Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2019 shows new-born twin panda cubs at Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, western Belgium.(Pairi Daiza/Handout via Xinhua)
This is the 2nd and 3rd birth of giant panda at Pairi Daiza after the birth of Tian Bao, a male, on June 2, 2016, a historic first for Belgium.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pairi Daiza, a zoo in Brugelette in west Belgium's Hainaut province, announced on Friday the birth of two panda cubs.
The birth of one male cub, 160 grams, and one female cub, 150 grams, comes as no great surprise since mother Hao Hao had been successfully inseminated last April by male companion Xing Hui.
However, reproduction cycle for female pandas is long and, often, highly unpredictable.
This is the 2nd and 3rd birth of giant panda at Pairi Daiza after the birth of Tian Bao, a male, on June 2, 2016, a historic first for Belgium.
Chinese giant panda Hao Hao gave birth to Tian Bao, a historic first for Belgium, on June 2, 2016.(Photo courtesy of Pairi Daiza)
It also presents new hope for the preservation of this species classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation Nature.
"The birth of the two giant pandas bears new fruit for Sino-Belgian friendship, which symbolizes that relation between our two countries continues to blossom. I am convinced that, thanks to the joint efforts of our two sides, the global partnership of Sino-Belgian friendship and cooperation will continue to deepen and widen, bringing more tangible benefits to the people of China and Belgium," said Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Belgium.
Giant panda Hao Hao takes care of her new-born baby at Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, western Belgium, on Aug. 8, 2019.(Pairi Daiza/Handout via Xinhua)
For Eric Domb, president-founder of Pairi Daiza, the "double birth is wonderful news for this extraordinary species but today still threatened! We are proud, as a zoo, to collaborate in the rescue of the giant panda."
Both Hao Hao and Xing Hui were loaned by the Chinese government to Belgium for a duration of 15 years.
Giant panda Xing Hui eats bamboo branches at Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, western Belgium, on Aug. 9, 2019.(Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)
When they arrived aboard a specially chartered DHL plane and escorted to Pairi Daiza in 2014, over 2,000 people gathered to have a glimpse of them.
A boy with panda-shaped hat held two panda toys when waiting for the arrival of giant pandas, Hao Hao and Xing Hui, at Pairi Daiza Zoo, about 60 km southwest of Brussels on Feb. 23, 2014.(Xinhua photo)
Since their arrival, Belgium has experienced a panda mania, and Xing Hui and Hao Hao continue to occupy media attention to this day.
Considered two ambassadors of friendship and sincerity of the Chinese people towards the Belgian people, Hao Hao and Xing Hui quickly became a major attraction of the Pairi Daiza zoo.