Panda Meng Meng gives birth to second set of twins at Berlin Zoo

Zoo director says the mother is demonstrating proper ‘bear love’ towards ‘lively’ panda cubs.

Giant panda Meng Meng, the star attraction of Berlin Zoo, has given birth to twins for a second time.

The panda cubs were born on Thursday, weighing 169 grammes and 136 grammes (about 6 ounces and 4.8 ounces) respectively, and measuring about 14 centimetres, the zoo in the German capital said.

“Both cubs are doing well and are being lovingly cared for around the clock by their mum and the experienced panda team. Now it’s time to keep your fingers crossed for the critical first few days,” the zoo said in a statement.

The twins, whose sex has not yet been determined “with certainty”, were born almost naked, deaf, blind and pink. As with other pandas, they will only get their distinctive black and white fur markings later.

Meng Meng, 11 years old, previously gave birth to male twins in August 2019. She was artificially inseminated on March 26, two heartbeats detected by ultrasound just 11 days before the birth.