Giant panda Meng Meng gives birth to twins at Berlin zoo

BERLIN - Meng Meng, an 11-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Berlin, has given birth to twins, zoo authorities announced 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," said the zoo in a press release.

Both cubs are doing well and are lovingly cared for by their mum and the experienced panda team around the clock. The cubs weigh 169 g and 136 g and are about 14 cm long.

"Like other giant bears, giant pandas are born almost naked, deaf, blind and pink. The typical black and white panda markings only develop later. The sexes have not yet been determined with certainty," it said.

As giant pandas usually only raise one cub when they give birth to twins, Zoo Berlin has decided to actively assist Meng Meng in raising her cubs in close cooperation with the experts at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

"We are delighted to have two experienced colleagues from the Chengdu Panda Base at our side to look after the cubs. With around 20 births a year, they have much more experience and are better able to assess the cubs' development," said biologist and panda curator Florian Sicks.

Meng Meng arrived from China in 2017. In August 2019, she gave birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, in Germany. The twins were sent back to China last December.

Meng Meng was artificially inseminated on March 26 following intensive observation and careful preparation by an international team of experts.

The first signs of a successful pregnancy emerged on Aug 11 when an ultrasound detected two heartbeats. Just 11 days later, the twins were born, following a gestation period of 149 days.

The zoo said the now-experienced mother knew what to do immediately after the birth. "I am relieved that the two were born healthy. The little ones seem lively and mum Meng Meng takes great care of her offspring," said Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem.