Double Trouble: Twin male pandas cubs steal the show at Berlin zoo

The visitors at the Berlin Zoo were in for a treat as a pair of twin panda cubs made their public debut, with the zoo revealing the cuddly bundles of fur were both boys on Monday, December 9.

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The twins were actually born at the zoo on August 31 but according to Chinese tradition, they were named after 100 days.

Andreas Knieriem, the zoo director, spoke to a crowd of excited reporters at the Panda Garden, where he announced the cubs’ names - Meng Xiang, meaning "long-awaited dream" and Meng Yuan that means "dream come true".

Both the pandas weigh around six kilograms each and made their long-awaited first appearance before the world on Monday. They were seen snuggling close to each other as they were wheeled out in a 'panda bed' which is a heated mattress in a glass case.  

One of the cubs appeared bored and sleepy, unfazed by the attention while his active brother held the crowd captive by turning his back on them repeatedly, prompting coos and laughter.

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Cubs to avoid the public eye 

The cubs will be kept away from visitors until they can walk properly. Berlin zoo-goers will have to wait a little longer to get a glimpse into the lives of young animals. The twin cubs could be allowed to be in public in early 2020 when they are more familiar with their surroundings, Knieriem said.

Berlin’s oldest zoo is excited about the birth of these twins since pandas are notoriously difficult to breed and twins are even rarer. Their popular parents - mother Meng Meng and male giant panda Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin zoo in June 2017. China, under the 'panda diplomacy' program, lends pandas to zoos around the world.

As reported, Berlin zoo pays 15 million dollars (13.5 million euros) with most of the money going towards a conservation and breeding research programme in China for a 15-year contract to host adult pandas.

While the twin cubs were born in Berlin, they still remain the Chinese government's property and must be returned to China within four years after they have become accustomed to food other than their mother’s milk.

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About 1,864 pandas remain in the wild in China, a gradual increase from around 1,000 in the late 1970s, according to the environmental group World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Out of those, only about 400 pandas live in zoos around the world, as part of conservation projects set up with Beijing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has said that the species is considered 'vulnerable' to extinction.