Berlin Zoo’s new residents, a pair of panda brothers born at the end of August, made their long-awaited press debut on Tuesday and welcomed the public from Wednesday.
Andreas Knieriem, director of the zoo and Tierpark, said only the cubs will be visible to the public, while their mother, Meng Meng, will remain behind the scenes. She arrived from China in 2017 and had her first puppies in 2019 in Germany, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan.
The new puppies will be housed in a specially designed glass enclosure with an advanced air filtration system to keep them protected from outside elements. Each cub will be on exhibit in turn for an hour each day from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. local time, while the other will stay with its mother, said Florian Sicks, a zoo biologist. “We will observe how the puppies react to the new environment and adjust this time if necessary.”
The cubs, weighing just 150 grams each at birth, increased in weight to 2.5 kilos at 55 days of age. “They’re growing so fast that if you don’t see them for a day, they look like they’re even bigger,” Sicks said.
The twins were born following an artificial insemination procedure on March 26, after intensive observation and careful preparation by an international team of experts. Their names have not yet been decided, as it is a tradition to name panda cubs after the first 100 days of life.
Berlin Zoo aims to raise public awareness about nature conservation through the appeal of these “adorable, round-eyed” pandas, which will help highlight the importance of protecting endangered species and their habitats, Knieriem said.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/filhotes-de-panda-gemeos-recebem-primeiros-visitantes-em-berlim/
