Hongkongers will be able to enter a competition in October for naming a new pair of giant pandas gifted by the Chinese government. They are set to arrive in the city on Thursday ahead of China’s National Day next week.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will organise a naming contest next month to select two “meaningful” names that will “accentuate the characteristics” of the new giant pandas, Chief Executive John Lee announced on Tuesday at a weekly press briefing.
The bureau will also hold a drawing competition to encourage Hongkongers to use their artistic skills to capture the cuteness of the animals, Lee said.
Arrival on Thursday
Hong Kong is set to welcome the pair of five-year-old giant pandas on Thursday morning, but members of the public may need to wait at least two months before they can meet the animals.
“After the arrival of the two giant pandas, along with Ying Ying and Le Le, who have lived in Hong Kong for many years – as well as their adorable new twin cubs – Hong Kong will have a total of six giant pandas,” Lee said in Cantonese.
The gifting of the new giant pandas was announced on July 1 when Hong Kong marked 27 years since its handover from Britain to China. At the time, Lee said that the giant pandas given by the Central Government in the past were a “collective memory” for generations of Hongkongers.
Hailed as China’s national treasure, giant pandas have long been used by Beijing as diplomatic gifts. But animal welfare NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has called on China to cease the practice, after a 24-year-old male giant panda named Le Le died at Memphis Zoo in the US in February.
Quarantine
On Tuesday, Lee said the new giant pandas will undergo a 30-day quarantine at Ocean Park Hong Kong upon arrival, before spending at least another month adjusting to the new environment. Experts will evaluate the new giant pandas and decide on a suitable time for the pair to make their public debut, he said.
The Hong Kong leader said he hoped that, by mid-December, the government will host a grand launch ceremony at the theme park for the giant pandas.
According to Lee, the male giant panda weighed around 130 kilograms and was “physically strong, agile in movement and smart and active.” The female giant panda weighing around 100 kg was “good at climbing,” and was “gentle, sweet and lovable,” he said.
Staff at Ocean Park have renovated the giant pandas’ home by adding climbing structures and plants, while the theme park will further upgrade its facilities including stepping up the monitoring system, Lee said.
Twin giant pandas
In August, Hong Kong saw the birth of its first-ever giant panda twins after Ocean Park’s Ying Ying gave birth to a male and female cub a day before she turned 19.
The Hong Kong leader said on Tuesday that the twins are at a stage of rapid growth, with their fur becoming denser and the black-and-white colouration becoming more pronounced.
Lee estimated that the giant panda twins may meet the public early next year, pending advice from experts. The government will organise another naming contest when the cubs have more distinct features, he said.
According to Ocean Park’s estimates, there are fewer than 1,900 giant pandas in the wild. Their habitats were “highly fragmented by human activities,” the park said, adding that many giant pandas had no way to travel to a new areas to find food or mates within other groups. Their survival was also complicated by their short mating periods.
