Baby panda twins at Berlin zoo - 18th December 2019

Twin male panda cubs born on 31st August and debuted at Berlin zoo earlier this month have only just received names after 100 days, in keeping with Chinese custom.

The twins' highly anticipated first media appearance precedes any public display to visitors, reserved until they are older.

The challenge of breeding pandas in captivity makes the birth of twins an almost unheard of occurrence. China lends pandas to zoos worldwide under a global initiative which sees Berlin zoo paying $15 million for a 15 year hosting contract. However, this panda loan means that these cubs are actually Chinese, despite being born in

Berlin, and must be repatriated to China within 4 years. And their names: Meng Xiang, meaning 'long awaited dream' and Meng Yuan or 'dream come true'.