Go, cubs!

Science World, Dec 8, 2003 by Libby Tucker

This fall was a record season for the world's panda population. Qing Qing (pronounced Ching Ching), a 19-year-old giant panda who lives at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in Southwestern China, gave birth to her 13th cub--making her a morn to more cubs than any other known panda!

Most wild pandas only give birth to seven or eight cubs in a lifetime. "In the wild, a panda breeds every other year," says biologist Megan Owen of the San Diego Zoo. "In captivity (held outside a natural environment) we can increase that number."

This year, zoos from the U.S. to Japan welcomed at least 10 more baby pandas. That's good news for this endangered bear. Only about 1,000 pandas remain in the wild, with another 140 in captivity. So scientists hope these little tykes grow into healthy adults.