Second Panda Born In Vienna Zoo: Keepers Originally Thought Just One Baby Was Born To Yang Yang

It turns out that Yang Yang the panda, a famous bear in an Austrian zoo, was gifted with a surprise a few weeks back when she gave birth to two baby pandas instead of the one zookeepers initially expected. After weeks of speculation that Yang Yang gave birth to twins, a video finally captured her taking care of two little bears.

Zookeepers at the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna initially suspected there may be two babies after hearing what seemed to be the sound of two distinct voices but later thought they must have been mistaken since their surveillance camera didn’t show another baby. It wasn’t until Friday that the two small pandas were seen together with their mother for the first time.

Experts say the pandas appear to be doing well under their mother’s care. They both have fat tummies, zoologist Eveline Dungle told the Local, and the mother looks relaxed while taking care of her kids.

“The little ones can be rarely seen on the pictures because Yang Yang warms them between her large paws most of the time,” Dungle said.

At this point, weeks from their birth, the small bears are also showing their first signs of white and black fluff that will eventually turn into fur and cover up their small pink bodies.

The discovery of the second baby panda makes it the fourth panda born at the Schönbrunn Zoo since 2007. The Local noted that the newborn babies were likely conceived in March when Yang Yang was spotted with father Long Hui “enthusiastically” mating on several occasions.

The newborn news is a rare bright spot in what is generally a sad story for pandas. For years, panda populations have been decreasing, making them one of the more endangered species in the world with only about 1000 to 2000 giant pandas living in the wild.