Germany-born pandas celebrate their 4th birthday ahead of expected trip to China

Pandas Pit and Paule eat a cake made of ice cream, vegetables and fruits to celebrate their fourth birthday at the Berlin Zoo (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

The first giant pandas born in Germany celebrated their fourth birthday on Thursday as the Berlin Zoo prepares to send them to China, a journey that was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pit and Paule, who also are known by the Chinese names Meng Xiang und Meng Yuan, have been a star attraction at the zoo since their birth in 2019.