Boy oh boy! Twin male pandas charm Berlin zoo

DECEMBER 9, 2019

Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller with "Meng Yuan"

The cuteness level at Berlin Zoo doubled on Monday when a pair of twin panda cubs made their public debut, with the zoo revealing the cuddly bundles of fur were both boys.

The little ones were born at the zoo on August 31 but in keeping with Chinese tradition they were only named after 100 days.

Speaking before a crowd of excited reporters at the Panda Garden, zoo director Andreas Knieriem announced that the cubs would go by the names of Meng Xiang, meaning "long-awaited dream" and Meng Yuan, or "dream come true".

The twins, weighing around six kilos (13 pounds) each, then made their long-awaited first appearance before the world's media.

Wheeled out in a glass-cased "panda bed", they were seen lounging close together on a heated mattress.

One of the cubs appeared half-asleep and unfazed by the attention, while his more active brother repeatedly turned his back on the press pack, prompting coos and laughter.

But the general public will have to wait a little longer for their own glimpse of the zoo's newest stars.

The cubs will be kept away from visitors "until they can walk properly" and are more familiar with their surroundings, Knieriem said, expected to be sometime in early 2020.

Continued

Rare baby panda twins born at Belgian zoo

AUGUST 9, 2019

A Belgian zoo announced Friday the "extremely rare" birth of twin baby giant pandas, three years after the arrival of a young male, which was a first for Belgium at the time.

The Pairi Daiza zoo said the safe delivery of the twins, one male and one female, on Thursday represented a "new hope" for the charismatic black and white bear, of which fewer than 2,000 now live in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The mother Hao Hao showed signs of going into labour on Wednesday evening and gave birth to the 160-gram male baby on Thursday afternoon, under careful monitoring by Belgian and Chinese experts, followed by the female, weighing 150 grams, two hours later.

"This double birth is marvellous news for this extraordinary species," said Eric Domb, president of the zoo.

"We are very proud... the birth of these two babies is a tremendous reward for the huge work carried on every day by all our teams."

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First ever identical twin puppies discovered by scientists

Helena Horton 

1 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 8:48AM

South African researchers have found the first known pair of identical twin puppies.

Scientists from the University of Pretoria were presented with the pair of wolfhound puppies after the mother dog's owner brought them to her local vet, Kurt de Cramer .

They confirmed in a research paper that the male puppies are the first known identical twin dogs.

The paper said: “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of monozygotic twinning in the dog confirmed using DNA profiling".

The mother dog had been in labour for two hours with no results, so had to have a C-section.

Seven puppies were delivered, but there was a remaining bulge which appeared to be a puppy in a second placenta.

Read on  

Norfolk grey seal twin pups R2-D2 and C-3PO 'a world first'

7 March 2016

Two seal pups, which were believed to be the first wild grey seal twins born in the UK, are the first to be recorded in the world, it has been confirmed.

The pups were abandoned by their mother after being born at Horsey Gap in Norfolk in November.

The seals and blood-soaked sand from the birth site were tested and revealed they have the same mother.

Anne Kirstine Frie, of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, said: "It is so rare. It is very exciting."

The female and male are being cared for at the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital at East Winch, near King's Lynn, where they were named R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Experts had hoped they were twins and were unaware of any grey seal twins recorded in the UK. The Institute of Marine Research, which carried out the tests, confirmed it was the first record of wild grey seal twins in the world.

Ms Frie said: "It's very unusual.

They were born on 28 November and rescued after their mother stopped feeding them for 24 hours

"I have never experienced it myself, and my British colleagues who do a lot of fieldwork have never observed it.

"It must happen in the wild from time to time, but we have never had knowledge of wild grey seal twins.

"In the wild they very rarely survive, the both of them, but these are both in good health."

Read on …

'Five-legged sheep' Quinto gives birth to twins in Morpeth

20 February 2015 Last updated at 13:50

A sheep born with five legs has "defied the odds" by giving birth to two healthy lambs, a Northumberland farm has said.

Quinto made news around the world after being born with an additional front limb at Whitehouse Farm Centre, in Morpeth, in 2013.

She has given birth to Susie and Sofie, neither of whom have any extra limbs.

Karen Lovatt, general manager, said the farm was "delighted" with the new arrivals.

Ms Lovatt said Quinto's fifth leg was initially viewed with scepticism, with some people saying it was an April Fool's joke.

Continued ...

Rare Panda Twins Born at Zoo Atlanta

The world may be awaiting the birth of a little royal, but in the animal kingdom, it's baby panda season. Last night (July 15), a giant panda at Zoo Atlanta gave birth to two cubs, the first panda twins to be born in the United State since 1987.

