Twin panda cubs debut at Tokyo zoo, woo devoted fans
ABC News
Twin panda cubs have made their first public appearance before devoted fans in Tokyo but only briefly for now — just for three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant
TOKYO -- Twin panda cubs made their first public appearance Wednesday before devoted fans in Tokyo but only briefly for now — just for three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant.
The twins, male cub Xiao Xiao and its 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 a video released by the zoo Wednesday, the twin 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 its 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.
