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Twin giant pandas born in Belgian zoo

Posted at 10:28 AM, Aug 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-10 10:28:20-04

On Friday a Belgian wildlife park announced the birth of twin giant pandas, who are considered vulnerable by nature preservation groups.

Pairi Daiza Zoo tweeted that mama 'Hao Hao' gave birth to "two little 'pink shrimps' that are in good health."

The mother panda was loaned to the park by China in 2014.

The male and female cubs were born Thursday, the eighth day of the eighth month. The number 8 is considered lucky in Chinese culture.

According to the zoo, the birth of twin pandas is extremely rare, both in captivity and in the wild.

One of the babies often dies, but these adorable newborns were in excellent health.

They're the second and third pandas delivered at the park.

Giant pandas have a 24-hour period of fertility, one of the reasons for the low birth rate.