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giant-panda

Double joy as mother of only giant panda twins in U.S. pregnant again

By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) – The mother of the only giant panda twins in the United States may soon deliver a second set of twins, Zoo Atlanta said on Tuesday, capping off an eventful month for lovers of the fluffy black and white bears across the globe. Three years ago, mother bear Lun Lun gave birth to female cubs Mei Lun and Mei Huan, who are still at the Georgia zoo but could be returned this fall to China, which owns them, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Davis said. An ultrasound on Monday confirmed that Lun Lun, who turns 19 years old on Thursday, is once again pregnant with twins, the zoo said.

Hong Kong panda bears down on world record for longevity

By Venus Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) – The oldest giant panda living in captivity is set to challenge the world record for the animals' longevity, with her age said to put her on par with a human centenarian.Hong Kong's giant panda Jia Jia, whose name means “good”, will turn 37 this summer at theme park Ocean Park, matching the Guinness World Records title for the oldest panda survivor in captivity – Du Du, who died in 1999, aged 37. “It is rare for pandas to live to this age,” said Grant Abel, the park's director of animal care. “It's probably equivalent to someone, a human person, who would be over a hundred years of age.” Jia Jia's caregivers say they are considering sending an application to Guinness World Records after the celebration of her birthday, which is observed in summer, although the exact date is not known, as she was captured in the wild.