WATCH: Berlin Zoo presents twin panda cubs to the public for the first time
BERLIN, Germany — Five-month-old male Meng Xiang ("long-awaited dream") and Meng Yuan ("dream come true") panda cubs, make their first public appearance at the Berlin Zoo.
The two cuddly cubs were the first pandas to be born in a German zoo, and have been nicknamed "Pit" and "Paule" by their carers.
The births were particularly rare as it is notoriously hard to breed pandas.
Alongside their parents Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, the twins are the only pandas currently visible in Germany.
On loan from China, the panda couple had arrived in Berlin in June 2017 to great fanfare.
Famed for its "panda diplomacy", China has dispatched its national treasure to only about a dozen countries as a symbol of close relations.
Berlin Zoo pays $15 million (13.4 million euros) for a 15-year contract to host the two adult pandas, with most of the money going towards a conservation and breeding research programme in China.
While the cubs were born in Berlin, they remain Chinese and must be returned to China within four years after they have been weaned.
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