Double the celebration: Berlin zoo announces birth of twin panda cubs

BERLIN (KTVU, AP) - A zoo in Berlin has double the reason to celebrate: Its resident giant panda, a 6-year-old named Meng Meng, gave birth to a set of twins over the weekend.

The miniature pink panda cubs came out squealing at 6:54 p.m. Saturday. 

It appears Meng Meng's maternal instincts kicked in instantly. "She placed the tiny creature gently on her belly and began to warm it lovingly with her big paws, warm breath, and the soft fur of her cheeks," the zoo said.

On Facebook, the zoo expressed its excitement saying it had no words to describe its elation.

"Meng Meng is mom - and that's double! We are so happy, we are missing the words!" zoo officials said in a post. 

The world got a view of some momma-baby bonding time, as the zoo released video of the animals playing in the panda enclosure.

News of the babies' arrival came only days after the zoo confirmed that Meng Meng was expecting. 

The gestation period for a pregnant panda is 95-160 days, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Giant pandas typically give birth to a single cub. A litter of twins tends to be more frequent for pandas in captivity, when artificial insemination is used.

Meng Meng ​​​​​​​had mated with her 9-year-old partner, Jiao Qing back in April. And in an effort to increase the likelihood that she'd get pregnant, she was also artificially inseminated.

Both Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived from China in June 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.