BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s newest panda twins now have double names — one set with Chinese significance and the other reflecting their Berlin heritage.
Born at Berlin Zoo on August 22, the female cubs were formally introduced on Friday as Meng Hao and Meng Tian, translating to “beautiful dreams” and “sweet dreams.” In a nod to local culture, they are also affectionately called Leni and Lotti, tributes to Berlin icon Marlene Dietrich and the city’s Charlottenburg district.
At their naming ceremony, attended by Berlin’s mayor and China’s ambassador to Germany, the cubs lounged on a mattress while curiously observing photographers. These twins mark the second panda pair born in Germany, following their elder brothers Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, popularly known as Pit and Paule. Born in August 2019, the brothers were a major attraction at the zoo before being sent to China last year, as per the original agreement delayed by the pandemic.
The twin cubs are the offspring of Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, who arrived at Berlin Zoo in 2017. Zoo director Andreas Knieriem shared that the cubs are thriving, each gaining nearly 100 grams daily and now weighing about 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds).
Giant panda births are rare and celebrated globally, with approximately 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China and a few hundred in captivity. Meng Meng, the cubs’ mother, was artificially inseminated in March since female pandas have a very brief fertile window annually.
China has long used pandas as symbols of diplomacy but now leases them to international zoos under commercial agreements. Berlin Zoo visitors can currently view one cub daily for an hour, with plans for both to join their mother for public viewing starting in late January.