If you’re a panda lover (who isn’t?), then we have some fantastic news for you. This week, a panda by the name of Meng Meng gave birth to not one, but two panda cubs in a zoo in Berlin—marking the first time one of these rare mammals has given birth in Germany.
Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, so the fact that Meng Meng gave birth to twins is spectacular. Zookeepers say Meng Meng is a natural mother, placing the first tiny, hand-sized cub on her belly and warming it “lovingly with her big paws, warm breath, and the soft fur of her cheeks. An hour later, its twin was born.
Although the pandas were born in Berlin, they will eventually be returned to China as a part of what is known as “panda diplomacy”, in which China loans out its treasured national animal to about a dozen countries as a symbol of close relations. (note, image is not of the baby twins, click to the source article to see them!)
