Twin pandas given names

The male and female giant panda twins, delivered in October at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, have been named Yueyue and Banban respectively.

The combination of the two words Yue and Ban means "chubby" in Chinese. The names were selected by the public from about 5,000 suggested names during an online campaign launched in December. Among the suggested names were Pudong and Puxi, Longlong and Fengfeng, and Youyi and Youyang.

Yueyue and Banban are the first brother and sister twins ever born in Shanghai. Breeders said that it would be easier to care for the pandas if they have names.

According to the park, experts at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda gave the twins a physical examination before they were shown to the public and had their names announced on April 22.

The twins have been deemed to be in good health. The elder brother Yueyue weighs 14.7 kg and has a body length of 65 cm, while the younger sister Banban weighs 13.8 kg and measures 53 cm.

"We can tell from their spiritual state, activity levels and feces that they are in very good health," said Wu Honglin, the head of a research team at China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

Breeders also said that Yueyue is more outgoing, active, adventurous and is highly adaptable. In contrast, Banban is quiet, smart and loves trying out new things.

Both animals are being fed formula and breast milk by their mother Youyou.

Employees of the park, assisted by the experts, are taking care of the pair round the clock. A plan has also been put in place in the event of a medical emergency.

The twins have already been amusing netizens and tourists.

"Those are good names, and it is funny to describe them as chubby in a different way," said a Sina Weibo user named Chiwen Clarma. "Those names help us visualize their appearances."

Pandas mostly live in Southwest China's Sichuan province. The State Forestry Administration said breeding pandas in developed regions including Beijing and Shanghai can provide a safer environment for the species and aid public education, while allowing them to take advantage of advanced research and technology in those regions.

He Qi contributed to the story.

wangzhenghua@chinadaily.com.cn