U.S. pandas won’t listen to their Chinese handlers because they only know English

Culture shock isn’t just for human beings.

That fact has been vividly illustrated by the plight of Mei Lun and Mei Huan, twin 3-year-old pandas who currently reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China.

The sisters were born in the United States, specifically in Atlanta. They are the first giant panda twins to survive past infancy in the United States, per Zoo Atlanta’s website, and their names derive from a Chinese idiom meaning “something indescribably beautiful and magnificent.”

After three years in Atlanta, during which the pair became beloved fixtures for zoo-goers, the two were sent to China on Nov. 3, as part of an agreement between the zoo and the Chinese giant panda conservation program. The pandas’ mother, Lun Lun, was born in China but was lent to the U.S., with the understanding that all of her offspring would return to China once they leave childhood, per NBC 11. The same process occurred with three of the twins’ siblings.

But just because this was expected for zookeepers, scientists and administrators doesn’t mean the pandas themselves were ready for the move. According to the state-run media outlet The People’s Daily, both Mei Lun and Mei Huan prefer American biscuits, so much so that their keepers have to mix all their food with them so the pandas eat.

Even stranger, Mei Lun and Mei Huan understand English, but Chinese may as well be Greek to them. The People’s Daily reports that the pandas will respond to English commands such as “come here” and other basic words, but ignore anything said in the local dialect except their own names.

That being said, the website also reported that the two were beginning to adjust to their new home and even eat Chinese bread. Based off this video posted by Zoo Atlanta on Twitter, they seem to be pretty happy.

And besides, could you really expect them to learn a whole new language in two weeks?

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 6:59 PM with the headline "U.S. pandas won’t listen to their Chinese handlers because they only know English."