Berlin Zoo sends the first giant pandas born in Germany to China

BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin Zoo has sent the first giant pandas born in Germany to China, dispatching the four-year-olds on a journey that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pit and Paule, who also are known by the Chinese names Meng Xiang und Meng Yuan, departed from Berlin on Saturday aboard an Air China cargo jet. The zoo said Monday that they have now arrived at their new home, the Chengdu Panda Base. The pair will now spend 30 days in quarantine. The young pandas had been a star attraction in Berlin since their birth in 2019, but their return to China was contractually agreed from the start.