Berlin Zoo's Giant Panda Meng Meng Delivers Twin Cubs
Giant panda Meng Meng has welcomed twins at the Berlin Zoo.
TroibNews 
Meng Meng, an 11-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Berlin, has welcomed twins, as zoo officials reported on Friday.
"The eagerly awaited second offspring of Meng Meng was born at 13:03 and 14:19 on Thursday in Zoo Berlin's Panda Garden," stated the zoo in a press release.
The cubs, weighing 169g and 136g and measuring around 14cm in length, are thriving. They nurse from their mother every two to three hours, while in between, the panda team cares for them in a cozy, warm incubator.
"The cubs have virtually no immune system at this stage and cannot produce essential nutrients independently of their mother, so they require an extraordinary amount of care from Meng Meng," explained Florian Sicks, a biologist and panda curator.
According to the zoo, the experienced mother instinctively knew what to do right after the cubs were born. "I am relieved that the two were born healthy. The little ones seem lively and mum Meng Meng takes great care of her offspring," commented Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem.
"She immediately took the cubs in her arms; the instinct of the mother was immediately there," noted Corvin Schmohl, a caregiver with over five years of experience in panda care.
Meng Meng made her arrival from China in 2017. In August 2019, she made headlines by giving birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, born in Germany. Following an agreement between Zoo Berlin and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the twins returned to their birthplace in Chengdu after spending four years in Berlin.
"The entire process of panda breeding involves incredibly close cooperation with Chinese experts," Sicks remarked, adding that these experts not only collaborate with the German team in the care of the pandas but also mentor the caretakers in providing essential support.
(Cover: Employees measure two newborn giant pandas at the Zoo in Berlin on August 22, 2024. /CFP)
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
"The eagerly awaited second offspring of Meng Meng was born at 13:03 and 14:19 on Thursday in Zoo Berlin's Panda Garden," stated the zoo in a press release.
The cubs, weighing 169g and 136g and measuring around 14cm in length, are thriving. They nurse from their mother every two to three hours, while in between, the panda team cares for them in a cozy, warm incubator.
"The cubs have virtually no immune system at this stage and cannot produce essential nutrients independently of their mother, so they require an extraordinary amount of care from Meng Meng," explained Florian Sicks, a biologist and panda curator.
According to the zoo, the experienced mother instinctively knew what to do right after the cubs were born. "I am relieved that the two were born healthy. The little ones seem lively and mum Meng Meng takes great care of her offspring," commented Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem.
"She immediately took the cubs in her arms; the instinct of the mother was immediately there," noted Corvin Schmohl, a caregiver with over five years of experience in panda care.
Meng Meng made her arrival from China in 2017. In August 2019, she made headlines by giving birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, born in Germany. Following an agreement between Zoo Berlin and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the twins returned to their birthplace in Chengdu after spending four years in Berlin.
"The entire process of panda breeding involves incredibly close cooperation with Chinese experts," Sicks remarked, adding that these experts not only collaborate with the German team in the care of the pandas but also mentor the caretakers in providing essential support.
(Cover: Employees measure two newborn giant pandas at the Zoo in Berlin on August 22, 2024. /CFP)
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
