An artificially inseminated giant panda took United States zoo officials by surprise on Saturday when she gave birth to twins — nearly five hours apart.
Mei Xiang, a star draw in Washington’s National Zoo, gave birth to her first cub at 5:34pm, an hour after her water broke, zoo officials said.
"All of us are thrilled that Mei Xiang has given birth," said zoo director Dennis Kelly in a statement before the second cub had arrived. "The cub is vulnerable at this tiny size but we know Mei is an excellent mother".