Second Set of Giant Panda Cub Twins Born to Same Mom

A beloved giant panda at Berlin Zoo has earned the rare and celebrated accolade of becoming a mother to twin cubs for the second time.

Meng Meng, who is mom to 5-year-olds, Pit and Paule, surprised everyone 11 days ago, when an ultrasound confirmed she was pregnant.

The newborns, whose sex has not yet been determined and are so far unnamed, weighed in at a mere 6 ounces and 4.8 ounces, and measured just 5 and a half inches in length.

But it may be a little too soon to start celebrating their arrival. Panda cubs are born in a highly vulnerable state: deaf, blind, and pink, with their iconic black-and-white coloring developing later.

Officials at Berlin zoo said in a statement that they were optimistic but cautious. “Now it’s time to keep your fingers crossed for the critical first few days,” they said in a statement, The Associated Press reports.

Andreas Knieriem, the zoo’s director, added: “I am relieved that the two were born healthy. The little ones make a lively impression, and mom Meng Meng takes great care of her offspring.”

Giant pandas are known for their difficulty in breeding and typically only care for one cub when twins are born.

Meng Meng was artificially inseminated on March 26, as female pandas are fertile for only a few days each year.

To ensure both of Meng Meng’s cubs thrive, Berlin Zoo is collaborating with experts from China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

“With around 20 births a year, they have much more experience and are better able to assess development,” said panda curator Florian Sicks.

To support Meng Meng, the cubs will alternate spending time with her every two to three hours to nurse. They will be kept in an incubator donated by a Berlin hospital when they are away from their mother,

Meng Meng and her male companion, Jiao Qing, arrived at Berlin Zoo in 2017 as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” program.

A few years later, in August 2019, she gave birth to Pit and Paule, also known by their Chinese names, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan.

They were the first giant pandas ever to be born in Germany and became star attractions before being flown to China in December 2022, a trip that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest arrivals, like their older siblings, won’t be on display to the public just yet.

But visitors can still see Jiao Qing, who, like all male pandas and many other species, takes no part in raising cubs.

The twins’ arrival is especially significant as there are only around 1,800 pandas remaining in the wild and a few hundred in captivity.