Panda Gave Birth to Twins, 1 Stillborn
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WASHINGTON — Ling-Ling, the giant panda who gave birth to a 4-ounce cub at the National Zoo, actually gave birth to twins but the second cub was stillborn, zoo officials said today.
The cub was discovered Tuesday afternoon when zookeepers went in to feed Hsing-Hsing, the father, in a separate room in the Panda House. They spotted the dead panda when they looked through a glass wall that separates the parents.
“When you’ve got a big 245-pound panda you can’t always see everything that’s going on,” said zoo spokeswoman Margie Gibson, explaining why zoo officials did not see the second cub immediately.
“We’re observing her under less than ideal conditions,” she said. “We don’t have a real clear view. We’re seeing her on closed-circuit TV.”
Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing’s first cub was born Tuesday at 3:33 a.m. and has lived longer than any other panda born in the United States.
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