‘Very special’ twin panda cubs to make public debut at Berlin zoo

Berlin Zoo visitors will from Wednesday be able to catch their first glimpse of two rabbit-sized panda cubs born almost eight weeks ago.

The 2.5kg (about five pounds) baby bears will take turns to greet an admiring public in the zoo’s Panda Garden for about an hour a day from 1.30pm local time.

“Until now, it was exclusively reserved for our team to observe the growing up of the little pandas,” zoo director Andreas Knieriem said. “Now, for the first time, we can also allow our visitors to take part.”

Since their birth on August 22, the still unnamed cubs have been in the care of their mother Meng Meng and an expert team including specialists from China’s Chengdu Panda Base.

“Panda cubs are still very immature at birth and completely dependent on their mother for care,” biologist and curator Florian Sicks in a statement said.

“Normally, panda mothers only raise one cub. But with animals as endangered as the giant panda, every offspring is of enormous importance.”