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19-year-old giant panda gives birth to twins, becoming the oldest known first-time panda mom
A 19-year-old giant panda named Ying Ying has given birth to twins, becoming the oldest known first-time panda mom, according to Ocean Park Hong Kong, where Ying Ying resides.
“This birth is a true rarity, especially considering Ying Ying is the oldest giant panda on record to have successfully given birth for the first time,” the animal theme park posted on social media.
Ocean Park Hong Kong
“As a first-time mother, Ying Ying was understandably nervous throughout the process. She spent much of her time lying on the ground and twisting,” Ocean Park said.
Giant pandas are a vulnerable species and it is notoriously difficult for their human caregivers to get them to mate in captivity for a number of reasons, including the fact that female pandas only ovulate one time a year.
There are an estimated 1,800 pandas in the wild, mostly in western China. There are around 600 pandas living in captivity.
Both of Ying Ying’s cubs “are currently very fragile” and receiving round-the-clock care, Ocean Park said.
The female cub requires special attention, because she “has a lower body temperature, weaker cries, and lower food intake after birth.”
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.