Today’s gif comes by way of Zoo Berlin’s Instagram feed.
On August 22nd of last year, a pair of female panda cubs was born at Zoo Berlin. They are the only panda cubs currently in Germany and they have received plenty of attention since the zoo started presenting them to the public in mid-October. At first the public viewings were short and limited to their nursery environment, where they spent the majority of their time sleeping and cuddling behind thick glass. But in January the cubs were deemed old enough for their exploration to be expanded to the entire panda play area of the zoo. One can assume much rolling and playing ensued.
The twins’ mom Meng-Meng is nursing the pair. But to ensure both cubs get all the food fuel they need, the zoo also bottle feeds the gals, with mom alternating care between each of the cubs while zoo staff bottle feed the other. With their diet of bamboo, it’s difficult for a mother panda to consume all the calories she would need to support nursing two babies on her own, even within the controlled environment of a zoo. I would inquire about volunteering for feeding duty, but one probably has to go to vet school and have the correct qualifications to be a panda baby bottle wrangler. It sure looks like fun, though.
Zoo Berlin has an entire section of their website (including English translations) devoted to their panda residents. Check it out by clicking below. The site includes some interesting facts about pandas in the wild. It’s where I learned that female pandas are only in estrus for about 72 hours each year! With pandas’ natural range becoming more and more fragmented, it’s difficult for a female to find a mate in that short window. Zoos like the one in Berlin play an important role in making sure that the species survives, helping breed the next generation of cubs.
Pandas are adorable at any age, but it looks to me like evolution once again did an animal dirty. Only 72 hour each year for estrus, bamboo and have you ever seen a newly born panda? So tiny and so helpless. I'm surprised these animals have survived at all. But I'm glad we're helping because watching these creatures rolling around and being cute makes my day. Thanks, Martini!