A pair of giant pandas celebrated their third birthday in Zoo Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday. They are the first white-and-black bears ever born in the country.

Meng Xiang, also known as Pit, and Meng Yuan, nicknamed Paule in Germany, are twin brothers born on Aug. 31, 2019, to their parents Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, who were sent to Berlin in June 2017 from Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan province, home to the majority of the world's giant pandas.

Their birthday gifts included sliced apples, sweet potatoes, bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots shipped in from China for this special occasion. The bamboo shoots were Zoo Berlin's "surprise gift," according to the zoo's spokeswoman, Svenja Eisenbarth.

"All the visitors love the pandas here. They are a hot spot in the zoo, especially when Pit and Paule are out in the playground," commented Corvin Schmohl, who has been taking care of the twin bears since their birth.

Schmohl said that Meng Xiang weighs 73 kilos and Meng Yuan 68 kilos, "perfect weights for three-year-olds."

"Pit and Paule are quiet and calm, just like pandas would be. They sleep all day. And when they wake up, they'll eat," Schmohl said.

Local resident Karin Hallmann is a frequent visitor to Zoo Berlin and she sees the pandas at least once a week.

"Giant pandas are precious creatures. They are so adorable that people cannot stop loving them," she said, wearing a T-shirt with prints of two giant pandas. She can even tell Meng Xiang from Meng Yuan, even though they look identical to most people.

Zoo Berlin, opened to the public in 1844, is the oldest zoo in Germany. It is also the only place where people can meet giant pandas in the country. The zoo received more than 3.72 million visitors in 2019, according to its website.

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