The 13-year-old giant panda "Ya Ya" at a breeding center in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, gave birth to a female cub on Saturday, bringing the number of artificially-bred giant pandas in China this year to 10.

Both Ya Ya and the cub, weighing 159 grams, are in good health, according to Yu Jianqiu, deputy director of the Chengdu center.

The first of the 10 babies was born on Aug. 1.

Zhang Anju, director of the China Giant Panda Breeding Technology Committee, said that there were still 10 more pregnant giant pandas in captivity in China.

According to experts, giant pandas can become pregnant only once a year and give birth to one to two cubs at a time.

As one of the most endangered species in the world, the number of wild giant pandas is estimated at around 1,000 in the world, most living in the high mountains around the Sichuan Basin in southwest China. There are about 140 giant pandas in captivity around the world.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2003)