Giant panda gives birth to twin cubs at Japan's oldest zoo

Just a month before the start of the Olympic Games in Japan, the country is celebrating another exciting occasion. A giant panda has given birth to tiny twin cubs at a Japanese zoo — a joyous moment for the conservation of the vulnerable species. 

On Wednesday, 15-year-old giant panda Shin Shin gave birth to two cubs. It has been about 4 years since she last mated with her 15-year-old male partner Ri Ri, and the most recent birth marks the first time that twins have been born at the zoo.  The twins were born just after midnight, about an hour and a half apart. One weighed close to four and a half ounces, but the weight of the other is still unknown, as is the sex of both pandas.