BERLIN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Almost 40 years ago, Andreas Knieriem saw a giant panda for the very first time. In the soft afternoon light, the black-and-white newcomer sat quietly, calmly chewing bamboo.
"Whenever you see a panda, you can't help but smile," said Knieriem, who now serves as the head of Zoo Berlin. "It's fluffy and gentle, the very image of nature's kindness."
The panda from Knieriem's first encounter was Bao Bao. In 1980, the two-year-old male and his companion Tian Tian arrived in Berlin as "friendship ambassadors" from China. When Bao Bao died in Berlin at the age of 34, he was the world's oldest living male giant panda in captivity.
"Bao Bao accompanied generations of Berliners," Knieriem said, adding that for many people here, the panda wasn't just a big star of the zoo, but also a symbol of friendship between Germany and China.
Years later, Knieriem said he can still see traces of Bao Bao in every panda that comes to Berlin. In 2017, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, which is home to the majority of pandas.
To welcome the new pair, the zoo built a 5,500-square-meter Panda Garden. Next to it stands the Chinese pavilion, an old structure destroyed during World War II and rebuilt alongside the pandas' new home.
In August 2019, Meng Meng gave birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs in Germany, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, also known to Germans as Pit and Paule. The brothers returned to China in 2023. The following year, on August 22, 2024, Meng Meng gave birth again, to twin sisters Meng Hao and Meng Tian, who were also given German nicknames: Leni and Lotti.
The births reignited Berlin's "panda fever," Knieriem said. On the day the cubs made their public debut, crowds lined up for hours, with the queue stretching hundreds of meters beyond the panda garden.
Lisa Fuersch, one of the zoo's panda keepers, still remembers the cubs' early days.
"When they were born, they were about 14 centimeters long and weighed just over 100 grams," she said. "Now, a little over a year old, they weigh 27 kilograms. One is bursting with energy, climbing all day long; the other is calm and prefers to stay inside, just like her mother."
For Knieriem, the experience also demonstrated the strength of collaboration. Chinese experts stayed in Berlin for at least eight months, to provide crucial support to help with the birth and post-natal care of the second twin cubs.
"From breeding monitoring and hormone analysis to cub care -- every step is teamwork," Knieriem explained. "The collaboration has been very smooth. We learn from each other and grow together."
Knieriem said, "Everyone can share knowledge, but no one knows everything. Only when we bring together experience and expertise from around the world can we truly move conservation forward."
The Global Panda Partners 2025 conference will convene in Chengdu from Nov. 20 to 22, a gathering Knieriem believes will help strengthen global cooperation on wildlife protection.
Pandas bring people together, Knieriem underlined, adding, "They help people understand each other. They connect humans with nature, and they connect countries with friendship." Enditem
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