Giant panda Xue Xue gave birth to twins Saturday at the rare wild animal rescue and research center of northwest China's Shaanxi Province while a giant panda gave birth to a cub at the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan on Monday night.

According to Shaanxi's wild animal rescue and research center, the twins were the first of the kind born in Shaanxi.

The center authorities said the younger of the twins, a male cub, is weak and is under intensive treatment.

The 18-year-old Xue Xue gave birth to a female baby, weighing 151 grams, at 17:53 Saturday and the male cub, weighing 122 grams, came into the world at 18:40, said Ren Jianshe, deputy director of the center, adding they named the "girl" Da Xin (or joy) and the "boy" Xiao Xing (or prosperity).

Xue Xue turned its back on Xiao Xing soon after it was born as pandas habitually nurture only one cub. But the keepers intervened swiftly and put the baby into the nursery, said Ren.

The center has invited two experts from the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in its neighboring Sichuan Province to help treat the male baby, said Ren.

Besides the newly-born twins, the center has another 11 pandas, including Xue Xue, who gave birth to the province's first giant panda in 2003, said Ren.

On Monday night at the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, southwestern Sichuan Province, a giant panda gave birth to a cub.

This is the sixth panda born this year at the center, where another baby panda was born last Saturday, said Zhang Hemin, director of the center.

The baby was born at 11:16 p.m. Monday. This is the first time nine-year-old panda Hai Zi (or Lake) gives birth, said Zhang.

"During the first several minutes after the baby was born, Hai Zi tried to pick it up by mouth, but she failed due to inexperience and she even hurt the baby after overturning it for several times by claws," said Zhang, adding the center has decided to arrange experienced keepers to breed the cub.

Panda gestation lasts 83 to 181 days. As pandas mate only in three or four days between March and May each year, they have a relatively low fertility rate.

At the end of last year, 163 giant pandas were raised in captivity throughout China with more than half living at the Wolong center.

The number of wild pandas in China is more than 1,590, while another 160 are kept in captivity worldwide.

The Wolong Nature Reserve, founded in 1963, is the largest panda protection zone in China. Covering 200,000 hectares, the nature reserve is world-renowned as the home for pandas.

The number of wild pandas in China is more than 1,590. By the end of last year, 163 giant pandas were raised in captivity.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2005)