One of the giant panda twins at Berlin Zoo, Germany, is seen waving to media on October 15, 2024 at a press conference. The eight-week-old twin cubs are open to the public for the first time on October 16 at the zoo. Photo IC

Giant panda Meng Meng's eight-week-old twin cubs are open to the public from Wednesday for the first time at Zoo Berlin in Germany, according to a press release Zoo Berlin sent to the Global Times on the day.

Meng Meng, an 11-year-old female giant panda, gave birth to the twins on August 22 at Zoo Berlin. Since their birth, the twin cubs and their mother have been taken good care of in the rear area of the Panda Garden at the zoo and have not been visible to zoo visitors, according to Zoo Berlin.

Starting Wednesday, the 2.5-kilogram panda cubs can be seen in the Panda Garden for about an hour every day between 1:30 and 2:30 pm, said the zoo. 

Only the panda cubs will open to the public, while visitors will not be able to see their mother Meng Meng. The cubs will be housed in a specially designed glass enclosure with an advanced air filtration system to keep them safe from external elements, said Andreas Knieriem, director of the zoo and Tierpark, according to Xinhua News Agency.

One cub will be on display at a time, while the other will stay with their mother, according to Xinhua.

The zoo also said in the press release that the giant panda is also considered an important ambassador for species conservation. "We hope that the panda cubs will capture the hearts of our guests and at the same time draw attention to the need to protect their natural habitat," said Knieriem, per the Zoo Berlin press release.

The zoo has announced that the two female panda cubs have reached a stable condition and are no longer dependent on the protective environment of the incubators they occupied during the initial weeks after their birth. 

The zoo will observe closely how the panda cubs react to their new environment and will adjust the time window, if necessary, according to the zoo.

An animal care team, including two experts from China, has been providing round-the-clock care for the panda cubs since their birth in August. The cubs are alternately cared for. While one stays with their mother Meng Meng and drinks Meng Meng's milk and receives affection, the other is looked after by the keepers. This rotation ensures that both cubs will form a close bond with their mother, according to the zoo.

Global Times