Help name the Toronto Zoo's adorable twin panda cubs
[You can help name these two adorable panda cubs/Reuters]
You’ve watched the Toronto Zoo’s twin panda cubs grow through a series of adorable videos and now you can help name them.
Zoo staff announced that the pandas names would be chosen through an online vote on the Zoo’s website this morning.
The zoo has provided a list of seven pairs of names to choose from, all of which have a connection to Canada or Toronto. Voting is now open, and runs until Sunday, Feb. 28, at 11:59 p.m.
In a news release the Zoo said that the names were selected through a consultation process with the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.
The Zoo says an initial list was created with them and then those potential names were shared with representatives from the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Chongqing Zoo, who provided feedback.
Here is the final list of names that they chose and that you can vote for:
- Jia Bao and Duo Bao (means Canadian Treasure and Toronto Treasure).
- DuoDuo and JiaJia (means Toronto and Canada).
- Jia Pengyou and Duo Pengyou (means Canadian Friend and Toronto Friend).
- Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue (means Canadian Hope and Canadian Joy).
- Jia Renjian and Jia Ren'ai (means “when Canadians see them, Canadians will love them”).
- Jia Baobao and Jia Beibei (means “two Canadian Treasures”).
- Jia Huabao and Jia Huabei (means “two Canadian and Chinese Treasures”).
On Friday, the Zoo revealed the genders of the twin pandas. One of the cubs is male, the other is female. The pair are now nearly four months old.
The cubs have been living with their mom Er Shun in the maternity den since she gave birth to them on Oct. 13, 2015.
Zoo staff say that the public will finally be able to see the twin cubs in person during March Break.
Twin cubs win silver award for ‘Panda Cub of the Year’
The Toronto Zoo also won three international panda awards over the weekend.
The yet-to-be-named twins received a silver award for “Panda Cub of the Year,” the Zoo won a gold award for “Most Educational Panda Zoo Enclosure” for their Panda Interpretive Centre and Er Shun giving birth to Canada’s first giant panda cubs won a bronze award for “Panda Moment of the Year.”
