Robert Besser
16 Jan 2022, 20:03 GMT+10
TOKYO, Japan: Twin panda cubs have made their first public appearance before devoted fans at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.
However, the pandas, male cub Xiao Xiao and sister Lei Lei, will only be shown for three days due to a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.
The cubs, born at the zoo in June, took their first steps, as the Japanese held up their smartphones to record them playing together.
In a video released by the zoo, the twin cubs were seen on a tree playing with bamboo, while visitors can be heard saying "kawaii (cute)!"
"My heart thumped with excitement when I first saw them," said Kirie Tanaka, who came from Osaka for the day, as reported by the Associated Press.
The twins, which were palm-sized when they were born, now weigh as much as a human toddler and have developed black-and-white fur.
Ueni Zoo has been closed due to the spread of Omicron across Japan, with 1,080 visitors who won slots in a competitive lottery granted access each day.
Groups of six people at a time are allowed in the panda quarters for one minute. The public viewing period is limited to two hours in the morning.
Lamenting the scaled-down debut, zoo employee Naoya Ohashi said he hopes many more people can see the panda cubs after the pandemic has become less severe.
Pandas live primarily in the bamboo-covered mountains of China's Sichuan Province.
In what is known as "panda diplomacy," China, with some 1,800 pandas living in the wild and about 500 others in captivity in zoos and reserves, has loaned its unofficial national mascot to other countries for decades.
All pandas, including those born abroad, must eventually be returned to China.
The panda twins' elder sister, Xiang Xiang, also born in the Ueno Zoo in 2017, will be sent back to China in June.
Get a daily dose of Sacramento Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sacramento Sun.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - The U.S. stock markets again edged in and out of positive territory on Wednesday, but ...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: A document released by the European Union this week revealed that the bloc and its development finance institutions ...
WARSAW, Poland: As Poland's main interest rate remains at its highest level since 2008, boosting the profits of Polish banks, ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks across Asia lost ground on Wednesday, although the New Zealand market defied the regional trend ...
LONDON, England: After EasyJet canceled thousands of flights this summer to limit the disruption caused to passengers from both air ...
DETROIT, Michigan, global shortage of computer chips, vehicles, Detroit automaker, General Motors, GM's total salesDETROIT, Michigan: The global shortage of ...
BERLIN, Germany: Karl Lauterbach, Germany's health minister, has said that he will encourage family doctors to issue more prescriptions for ...
PARIS, France: According to projections and interviews by the Associated Press in 11 countries, tourism officials have said they expect ...
TRENTO, Italy: Record warm temperatures caused a mountain glacier in the Italian Alps to collapse on July 3, killing at ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will assist Qatar with security during the 2022 World Cup, which begins ...
PARIS, France: Signaling further disruptions for summer travelers, workers at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport said they would go on strike ...
SOFIA, Bulgaria: Russian diplomats and their families departed Bulgaria over the weekend, amidst heightened tensions between the two eastern European ...