guo Guo appeared flustered by her crying cubs at first and reserve staff had to intervene when she accidentally dropped one of her babies the day they were born, Xinhua said.

The Wolong reserve is one of the few places in the world that has had consistent success expanding its population of pandas, which are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity.

More than 70 panda cubs had been born at the reserve, 61 of which had survived, state media previously reported.

The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species, with fewer than 1600 living in the wild in western China.

- REUTERS