''Time To Say Goodbye'': First Twin Pandas Born In Germany Return To China

The Berlin Zoo has sent the first giant pandas born in Germany to China, as part of an agreement between the two countries. China and Germany had previously agreed the panda twins would be sent to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, an institution for giant panda scientific research and breeding, when they turn four years old.

On Saturday, the 4-year-old pandas Pit and Paule, who also are known by the Chinese names Meng Xiang und Meng Yuan, departed from Berlin aboard an Air China cargo jet and have now arrived at their new home, the zoo said Monday. ''Landed safely: Pit and Paule arrived safely at the Chengdu Panda Base,'' the Berlin Zoo said. 

"Pit and Paule coped well with the flight. When the bamboo is right, pandas are usually very relaxed. It was the same on the flight,'' said Andreas Pauly, the zoo's head of animal health, who accompanied the panda brothers to China. 

The pair will now spend 30 days in quarantine at the panda base.

Willkommen in China: Am Samstag machten sich Pit und Paule? mit Air China Cargo vom BER auf den Weg✈. Um 10:40 Uhr Ortszeit (GMT + 8) - also 3:40 Uhr Berliner Zeit - landeten die beiden wohlbehalten in der 20-Millionen-Stadt Chengdu?. Alle Infos➡️https://t.co/pzpN9GmNlU pic.twitter.com/cIJALzVMoX

— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) December 18, 2023

Both pandas have been a popular attraction in Berlin since their birth in 2019. Before their departure, Berlin Zoo shared several pictures and videos, asking people to visit them one last time. 

Ihr wollt noch einmal Pit und Paule sehen? ?? Dann raus aus den Federn und ab in den Zoo! Das ist das letzte Wochenende, an dem ihr den #Panda-Zwillingen einen Besuch abstatten könnt. Mitte Dezember reisen die beiden nach China. pic.twitter.com/0ztPKI7pTc

— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) December 9, 2023

?Pit und Paule?eroberten 2019 die Herzen aller Pandafans weltweit im Sturm??. Aus kleinen tapsigen Bärchen wurden seitdem neugierige Teenager. Und nun ist es soweit: die beiden treten im Dezember ihre große Reise✈️ nach China an und gehen eigene Wege?. 拜拜 (bàibài). pic.twitter.com/hZBYxPtxhr

— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) November 1, 2023

The panda twins, born on August 31, 2019, had their fourth birthday this summer, their last one in Germany. 

Heute feiern unsere #Pandas Pit und Paule ?? ihren vierten #Geburtstag. Zu ihrem Ehrentag wurden sie vom Tierpflege-Team mit einer mehrstöckigen #Eistorte überrascht. Besonders freuten sich die beiden über die Extraportion Eis ❄️aus der Schneekanone. pic.twitter.com/Aamb8zysL8

— Zoo Berlin (@zooberlin) August 31, 2023

Earlier this month, Zoo Berlin held a farewell ceremony for them. ''The twins have brought Berliners and many tourists a lot of joy in recent years. Slowly, it's time to say goodbye,'' said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner at the farewell ceremony, reported Xinhua.

''Pit and Paule have taken the hearts of Berliners by storm and have entered the history books as the first German offspring of giant pandas: In Berlin, the panda twins will never be forgotten,'' zoo and animal park director Dr. Andreas Knieriem said. 

Meanwhile, Pit and Paule's parents, who arrived in Berlin in 2017 will remain in the German capital for another nine years.

Notably, all giant pandas in zoos around the world are on loan from China. Giant pandas have difficulty breeding, and births are particularly welcomed. The panda is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. According to the fourth Chinese panda census, 1,864 giant pandas are living in the wild in China, as per Zoo Berlin.