Panda twins are boys

The panda twins born Monday to Lun Lun and Yang Yang at Zoo Atlanta have been confirmed to be two males.

That means that their mother Lun Lun, a 15-year-old giant panda, has given birth to five male cubs while at Zoo Atlanta. The cubs are the first giant pandas to be born in the U.S. in 2013 and the first twins to be born in the U.S. since 1987.

Panda mothers who give birth to twins tend to care for only one, so the cubs are being rotated between time spent with Lun Lun and care from the zoo’s veterinarians and animal management teams.

According to a statement from the zoo, “Lun Lun is a protective mother, posing occasional challenges for staff as they attempt to rotate the cubs on a regular schedule.”

The cubs are expected to make their debut sometime this fall. They can be viewed on the PandaCam www.zooatlanta.org/pandacam and on a variety of social media.

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