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ANIMALS

Berlin zoo panda gives birth to twins for second time

Berlin Zoo said Friday its resident panda Meng Meng had delivered twins for the second time, hailing the rare births as a boost to the endangered creatures.

Published: 23 August 2024 14:23 CEST
Meng Meng and cubs
Meng Meng and two of her previous cubs at their first presentation to the public at the Zoologischer Garten zoo in Berlin. Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP

The cubs were born on Thursday, weighing 136 and 169 grams (around five and six ounces), and measuring just 14 centimetres (5.5 inches), the zoo said.

They are both doing well and are being cared for by their mother and panda experts, although the zoo added the next few days would be “critical”.

“I am relieved that the two were born healthy,” zoo director Andreas Knieriem said in a statement.

“With fewer than 2,000 adult giant pandas in their natural habitat, every single cub is an important contribution to the conservation of this endangered species.”

The gender of the cubs has not yet been determined.

Pandas are born naked, deaf, blind and pink, and it takes some time for the creatures’ typical black and white markings to develop.

newborn panda cub

Veterinarians measuring a newborn panda cub in an incubator after female Giant Panda Meng Meng gave birth to two cubs in Berlin. Photo by BERLIN ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN / AFP

Zoo visitors will not yet be able to see the new arrivals, who will spend their early days hidden from public view in the rear area of the panda enclosure.

The two cubs, measuring just 14 centimetres each and weighing 136 and 169 grams respectively, were born just over an hour apart on August 22nd. They “are doing well,” the zoo said in a statement. 

Meng Meng and male panda Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin in 2017 on loan from China.

Famed for its “panda diplomacy”, China has dispatched its national treasure to only about a dozen countries as a symbol of close relations.

In 2019, Meng Meng delivered twins called Pit and Paule, which were the first of the animals to be born in Germany.

As part of such loan agreements, pandas born overseas must be returned to China, and Pit and Paule were sent to live in Chengdu last year.

China had previously given three pandas to Germany but the last one, 34-year-old Bao Bao, died in Berlin in 2012, having become the oldest male panda in the world.

Environmental group WWF says about 1,860 pandas remain in the wild in China.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Budget airline Ryanair to cut flights from Berlin

Blaming high fees and taxes, Ryanair has announced plans to cut flights to six destinations from Berlin's Brandenburg airport from next summer.

Published: 28 August 2024 12:25 CEST
Budget airline Ryanair to cut flights from Berlin

Budget airline Ryanair has announced plans to reduce its fleet at the Berlin Brandenburg (BER) airport by about a fifth in summer 2025. 

The airline explained that particularly high access costs, “which could not be reduced by the German government and airport management” were the reason for the reduction of its services from Berlin.

The number of Ryanair aircraft stationed in Berlin would drop from nine to seven, and six destinations would no longer be served from the German capital, including: Brussels, Kaunas in Lithuania, Krakow, Luxembourg and Riga. 

According to DPA, Ryanair did not initially give a specific date for the fleet reduction, and did not clarify how many employees would be affected. But a manager responsible for Ryanair’s core business, suggested that there are around 30 jobs for each aircraft.

According to the Brandenburg airport, Ryanair is currently the largest flight provider at the capital’s airport. Just ahead of the summer, Ryanair had expanded its offer in the German capital. It currently flies from Berlin to more than 50 destinations in Europe. 

But according to the airline, federal taxes as well as fees to fly from and dock planes in Berlin, have increased too much.

Ryanair makes record profits

“The government has to do something,” Ryanair core business manager Eddie Wilson told DPA about what he sees as burdensome taxes. 

At Berlin’s airport, the number of passengers last year was reportedly about 70 percent of the pre-Covid level. This drop could be due in part by an increase in the cost of flights, which is related to taxes and fees.

Earlier this year EasyJet told The Local, “Berlin is among the most expensive airports we operate from. Airport costs represent about 20 percent of EasyJet’s operating costs and are the second largest cost after fuel.”

READ ALSO: ‘Germany lacks a sensible airline policy’ – Is budget air travel on the decline?

The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is known for having particularly high access costs, but increasing fees and taxes are an issue for airlines across Germany.

“We very much regret that Ryanair has announced that it will reduce its offer at BER Airport,” the Berlin-Brandenburg airport company told DPA, but also suggested that the airport cannot simply waive fees to reduce airlines’ operating costs.

“The state aviation tax alone has more than doubled since 2019,” the airport added. “This affects not only BER, but all German air traffic.” 

The airport association ADV had also spoken out about rising costs: “While locations in other European countries are prospering, the high regulatory burdens are strangling the expansion of airlines in Germany,” said ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel. “The victims are the passengers. Many connections are no longer available from German airports.” 

However, critics contend that the aviation industry is among the most undertaxed and overly subsidised sectors of the economy. 

Airlines aren’t charged VAT or a kerosene tax when they fly between many European destinations today whereas rail companies are charged for both. That’s why flights are often comparably cheaper than international train journeys.

Additionally, a glance at Ryanair’s profits suggests that current taxes and fees aren’t diminishing the company’s profit margins.

According to data published by Statista, Ryanair’s net profit for the 2023/24 period was €1.9 billion – 46 percent more than the previous year and a record for the company.

Better international connections from Frankfurt and Munich

The Berlin tourism industry has long called for better international connections. 

But given BER’s high fees and relatively limited capacity, it’s unlikely that the airport will operate on the level of Germany’s largest airports in Frankfurt or Munich any time soon.

For those flying from Berlin, this amounts to flights with stopovers (or starting the journey with a train across Germany). 

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