Berlin Zoo’s Giant Panda Meng Meng Delivers Another Set of Twins

Meng Meng, a giant panda at Berlin Zoo, has given birth to twins for the second time. Born 11 days after an ultrasound confirmed her pregnancy, the cubs are in good health. This follows Meng Meng’s first twin birth in 2019. Giant pandas are challenging to breed, making these births significant.

Berlin Zoo announced Friday that their longtime resident giant panda, Meng Meng, has given birth to twins for the second time.

The cubs were born on Thursday and are reported to be in good health, the zoo said in a statement. The births occurred only 11 days after ultrasounds confirmed that Meng Meng, aged 11, was pregnant. The cubs' sexes have not yet been determined. The zoo emphasized the importance of the first few days, with the newborns weighing just 169 grams and 136 grams and being about 14 centimeters long. Born deaf, blind, and pink, giant pandas develop their iconic black-and-white markings later.

Meng Meng and her mate, Jiao Qing, came to Berlin in 2017. In August 2019, Meng Meng gave birth to her first set of twins, Pit and Paule—names later changed to Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan—who were eventually sent to China. The arrival of pandas is part of China's "panda diplomacy" policy, now involving commercial loans to international zoos. The species' breeding difficulties make such births particularly welcome, with around 1,800 pandas in the wild and a few hundred in captivity globally.

In March, Meng Meng was artificially inseminated, as female pandas are only fertile for about 72 hours annually, the zoo noted.

(With inputs from agencies.)