Giant panda Ai Bao becomes first to give birth to twins in South Korea

The birth of Ai Bao's twins was caught on camera, with the mother quickly attending to her newborns

A giant panda has become the first to give birth to twins in South Korea, officials have confirmed.

Ai Bao gave birth to her female cubs last Friday at the Everland theme park, near the country's capital, Seoul.

Video of the mother giving birth and caring for her cubs, which are in good health, has since been released by the park.

Giant pandas are a native species to China that were saved from extinction after decades of conservation efforts. There are now thought to be around 1,800 giant pandas in the wild and captivity.

The average life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is 15 years, but in captivity they have lived to be as old as 38.

The Samsung C&T Resort Group, which operates the park where Ai Bao gave birth, said it will observe the cubs' health and growth to determine when to unveil them to the public.

In the meantime, the group said it will use social media to show off the cubs.

Ai Bao and a male giant panda, Le Bao, came to the park in 2016 from China, on a 15-year lease. In 2020, Ai Bao gave birth to a female cub, named Fu Bao.

The trio had been South Korea's only giant pandas until Ai Bao gave birth to her twins.

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