Berlin zoo's panda cubs take first glimpse of the world

BERLIN - A zoo in Germany says two panda cubs born in August have opened their eyes to the world for the first time this week.

Zoo Berlin on Friday released pictures of the two cubs cautiously peering at the camera, six weeks after their birth. Video of the pair shows the cubs squeaking and squinting as they can "finally begin to see the world around them."

Zoo director Andreas Knieriem said the twins — the first giant pandas born in Germany — are both developing well thanks to care from their mother, Meng Meng.

“We have been referring to them as ‘big one’ and ‘little one,’ but thanks to Meng Meng’s nourishing milk the two siblings are now almost the same size and weight," Knieriem said.

She and father Jiao Qing came to Germany from China two years ago. There are fewer than 2,000 of the endangered pandas estimated alive in the wild today.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.