Germany's latest panda twins cubs are thriving just days after their birth, according to the Berlin Zoo who gave an update on Tuesday into the health of the cubs.
Born last Thursday to 11-year-old panda mother Meng Meng, the twin cubs at birth weighed in at a mere 6 ounces and 4.8 ounces while measuring at just 5 and a half inches in length.
On Tuesday, officials at the Berlin Zoo said the firstborn cub has now reached a weight of 180 grams (about 6.35 ounces), while the second weighs in at around 145 grams (5.11 ounces). Both cubs have regained their birth weights and are continuing to gain, which zoo officials consider a positive indicator of their health, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The twins' gender is yet to be confirmed.
The Berlin Zoo has provided more updates as officials said the twins have spent their first five days engaging in a delicate cycle of nursing and bonding, with each taking turns to feed every hour, the AP reported.
Newsweek reached out to the Berlin Zoo via email on Monday for comment.
Panda cubs are born in a highly vulnerable state: Deaf, blind and pink, with their iconic black-and-white coloring developing later.
However, Berlin Zoo officials expressed cautious optimism as the cubs approach closer to the critical two-week mark, a period where panda cub mortality rates are particularly high due to the absence of a fully functioning immune system.
In a natural setting, one of the twins might not have survived, as giant pandas typically raise only one cub when twins are born. However, the Berlin Zoo has intervened, enlisting the expertise of specialists from China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
The zoo has also implemented a careful rotation system where one twin stays with its mother while the other is placed in an incubator provided by a local Berlin hospital.
"Without protective measures, the giant panda would most likely already be extinct," zoo director Andreas Knieriem said in Tuesday's news release, adding that "every cub that grows up healthy counts."
Giant pandas, once symbols of China's diplomatic outreach, are now primarily loaned to zoos around the world under commercial agreements.
Currently, there are about 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China with several hundred more in captivity across the globe.
Giant pandas are known for their difficulty in breeding as female pandas are fertile for only a few days each year. Meng Meng was artificially inseminated on March 26,
Meng Meng and her male companion, Jiao Qing, arrived at the Berlin Zoo in 2017 as part of China's "panda diplomacy" program.
A few years later, in August 2019, she gave birth to Pit and Paule, also known by their Chinese names, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan.
They were the first giant pandas ever to be born in Germany and became star attractions before being flown to China in December 2022, a trip that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest arrivals, like their older siblings, won't be on display to the public just yet.
But visitors can still see Jiao Qing, who, like all male pandas and many other species, takes no part in raising cubs.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
