World's first panda cubs born in 2020 are seen at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, on March 17, 2020. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

CHENGDU - The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda on Tuesday welcomed the birth of the world's first pair of captive-bred giant panda twins this year.

The twins are the earliest to be born in any year on record at the panda base, which surprised all of us

Wu Kongju, panda expert at China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

The mother panda Fuwa gave birth to the male twins, weighing 159.8 grams and 119.5 grams, respectively, on Tuesday. Both are healthy and breast-fed by their mother, said Wu Kongju, an expert with the center.

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"The twins are the earliest to be born in any year on record at the panda base, which surprised all of us," she said.

Wu explained that it is very rare for giant pandas to have estrus in winter and give birth in spring.

This is the fifth time for Fuwa to become a mother. Turning 17 this year, she now has eight babies.

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After the outbreak of COVID-19, the panda center based in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has made a swift response to store a large amount of bamboo to ensure a sufficient supply of food for the pandas.

Wu said spring is the time when giant pandas are normally in estrus and mating. The center's research teams and breeders are closely monitoring the mating. 

Staff workers at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province take care of the newborn cubs on March 17, 2020. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A staff worker feeds Fu Wa, the 17-year-old panda who gives birth to twin male pandas on March 17, 2020 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in Sichuan province. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)