Just a couple of weeks after their first public appearance and already Yuyu and Jiu jiu are the star attractions at Madrid Zoo.

The zoo owners are confident their six-month-old twin baby pandas will see visitors numbers go up.  

And judging by the crowds seen during CGTN's recent visit the early signs are good.

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Panda pulling power

One English mother told CGTN Europe she had traveled with her son from their home in Marbella just to see the twins as a special surprise for him.

"I think they are a very special animal because you can't just see them anywhere you know.  So we've actually come here specifically because it's my son's favorite animal.  

"Other than that it would be a trip to China, which is out of the question so I think it's a very special animal and I think a lot of children really resonate with it as well."

Her son said he was almost lost for words when he saw the cubs for the first time, "They're my spirit animal, I love them so much, they're the cutest!" he told CGTN Europe.

The twins' parents mother Hua Zuiba, and father, Bing Xing, have seen this all before. Yuyu and Jiu jiu are their fifth and sixth cubs, including another pair of twins in 2010. 

Back from the brink

The cubs will eventually be settled in their native China at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to help with ongoing efforts to increase the numbers of the species in the wild.

The conservation work is having a positive effect.

There are just 2,000 giants pandas in the wild and while that doesn't sound like a high number, it has resulted in the species being upgraded by the IUCN conservation group from endangered to 'vulnerable,' 

María Delclaux is the Madrid Zoo Curator, she told CGTN Europe the twins could one day be introduced into their natural environment.

"These pandas could return to their base in the future, where they will go through a transitional phase to be re-introduced to the wild. From there, they will live more freely and hopefully can have more cubs. Those cubs, we hope, can have a successful re-introduction back into their natural habitat."

Spain and China

It's known as "panda diplomacy": China's loaning of Giant Pandas to zoos around the world. 

Wu Haitao, China's Ambassador to Spain, who recently visited the zoo with Queen Sofia, said that pandas represented the friendship and cultural exchanges between his country and Spain

And with 2023 marking the 50th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said  it was an opportunity to take the partnership to a new level.

But  the patrons  at Madrid Zoo will be hoping it'll mean more Giant Pandas making the trip from China to Spain.

[This article was updated on 26.4.2022 to remove the video]