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Reuters
Reuters
Business

Vienna's panda twins mark birthday with snacks and a lie-in

Giant Panda cub Fu Ban (R) and its mother Yang Yang approach parcels containing food on its first birthday at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

VIENNA (Reuters) - Twin panda cubs born and raised at Vienna Zoo celebrated their first birthday very differently on Monday: one gorged on snacks in front of a crowd of admirers while the other slept in.

Fu Feng and Fu Ban have been brought up by their mother without human intervention, a first for twin cubs living in captivity, according to the zoo.

To mark their birthday, the zoo arranged an event at which the twins would tear open wrapped "presents" filled with their favorite treats -- carrots and sweet potatoes.

Giant Panda cub Fu Ban approaches parcels containing food on its first birthday at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

Fu Ban, a male, and his mother Yang Yang played along. Fu Feng, a female, stayed away. The zoo said she was sleeping.

The young bears have drawn crowds at the zoo, which is set in the gardens of Schoenbrunn Palace, a former imperial summer residence.

On top of ticket sales, it has now found another way to cash in on their popularity -- by releasing a 2018 calendar featuring pictures of the pair.

Giant Panda cub Fu Ban drinks water on its first birthday at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

(Reporting by Heinz-Peter Bader and Francois Murphy; editing by John Stonestreet)

Giant Panda cub Fu Ban carries a parcel containing food on its first birthday at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader
Giant Panda cub Fu Ban approaches parcels containing food on its first birthday at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader
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