China announced today the birth of extremely rare panda triplets in the latest success for the country's artificial breeding program.

The three cubs were born July 29 in the southern city of Guangzhou, but breeders delayed an announcement until they were sure all three would survive, China News Service said.

The mother, Ju Xiao, and the three as-yet-unnamed cubs are healthy, the state-run news agency said.

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Triplet panda cubs rest in an incubator at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China

The cubs were born on July 29, but breeders delayed an announcement until they were sure all three would survive. Right, mum Ju Xiao caresses one of her cubs in her enclosure at the safari park

Photos showed the three sleeping and standing in their incubator, their bodies pink and mostly hairless.

Ju Xiao was impregnated in March with sperm from a panda living at a Guangzhou zoo. In the final weeks of her pregnancy she was under round the clock care, according to the report.

The triplets were born within four hours of each other and currently weigh between 8oz and 12oz.

The report said the triplets were only the fourth known to have been born in the world through artificial breeding programs, but it wasn't clear how many had survived from such births.

The triplets were born within four hours of each other and currently weigh between 8oz and 12oz

The report said the triplets were only the fourth known to have been born in the world through artificial breeding programs, but it wasn't clear how many had survived from such births

Photos showed the three sleeping and standing in their incubator, their bodies pink and mostly hairless

There are about 1,600 giant pandas in the wild, where they are critically endangered due to loss of habitat and low birth rates. More than 300 live in captivity, mostly in China's breeding programs.

China has devoted major resources to increasing the numbers of the country's unofficial national mascot.

It regularly announces the birth of pandas born at zoos and at the Wolong breeding centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan, where most wild pandas are found.