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Hong Kong has called on members of the public to help name the city’s first locally-born giant panda cubs.
The cubs are twins and turned six months old on Saturday, an occasion that was also marked by their first public appearance. They are kept at Ocean Park, which now houses the largest number of pandas in captivity outside mainland China.
The competition was launched following a celebratory ceremony attended by local officials, and the names of the two pandas are set to be announced in the first half of this year.
Hong Kong chief executive John Lee told attendees at the ceremony on Saturday that the public should submit their suggestions online for the competition, which will run until 7 March. The competition is only open to Hong Kong residents.
“Since the cubs’ birth, Hong Kong residents have been affectionately calling them ‘Elder Sister’ and ‘Little Brother’, like when we’re at home addressing our children – which we could keep to distinguish them,” Mr Lee said.
“But there is also a need to give them proper names … I invite everyone’s enthusiastic participation.”
Each participant can submit only one entry and must explain the meaning of the proposed name in no more than 100 Chinese characters. The winner will receive various prizes, including four adult annual memberships to Ocean Park, according to the zoo’s website.
The cubs will continue to appear before the public and can be visited daily for a fee, while their activities are also being streamed online. Their births on 15 August last year made their mother, Ying Ying, the world’s oldest first-time panda mom.
Mr Lee said that the cubs hold special significance for Hong Kong and that their debut represented the collective efforts of everyone involved. He added that the cubs are in excellent health and have shown remarkable growth, now weighing over 10 kilograms, up from just 120 grams at birth.
Elke Wu, the park’s assistant curator for zoological operations, said that six carers have been taking turns around the clock to care for the cubs, who have become more active as they’ve grown bigger.
“Initially, we were worried about whether they’d fall and hurt themselves, but the experts from Sichuan have said it is safe for them to explore and learn to climb. They are very accomplished climbers so there was no need to be too concerned,” Wu was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post.
This weekend Hong Kong launched various other activities to mark the highly anticipated debut of the city’s first-ever panda twins, including 3D panda mailboxes and a sculpture exhibition, the China Daily reported.
Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee said that the excitement surrounding giant pandas in Hong Kong has reached an all-time high, with panda-themed products appearing throughout the city, contributing to the promotion of tourism.
Mr Pong said that the park has experienced a notable boost in revenue over the past few months, with a 30 per cent increase in visitor numbers during the Christmas period last year compared to the previous year.
“We’re turning the page and we believe the pandas are definitely helping the income of the park,” he said. He added that during the recently concluded Lunar New Year holidays, the park saw a 10 per cent rise in attendance.