Huan Huan, the female panda from Beauval Zoo, on loan from China, is expected to give birth this weekend.
While she is expecting twins, teams from the panda sector of the zoo await the event alongside the mother, in order to help her and preserve the good health of her two babies.
The small family of pandas at Beauval Zoo is expected to grow this weekend.
Huan Huan, the female loaned by China should give birth by Saturday evening ... And they are twins!
Responsible for the panda sector of the zoo, Delphine Pouvreau is watching alongside the mother while waiting for the happy event.
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Very fragile babies
"We are all 100% around the mother, she sleeps a lot," explains Delphine Pouvreau, who has just been joined by Chinese colleagues, who have arrived to help. "The birth of pandas is quite special," she continues. Huan Huan wears two, which is quite common, "but in nature, she will take one and abandon the other", develops the head of the pandas sector of Beauval, who insists on the objective of saving the second baby. . "The first will be born, he will have his first feed, we will then collect him to weigh him and possibly put him in an incubator, because then there is the second which will arrive".
By the time the second baby is born, Huan Huan will already have the first against her.
However, the teams want to closely follow the birth.
"It's quite complicated because they are very small, when it is born it's a few centimeters, eyes closed, it's really very, very fragile", concludes Delphine Pouvreau.
"Should be fine, but we remain vigilant."
Rest for #HuanHuan before the arrival of her little ones, very soon!
She spends her time sleeping peacefully in her dressing room.
As for #YuanZi and #YuanMeng, they remain visible in their interior and exterior spaces.
# BabiesPandaBeauvalpic.twitter.com / TRykgTou4j
- ZooParc de Beauval (@zoobeauval) July 30, 2021
To know their names, it will take another month after birth, time to ensure that the twins are in good health. China, owner of the pandas, will then choose the name. The pandas will then stay in France for four years, before returning to China.