I think it's really hard to carry panda pregnancies to term and then the survival rate once they're born also works against them. Here's the news bit that I saw with the pics:
SICHUAN, China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.
The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July 2006. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days.
The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas are due to stop suckling by February, 2007 just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.
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SICHUAN, China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.
The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July 2006. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days.
The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas are due to stop suckling by February, 2007 just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.