'Miracle' panda triplets born in Chinese zoo

A zoo in China has unveiled extremely rare newborn panda triplets.

The mother panda, named Juxiao, gave birth to the triplets on July 29, but zookeepers kept quiet about the news until they were sure all three would survive.

Initially the cubs were put into incubators, but have since gained strength and are now in the care of their mother as feeders remain in attendance around-the-clock, a spokesman for Guangzhou’s Chimelong Sarari Park said.

“It was a miracle for us and exceeded our expectations,” the safari park’s general manager Dong Guixin said.

Juxiao was impregnated in March with sperm from a panda living at a Guangzhou zoo.

The triplets are only the fourth known to have been born in the world through artificial breeding, but it is not clear how many have survived from such births.

At birth, panda cubs can weigh less than 150 grams, but they usually grow to an average 100-150kg. The gender of the new-borns is not yet known.

Pandas primarily live in bamboo forests in the mountains of western and southwestern China. Pandas are currently on the World’s Conservation Union list for species threatened by extinction. There are approximately 1,600 pandas left in the wild, according to the organization.