In black and white: Berlin Zoo reveals twin panda cubs are boys called Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan
- Male twins named 100 days after their birth and are expected to meet the public next year
- Their mother, Meng Meng, and male giant panda Jiao Qing are part of zoo’s US$15 million, 15-year ‘panda diplomacy’ programme
Berlin Zoo showed off its panda twins on Monday, holding to the Chinese tradition of naming cubs 100 days after they were born and revealing that both are male.
Zoo director Andreas Knieriem said that the cubs would go by the names of Meng Xiang – meaning “long-awaited dream” and Meng Yuan, or “dream come true”. They were born on August 31 and weighed in at around six kilos (13 pounds) each on their debut.
One appeared half-asleep, while his more lively brother repeatedly turned his back on photographers. Their mother, Meng Meng, and male giant panda Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin in June 2017 on loan from China as part of a programme described as “panda diplomacy”.
Knieriem said the cubs would be kept from visitors “until they can walk properly”, which he expected to be sometime in early 2020, and were more familiar with their surroundings.
The zoo paid US$15 million for a 15-year contract to host the adults with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwestern Sichuan province.