A China zoo announced that what is thought to be the first ever panda triplets have been born, reports the New York Post.
The mother, named Juxiao, was naturally impregnated by a male panda named Linlin when they were paired together in September by Guangzhou’s Chimelong Safari Park, according to AFP. The triplets were born on July 29, although Juxiao couldn’t care for them due to exhaustion, so the triplets had to be put in incubators.
A video from AFP shows Juxiao giving birth to the triplets and then licking them once they came out of her, but by the time the third one came out of Juxiao was on her side.
The triplets, which appear to be tiny, pink and have very thin white fur, have been taken out of the incubators and returned to their mother now that she has regained her strength.
The fact that these three baby pandas have survived this long has been described as a “miracle,” given the high likelihood of baby pandas dying after birth and that the reproductive rate of pandas tend to be very low because they have little interest in sex and are picky in choosing their mates, according to The Wall Street Journal.
For now, the cubs are the only surviving panda triplets in the world, but a Sichuan Wolong National Nature Reserve official cautions that it’s too early to describe the cubs as “surviving.”
“We can only say they are surviving once they reach 6 months,” the official said, who went by Ms. Zhao, told the Post.
But for now, the zoo describes them as a “new wonder of the world.”