Giant panda in Macao gives birth to twin cubs

MACAO, June 26 -- Civil affairs authorities in China's Macao Special Administrative Region said late Sunday that its female panda Xinxin has given birth to twin cubs in the afternoon, which marks the first-ever pandas born here.

Xinxin gave birth to her first cub at 3:45 p.m. local time and the second cub was born at 4:27 p.m., they weighed only 135 and53.8 grams, according to a press release from Macao Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau.

After veterinary inspection, Xinxin and the first cub are now in good condition, while the second cub needs intensive care for being underweight. They are now under 24-hour observation. The gender of the cubs have yet to be ascertained.

A female panda, named Xinxin by Macao people, and a male named Kaikai, were chosen from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province as a gift of China's central government.