Through meticulous care over the past two months, Hong Kong’s baby twin giant pandas are thriving, having gained a substantial amount of weight as they opened their eyes for the first time this month, their caretakers at Ocean Park said on Monday.
The twins are expected to meet the public around the Lunar New Year in late January when they will be six months old, the caretakers added.
The two have not been officially named yet. The girl, nicknamed “Gaaze” (or "Elder Sister" in Cantonese), weighed 122 grams at birth and now weighs 2.7 kilograms, while “Sailou” (Little Brother) has grown from 112 grams at birth to 2.54 kilograms.
Both giant pandas have strong, powerful voices and their bodies are covered in black and white fur. The girl is reputed to have a relatively gentle and quiet personality, while the little brother is more rugged and has a masculine temperament.
Howard Chuk Hau-chung, head of zoological operations and conservation at the park, said that, in their early days, the baby pandas mainly relied on their mother’s breast milk and on frozen panda milk collected from various places by the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in Sichuan province.
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After a week, they gradually started to drink formula milk and the team of caretakers meticulously prepared the milk for the pandas every day.
Mandy Yan, senior supervisor of zoological operations at the park, said that the two baby pandas are currently eating three meals a day, with eight-hour intervals.
After feeding their wards, the caretakers also help the pandas burp to expel excess air and prevent vomiting, Yan said.
Team members closely monitor the baby pandas’ health and meticulously record all their observations, she added.
The pandas’ mother, Ying Ying, also required meticulous care after giving birth to the twins.
Elke Wu, assistant curator of zoological operations of the park, said that Ying Ying initially had a poor appetite after giving birth because of extreme fatigue, and the team had to use a variety of methods to entice her to eat.
Unlike most giant pandas who love honey, Ying Ying did not find it appealing, so the team prepared electrolyte water for her, hoping the sweetness would encourage her to drink more, which worked, Wu said.
She added that Ying Ying’s condition has improved significantly, with her food intake returning to 70-80 percent of her usual amount, enabling her to resume regular activities.
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The team will continue to closely monitor her condition and provide daily care, including measuring her temperature and weight every day.
Two experts from the conservation and research center in Sichuan provided assistance during the birth of the giant pandas.
Expert Dong Li said that the ultrasound examination before Ying Ying’s delivery only showed the presence of one giant panda. After giving birth to Gaje, the expert team continued to observe Ying Ying closely and estimated that she might be carrying twins.
Sailo was born more than an hour later, which surprised the entire team.
Dong said Ying Ying was treated like a princess by caretakers before giving birth. After having her own babies, her maternal instincts became apparent, and she displayed an intense focus when taking care of her offspring.
