Rare panda baby boom in China

BEIJING -- China's panda population is booming this year thanks to a record number of births in captivity, a rare accomplishment for the endangered species known for being poor breeders.

The most recent addition -- the birth of female twins -- brought the total number of births this year to 19, surpassing the record of 18 births in 2006, Tang Chunxiang, an expert at the Wolong Panda reserve in Sichuan province, said Tuesday.

Giant panda "Yo Yo" gave birth to healthy twins at the reserve last week.

Tang attributed this year's record number of births to better research on panda nutrition, artificial insemination, genetics and creating a more natural habitat for the pandas to thrive in.

Pandas are threatened by a loss of habitat, poaching and a low reproduction rate.