Berlin Zoo's Twin Panda Cubs Open Their Eyes for the First Time

4 年前

Twin pandas at Zoo Berlin in Germany can “finally begin to see the world around them” after the pair opened their eyes for the first time, six weeks after their birth, the zoo announced on October 18.

The zoo said a six-year-old giant panda named Meng Meng gave birth to the cubs on August 31. Since then, the babies’ eyes and motor control have been developing.

This video shows the cubs squeaking, squinting, and slowly moving their paws and heads.

“We have been referring to them as ‘big one’ and ‘little one,’ but thanks to Meng Meng’s nourishing milk the two siblings are now almost the same size and weight," zoo director Dr Andreas Knieriem said in a press release.

The zoo – which said it housed Germany’s only giant pandas since summer 2017 – pays an annual “loan fee” to China to keep its “rare bears.” All money from the fee goes into conservation work to protect pandas. The zoo said giant pandas are classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with about 1,864 adults living in the wild. Credit: Zoo Berlin via Storyful