Giant panda Meng Meng gives birth to twins at Berlin zoo

Meng Meng, an 11-year-old female giant panda at Zoo Berlin, has given birth to twins, zoo authorities announced on Friday. Xinhua reports.

"The eagerly awaited second offspring of Meng Meng was born at 13:03 and 14:19 on Thursday in Zoo Berlin's Panda Garden," said the zoo in a press release.

Both cubs, weighing 169g and 136g and measuring approximately 14cm in length, are doing well. The zoo said the cubs now alternately drink milk with their mother every two to three hours and are otherwise cared for by the panda team in a cozy, warm incubator.

"The cubs have virtually no immune system at this stage and cannot produce essential nutrients independently of their mother, so they require an extraordinary amount of care from Meng Meng," Florian Sicks, biologist and panda curator, told Xinhua.

The zoo said the now-experienced mother knew what to do immediately after the birth.

"I am relieved that the two were born healthy. The little ones seem lively and mum Meng Meng takes great care of her offspring," said Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem.

"She immediately took the cubs in her arms; the instinct of the mother was immediately there," said Corvin Schmohl, a caregiver with over five years of experience in panda care, in an interview with Xinhua.