Giant panda delivers twins at western Japan zoo

OSAKA -- A giant panda at a zoo in western Japan has given birth to healthy twin cubs, local media reported.

The mother panda, named Rauhin, went into labor Tuesday afternoon at Adventure World, a theme park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture. She gave birth to the first cub at 8:31 pm local time, and the second at 11:33 p.m. local time. Both cubs are female, each weighing about 180 grams and measuring 20 centimeters.

The mother panda, 14 years old, was also born at Adventure World in Shirahama, and has given birth to seven panda babies. She was observed this July mating with a 22-year-old panda named Yong Ming from China.

The newborn pandas made the number of giant pandas born at Adventure World since 2000 to 14. The park, one of the first cooperative partners of China's Chengdu Panda Base in panda breeding research, now houses seven giant pandas, the most in Japan.