On February 15, the twin cubs of giant panda Ying Ying, gifted to Hong Kong by the central government, celebrated their six-month birthday. In the morning, Ocean Park Hong Kong held a “Giant Panda Twin Cubs Debut Ceremony” and officially announced that, starting February 16, the public would be able to meet the two panda cubs at the park.
Distinguished guests, including Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and his wife Janet Lee, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Hong Kong Zheng Yanxiong, and Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong Pan Yundong, attended the event to celebrate this special occasion.
Born on August 15, 2024, the twin pandas were extremely fragile at birth and needed time to stabilize. After six months of dedicated care and feeding, their weight has increased from just over 100 grams to around 11 kilograms. They have grown strong and energetic, displaying lively personalities. They can now climb and run independently, showcasing the unique vitality of Hong Kong-born pandas.
Currently, the two panda cubs reside at Ocean Park’s “Giant Panda Adventure” exhibit. Hong Kong residents affectionately refer to the female cub as “Jiajie” (meaning “big sister” in Cantonese) and the male cub as “Sailou” (meaning “little brother”).
According to Hu Qiqi, Assistant Curator of Ocean Park’s Animal Department, the female panda cub is curious, enjoys exploring, and is good at climbing trees. The male cub has a rounder physique, darker fur, a lively personality, and enjoys interacting with caretakers. To help distinguish between the two, caretakers have marked the male panda’s back with a purple animal-safe edible dye.
During his speech, John Lee mentioned that “Jiajie” and “Sailou” are simple nicknames that can be retained, but the pandas also need official names. He announced that a naming contest for the twin pandas would begin at noon on February 15, allowing the public to submit suggestions online. He encouraged widespread participation, with the final names to be announced in the first half of this year.
Currently, Hong Kong is home to six giant pandas, including Ying Ying, Le Le, and An An and Ke Ke, who were gifted to Hong Kong last year. With the addition of “Jiajie” and “Sailou,” Hong Kong has become the place outside mainland China with the highest number of giant pandas.