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A long-awaited pair of giant panda cubs were doing well five days into their lives at Zoo Berlin, keepers said on Tuesday, August 27.

Footage of the tiny cubs was released just five days after their birth on August 22 to 11-year-old mom Meng Meng.

The cubs have done well in their first few days, Zoo Berlin said, both surpassing their birth weight.

The firstborn cub currently weighs 180 g (6.3 ounces) and the younger 145 g (5.1 ounces), the zoo said.

However, they are not yet out of the woods, with panda cub mortality highest in the first 14 days, according to Zoo Berlin.

In the wild, giant panda twin births usually means one cub will die, but in Berlin keepers are helping out Meng Meng, alternating her cubs so that she can feed and cuddle with both.

“To ensure that both young animals grow up as naturally as possible, ie, with mother’s milk and maternal care, the twins alternate with Meng Meng,” veterinarian Dr Franziska Sutter said.

“In the meantime, the other cub is in the incubator and sleeps. When it wakes up and wants to drink, it comes to Meng Meng. This ensures that both cubs form a bond with their mother and are supplied with the all-important mother’s milk,” Sutter added.

While Meng Meng and her cubs will be off exhibit until the cubs are older, visitors can still see 14-year-old dad Jiao Qing at the zoo. Credit: