Berlin Zoo Celebrates as Panda Meng Meng Expecting Again

Meng Meng, a panda at Berlin Zoo, is pregnant with two cubs. The zoo expects the birth at the end of August. This follows the birth of the first giant pandas born in Germany in 2019. The twins were later sent to China under a pre-existing agreement.

The Berlin Zoo has announced thrilling news: Meng Meng, the panda, is pregnant once again, just months after the first giant pandas born in Germany were sent to China. The zoo revealed that ultrasound scans taken over the weekend show that Meng Meng is expecting twins.

These cubs still have plenty of growing to do, but the zoo anticipates their birth towards the end of August, if everything proceeds smoothly. Meng Meng and her male companion, Jiao Qing, have been residents of Berlin since 2017. In August 2019, Meng Meng first gave birth to Pit and Paule, making headlines as the first giant pandas born in Germany.

These twins were a major attraction in Berlin until their scheduled departure to China in December. The move was part of a contract agreed in advance, though delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. China has long practiced "panda diplomacy" by gifting its unofficial mascots to friendly nations. However, it now loans pandas on commercial terms, with giant panda births particularly celebrated due to their breeding difficulties. Approximately 1,800 pandas live in the wild in China, plus a few hundred in captivity worldwide. Meng Meng was artificially inseminated in March, the zoo noted, highlighting the narrow 72-hour annual window during which female pandas are capable of reproduction.

(With inputs from agencies.)