Baby boom at China panda centre: state media

Four giant panda cubs have been born within just 14 hours in China, giving a rare boost to the population of the endangered species, state media said Sunday.

Nine-year-old Qiyuan gave birth to a pair of twin female cubs late Saturday at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre in southwest Sichuan province, the Xinhua news agency said.

Little more than an hour later, eight-year-old Chenggong, whose name means "success", gave birth to another cub. Zhuzhu, also eight years of age, also gave birth on Sunday.

Chinese experts say there are nearly 1,600 pandas living in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and neighboring Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, Xinhua said.

Another 180 pandas are being raised in captivity in China.

(Agencies)