For zoos and for news media it’s equally true: You can’t go wrong putting the pandas up front. For all that the adults are big and powerful and not too friendly, both they and their children are cute crowd-pleasers.
So, while we have your attention with the picture above, we get to tell you that the Berlin Zoo is about to put its first-ever born-in-Berlin cubs on display, twin males that are now five months old. Even at their age, they are stars; the zoo is building more ticket desks and hiring more security officers to handle their fanbase.
Officially, they are Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, but Berliners have nicknamed them ‘Pit’ and ‘Paule.’ Like all pandas in zoos, they and their parents, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, actually belong to China, and the cubs must be sent ‘home’ four years after they are weaned. The Berlin Zoo paid 15 million Euros for a 15-year contract for the adults.
