Panda twins celebrate first birthday at Vienna zoo

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A pair of panda twins, born last year at Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna, celebrated their first birthday on Monday with a big party.

Being fed their favorite foods, the panda twins lay leisurely in their pen to receive treats by their guests, including visitors and media workers.

The birth of the panda twins, Fu Ban and Fu Feng, last August pushed the number of giant panda cubs naturally bred in Vienna to a new record of five. Of the naturally bred cubs, three of them were sent back to China when they were big enough to leave their mother.

The birth of the panda twins also proved the successful adaption to their new life in Austria, provided by their parents, Yang Yang and Long Hui. The panda couple arrived in Austria in 2003.

Panda twin cubs, Fu Ban and Fu Feng, celebrated birthday in Austria/Reuters photo

So far, no other European zoo has successfully managed to breed 5 giant pandas naturally. In Europe, most pandas are bred through artificial insemination.

Even in Vienna, how the panda pair was able to complete their historic task without human intervention remains mystery, and a hot topic for local media. But some attributed it to Vienna's livable environment.

Naming the cubs has been a popular topic for the zoo, and by following Chinese tradition, the first 3 male cubs were named Fu Long, Fu Hu and Fu Bao, which means Lucky Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard. But when it came to the twins, the zoo turned to the public to solicit name suggestions through an online vote.

Giant panda keeper Renate Haider told Xinhua that Yang Yang was doing very well in taking care of the twins, leaving less work for the staff.

Celebration of panda twin cubs' birthday in Austria/Reuters photo

She said it was not easy to identify the difference between the twins, but she managed to find ways to recognize them by their different behaviors. Fu Ban is brave but sleepy, while Fu Feng sometimes likes to hide, Haider said. Fortunately, their mother treats them equally.

In December, the cubs' father, 16-year-old Long Hui, died during an emergency examination. According to the zoo, there was a tumor measuring 10cm in his abdomen.

The zoo currently has no plan to find a stepfather for the cubs, as the cubs are still young.

Giant pandas have helped raise the reputation of the Schoenbrunn zoo. In 2009 and 2010, it was voted Europe's best zoo.

(Source: Xinhua)

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