First twin pandas born in Germany return to China

Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, the first giant panda twins born in Germany, arrived in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Sunday.

China and Germany had previously agreed the panda twins would be sent to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, an institution for giant panda scientific research and breeding, when they turn four years old.

In 2017, the twins' parents Meng Meng and Jiao Qing were sent to Berlin from Chengdu, making them the only two giant pandas in Germany. The panda twins, also known as Pit and Paule, were born on August 31, 2019, and celebrated their fourth birthday this summer, their last one in Germany.

Earlier this month, Zoo Berlin held a farewell ceremony for them. The twins have "brought Berliners and many tourists a lot of joy in recent years," said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner at the ceremony. "Slowly, it's time to say goodbye."

Zoo Berlin recently released a collection of video footage of the twins' growth during the first four years of their life.

"It has been nice to meet and fall in love with you guys. Have a nice trip," one fan said in a social media comment.

The zoo also launched a campaign to collect paintings and designs for the twin pandas. Fans in Germany sent their designs earlier this month to accompany the bears to China.

It will not be too hard for the panda parents to say goodbye, as the panda teenagers and their mother have already been living separately for two years, said the zoo.

The period between one and three years old is the most active stage for giant pandas, during which they spend most of their time playing, exploring, and climbing trees every day besides eating. Captive male giant pandas become sexually mature at about six years old. After moving to China, the twins are expected to be able to find their partners.

Starting Sunday, it would be a new environment for these two. But at least communication would not be a problem. According to the zoo, the accompanying staff would explain to their Chinese colleagues how to communicate with Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan through hand gestures.

"So far, everything went smoothly, and the adventure now begins," the zoo said on its social media platform.

(Cover image via CMG, with input from Xinhua)