The newborns are also the first pandas to be born in the country this year. They are fourth and fifth babies for 15-year-old mom Lun Lun, according to the zoo. The female last gave birth in 2010, to a male cub named Po.

"We're thrilled to welcome Lun Lun's and Yang Yang's twins," Raymond B. King, the zoo's president and CEO, said in a statement. "This is a success we share with all of our fellow zoological organizations working to understand and protect this iconic species, and we share our joy with our local community and with our colleagues in China."

- See more at: http://www.livescience.com/38202-panda-twins-born-zoo-atlanta.html#sthash.n3vebxte.dpuf

DNA tests to confirm birth of Farne Island twin seals

DNA samples have been taken from a pair of seals thought to be the first twins born on the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast.

The grey seal pups were spotted in October by National Trust ranger David Steel, who had been monitoring a pregnant seal.

Multiple births in grey seals are rare and no records existed of any having been born on the islands before.

DNA samples have now been taken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit.

Mr Steel said: "Both are doing well and are close to independence.

'Huge success'

"With the help of the Sea Mammal Research Unit, a DNA sample has been taken from both pups so we can prove without doubt that we do have a pair of grey seal twins - the first ever wild documented occurrence.

Grey seals are Britain's largest living carnivore

Britain has 36% of the world population of grey seals around its shores

Pups weigh 14kg (30.8lb) at birth but quickly gain the blubber they need because their mother's milk contains 60% fat

Both pups were male.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-20578495

Cheetah Twins Arrive at Denver Zoo

Cheetah twins have arrived at the Denver Zoo and can now be seen by the public.

The brothers were born in October 2010, at the Wilds, a wildlife conservation center near Zanesville, Ohio. They were moved to the Denver Zoo because the nearly full-grown animals needed more space, according to a release from the zoo.

The two young cheetahs are named Marvin and Mojo, and replace the zoo's last cheetah, an eight-year-old male named Barafu, who was sent to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., to breed.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/21471-cheetah-twins-denver-zoo.html

Twin kangaroos

Salt and Pepper, a pair of newborn non identical twin kangaroos born in Australia, are being cared for by a zoo. According to a zoologist, the twin joeys were a "one in a million" birth. He said: "It's rare enough that twin joeys are born, and to have one of those an albino is very uncommon".

Rare gorilla twins born in wild

Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Twin mountain gorillas have been born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

The babies born on 3 February 2011 are only the fifth set of twins ever recorded in the history of Rwanda's mountain gorillas.

The last reported birth of mountain gorilla twins was in 2004, according to conservation group The Gorilla Organization.

Fewer than 800 mountain gorillas are thought to remain in the wild, though numbers are thought to be increasing.

"It is very rare to hear of mountain gorilla twins, so we were all excited to hear the news from rangers yesterday," says Emmanuel Bugingo, Programme Manager in Rwanda for The Gorilla Organization, which has staff in London, UK and Africa.

Double gain

The twins are both boys.

"Gorilla mothers usually have only one baby every four years or so - which is one reason why they are so vulnerable - so twins give a rare double gain in one birth," adds Says Ian Redmond, Chairman of the Ape Alliance, an international coalition of organisations and individuals that works for the conservation and welfare of apes.

The mother, known fondly to rangers as Kabatwa, belongs to the Hirwa group of gorillas.

The last mountain gorilla twins, born in 2004, were named Byishimo and Impano by the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, at a gorilla naming ceremony in 2005.

Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (G. b. graueri) is the other subspecies, and is the most populous, at about 5,000 individuals.

Last year a census revealed that the population of endangered mountain gorillas has increased significantly in the last 30 years.

A survey carried out in the Virunga Massif - where most of the world's mountain gorillas live - revealed 480 individuals living in 36 groups.

Conservationists say that, 30 years ago, only 250 gorillas survived in this same area.

Along with the 302 mountain gorillas from a census in Bwindi in 2006, the world population is now more than 780.

The Virunga Massif includes three contiguous national parks: Parc National des Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The only other location where mountain gorillas exist is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, and scientists are considering elevating the few hundred remaining Bwindi gorillas to the rank of subspecies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9391000/9391967.stm
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)

See also: http://news.uk.msn.com/environment/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=156089219

Twin gorillas born in Congo

Gorilla family group now 30 strong

December 2010: Twin gorillas have been born at Kahuzi Beiga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).


They join the Chiminuka group - and are the fourth pair of twins born into the family.

There are fewer than 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas remaining in the wild and Kahuzi Biega National Park, on the eastern edge of DRC, is home to one of the largest populations.

Kahuzi Beiga ranger Tuver said: ‘The birth of the twins brings the number of gorillas in Chiminuka's family to a grand total of 30, which is wonderful.

No one has yet managed to photograph the newborn twins so here is a photo of the magnificent Chiminuka - the proud father.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/gorilla-twins.html