12 January 2022

Twin panda cubs delight fans with Tokyo zoo debut

12 January 2022

Twin panda cubs have made their first public appearance at a zoo in Tokyo but only briefly for now – just for three days – due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in Japan driven by the Omicron variant.

The twins, male cub Xiao Xiao and his sister Lei Lei, which were born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in June, took their first steps as beaming fans held up their smartphones to film the cuddly pair as they played together.

In this photo provided by Tokyo Zoological Park Society, visitors use smartphones to take pictures of Japanese-born twin pandas and their mother at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before their devoted fans but only briefly – just for three days for now – due to the upsurge of the highly transmissible coronavirus variant. (Tokyo Zoological Park Society via AP )

In a video released by the zoo on Wednesday, the cubs sit back to back on a tree, playing with bamboo, while visitors can be heard saying “kawaii (cute)!” in the background. Then the male cub steps on his sister to move up the tree.

The twins, which were palm-sized pink creatures when they were born, now weigh as much as a toddler each and have developed black-and-white fur. They enjoy climbing trees and playing together on the wood chips on the ground, according to the zoo.

In preparation for their debut, the twins and their mother were placed in a shared living quarter where they were exposed to sounds from a radio to get used to noise and voices from visitors.

In this photo provided by Tokyo Zoological Park Society, Japanese-born twin pandas Xiao Xiao, top, and Lei Lei, bottom, are seen together at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before their devoted fans but only briefly – just for three days for now – due to the upsurge of the highly transmissible coronavirus variant. (Tokyo Zoological Park Society via AP )

The zoo has been closed since Tuesday as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreads rapidly across Japan. The zoo is open only for the twin panda exhibit until Friday, with 1,080 visitors who won slots in a competitive lottery granted access each day.

Groups of six people were allowed to enter the panda quarters, where they could remain for one minute. The public viewing period is limited to two hours in the morning.

The rare animals live mainly in the bamboo-covered mountains in China’s Sichuan area.

Visitors queue to see giant panda twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei and their mother Shin Shin at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko/AP) (AP)

China has for decades loaned its unofficial national mascot in what is known as “panda diplomacy”. All pandas, including those born abroad, must eventually be returned to China.

The twin cubs’ elder sister, Xiang Xiang, born in the Ueno Zoo in 2017, is set to be sent back to China in June.

There are about 1,800 pandas living in the wild in China and some 500 others in captivity in zoos and reserves, the majority within the country.

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