Zoo Berlin unveils names for baby panda twins

BERLIN -- Zoo Berlin announced the names of its baby panda twins on Friday: Meng Hao, meaning "beautiful dreams," and Meng Tian, "sweet dreams."

Following a Chinese tradition, the names incorporate elements from their mother's name, Meng Meng. The twin sisters, born on Aug. 22, also received German nicknames: Leni and Lotti. These names hold a special connection to Berlin -- Leni honors Marlene Dietrich, the iconic actress born in Schoeneberg, and Lotti playfully references Charlottenburg, a nearby district.

The names were selected through brainstorming within the zoo, explained Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem. "So many names came in, and we formed a core team from the communications department to sort them out. Eventually, we realized that the names Leni and Lotti can easily find connections with Berliners," Knieriem told Xinhua.

According to Knieriem, the names symbolize the cultural bridges built through joint conservation efforts, emphasizing that "our panda twins have roots in both Chengdu and Berlin."

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner also highlighted the significance of the pandas in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. "The giant panda is not just a symbol of China-Germany relations but also a bridge for fostering deeper cooperation and exchange," he said, expressed pride that Zoo Berlin is the only German zoo with giant pandas.

The twin cubs were born following an artificial insemination procedure on March 26, after careful preparation by an international team of experts.

Meng Meng, now 11 years old, arrived in Berlin from China in 2017. In August 2019, she gave birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs in Germany, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan.