‘Our little angels!’ Fans go wild for adorable 3-month-old giant panda twins as they are finally unveiled to the public at a South Korea zoo
Two adorable giant panda twins have finally been revealed to the public after they were born in July – and after 500,000 people voted to name them, the little creatures are already winning fans around the world.
Already YouTube sensations, the pair were introduced as Rui Bao (‘wise baby’) and Hui Bao (‘bright baby’) – and after eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the pandas, fans were delighted to finally see them.
People flocked to Instagram to describe the sisters as ‘little angels’ after they first heard they were born on July 7 at Everland theme park in South Korea.
Around 500,000 people voted online to choose names for the twin sisters, with a handful of fans invited to the ceremony.
The pandas’ names were chosen through a public selection process that lasted 43 days. Suggestions were made through Everland’s social media channels and after being shortlisted by employees, the names were finally decided on through two public votes.
Giant panda twins born at Everland theme park have been revealed in a public naming ceremony – after around 500,000 people voted to choose their names
Giant pandas have a low survival rate, which made this ceremony particularly special.
The sisters have a healthy weight of more than 5 kilograms, with black tufts of hair growing around their eyes, ears and legs.
It is expected that they will be available for public viewing in the New Year, after a full assessment of their physical development and level of adaptation to external environments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping donated the twins’ parents, Ai Bao and Le Bao, to the park in 2016.
The twins are siblings to panda star Fu Bao, who was born in 2020 and is the first giant panda to be naturally bred in Korea.
Each member of the family shares the name ‘Bao’, which means treasure.
Already YouTube sensations, the pair were introduced as Rui Bao (‘wise darling’) and Hui Bao (‘bright darling’)
They were born on July 7 at Everland theme park, near Seoul – and will celebrate their 100th day since birth this Sunday
Around 500,000 people voted online to choose names for the twin sisters, with a handful of fans invited to the ceremony
Suggestions were made through Everland’s social media channels and after being shortlisted by employees, the names were finally decided by two public votes
The pandas are expected to be available for public viewing in the New Year, following a full assessment of their physical development and level of adaptation to external environments
Since their birth in July, the zoo has posted numerous videos of the pandas on its YouTube channel, which have garnered millions of views.
The cubs are very healthy and have started teething and crawling, zookeeper Kang Chul-won told reporters.
“We’ve never raised twins before so we were very nervous but I was happy to see them grow up and I think the people watching them on social media were happy too,” he said.
Fans flocked to share their joy on social media following the name announcement, with comments such as ‘As their names suggest, I hope the babies will grow up wise and bright’ and ‘I wish their names will be fondly called and remembered by many . ‘
Giant pandas have been a symbol of China’s soft diplomacy for decades, and their destinations often follow major trade deals and diplomatic initiatives.
Beijing only loans pandas to foreign zoos, but they are required to return any offspring within a few years of their birth to join the country’s breeding program.