First in Canada
The two cubs were born on Oct. 13th, thirteen minutes apart — the first giant panda cub arriving at 3:31 a.m. and the second at 3:44 a.m. They were born to first-time mother, Er Shun, a giant panda who does not actually belong to the Toronto Zoo but who has been “loaned” from a zoo in China. The sex of the cubs has yet to be determined.
Giant pandas are born blind and not giant but rather small, these two being birthed at 187.7 grams and 115 grams, under half a pound each but within normal birth range. A press release said Er Shun is “demonstrating excellent maternal instincts and began cleaning and cradling the first cub soon after its birth and immediately following the birth of the second cub.”
“While this is wonderful news,” the press release added. “The tiny cubs are very vulnerable at this size, so the next several hours and days will be critical to their survival.”
They’re the first giant pandas to be born in Canada. “We are so proud to be contributing to the ongoing survival of this endangered species,” zoo CEO John Tracogna said in a statement.
Late on September 26 and early on the 27th, the zoo’s white lioness, Makali, had her first litter when she birthed four white lions. As with the giant pandas, the lion brood is being kept in the zoo’s maternity area and are not available for public viewing.
These cubs, like the lion cubs, may be ready to be shown when they are six to eight weeks old.
