Four Giant Panda Cubs were born in a Chinese Panda Breeding Center within 14 hours yesterday. The newborns are a very welcome addition to the endangered whose population currently numbers at most a mere 3,000 bears worldwide with only 1,600 of those living in the wild.

The Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center was a busy place with Qiyuan, or Magic Luck, giving birth to twin female cubs, followed by Chenggong, or Success, having one cub a little over an hour and a half later and Zhuzhu, or Pearl, giving birth about 11 hours after, the following morning.

The births couldn’t have come at a better time for the embattled Giant Panda population. China’s recent devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province put many of the beloved bears at risk, with many Pandas needing to be relocated from Wolong National Nature Reserve, China’s most famous Panda Preserve, for their safety.

You can takepart in helping preserve the incredible Giant Panda by learning more about the efforts of the World Wildlife Fund.

LINKS:

Yahoo! (AP): 4 panda cubs born at Chinese breeding center

Xinhua: Four panda cubs born within 14 hours in SW China

Independent Online, South Africa: Baby boom for pandas