Berlin zoo’s twin panda cubs celebrate 1st birthday

BERLIN – The Berlin zoo’s popular twin panda cubs have celebrated their first birthday with a special frozen cake and a portion of snow from the penguin house.

Pit and Paule — Chinese names Meng Xiang und Meng Yuan — were the first pandas to be born in Germany and have become a star attraction at the capital’s zoo since they made their public debut in January. They are on loan from China, as are their parents.

The cubs, who weighed less than 200 grams (7 ounces) at birth, now each weigh in at about 28 kilos (62 pounds).

Zookeepers on Monday brought the duo a frozen cake in the shape of the figure 1, made out of beetroot juice, apples, sweet potatoes and bamboo. The creation was garnished with a portion of snow.