Teams from Pairi Daiza and the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas on Friday announced the birth of two baby giant pandas in the Walloon animal park.
The baby pandas, born on Thursday, are the second and third births of giant pandas at Pairi Daiza, and in the Benelux countries, after that of Tian Bao on June 2 2016, the park stated.
"This gives new hope for the conservation of this species, which is classed as being under threat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose programme to release specimens born in captivity back into the wild is so successful," an animal park spokesman enthused.
According to Pairi Daiza, eleven giant pandas born in captivity have already been released back into the wild to date. Nine are currently still alive.
A press conference has been organised for 11:00 AM at the Pairi Daiza park, during which programmes for the conservation of the giant panda and scientific research involving Pairi Daiza and the Pairi Daiza Foundation are being introduced.
The Brussels Times
