Going nuts for pandas: Two bears arrived in Berlin as Germans prepare warm welcome

Two giant pandas from China have landed safely in Berlin where they are being welcomed by the German capital's mayor and the Chinese ambassador.

Men Meng and Jiao Qing were treated like royalty on their 12-hour-flight from Chengdu in southwestern China — their entourage included a Berlin veterinarian, two Chinese zookeepers and traveling press.

"They slept a bit, munched on their bamboo and nibbled on some cookies," veterinarian Andreas Ochs told reporters at Berlin's Schoenefeld airport shortly after the arrival on Saturday.

The German capital is going nuts over the cute bears, which will first be presented to the public at the zoo on July 6.

Berlin's last panda, Bao Bao, was sent in 1980 as a gift from then-Chinese leader Hua Guofeng to West Germany's chancellor, Helmut Schmidt. Bao Bao died in 2012.