A pair of giant pandas celebrated their third birthday in Zoo Berlin, Germany, on August 31. They are the first white-and-black bears ever born in the country.

 

Meng Xiang, also known as Pit, and Meng Yuan, nicknamed Paule in Germany, are twin brothers born on Aug. 31, 2019, to their parents Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, who were sent to Berlin in June 2017 from Chengdu.

 

Pit and Paule

(Photo by Zoo Berlin)

 

Their birthday gifts included sliced apples, sweet potatoes, bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots shipped in from China for this special occasion. The bamboo shoots were Zoo Berlin's "surprise gift", according to the zoo's spokeswoman, Svenja Eisenbarth.

 

"All the visitors love the pandas here. They are a hot spot in the zoo, especially when Pit and Paule are out in the playground," commented Corvin Schmohl, who has been taking care of the twin bears since their birth.

 

Schmohl said that Meng Xiang weighs 73 kilos and Meng Yuan 68 kilos, "perfect weights for three-year-olds."

 

"Pit and Paule are quiet and calm, just like pandas would be. They sleep all day. And when they wake up, they'll eat," Schmohl said.

 

Zoo Berlin, opened to the public in 1844, is the oldest zoo in Germany. It is also the only place where people can meet giant pandas in the country.

 

Source: Xinhua

Edited by Huang Xiaomei