With 2 Births, Mexico City’s Panda Clan Now Numbers 7

MEXICO CITY —  Two panda cubs have been born in Chapultepec Zoo, becoming the sixth and seventh offspring of a pair of pandas donated by China to Mexico 12 years ago and bringing the zoo’s current panda population to seven, a city spokesman said Tuesday.

The panda mother, Ying-Ying, rejected one of the two cubs born Monday, and the newborn was placed in an incubator, zoo spokesmen said. Later, zoo veterinarians will look for a female of another species, possibly a bear, to nurse and take care of the growing panda, the spokesmen said.

Ying-Ying gave birth to two cubs in 1985, but one survived only 37 hours.

The Chapultepec Zoo, the only institution outside China to successfully breed the rare animals, now has Ying-Ying and her mate, Pe-Pe, three of their offspring and the two newborn cubs. It is the largest panda family outside China.

Angel Aranda, spokesman for the Miguel Hidalgo borough where the zoo is situated, said that both cubs appeared to be female and that Ying-Ying was keeping what appeared to be the more robust cub nestled in her arms so it was not possible to determine its weight or size.

He said the smaller cub, now in the incubator, weighs about 6 1/2 ounces and is about 6 inches long with a 2-inch tail.

According to specialists, panda mothers are able to take care of only one offspring at a time. and it is not uncommon for a mother to reject one or more cubs after a multiple birth.

Ying-Ying and Pe-Pe have become the only panda pair to successfully procreate naturally outside China.