This four-and-a-half-month old panda cub will no longer be called “Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s cub”, but instead its new name Le Le (叻叻) from now on.
Le Le emerged as the clear choice of the community. It received more than 31,000 votes, out of 64,000 votes cast by the public to choose from the five shortlisted options. The other options were 宏宏 (Hóng Hóng), 新乐 (Xīn Lè), 新阳 (Xīn Yáng) and 新缘 (Xīn Yuán).
ICYDK, there’s a symbolic meaning behind the name Le Le.
What does “Le (叻)” mean?
The character “Le (叻)” comes from “Shi Le Po (石叻坡)”, which was the ancient Chinese name for Singapore. This was in use since the island’s beginning as a trading port. Shi Le Po is a transliteration of the Malay term “selat” which means straits, indicative of Singapore’s geographical location.
“We are overjoyed that our panda cub now has a name, and one that is proudly indicative of his birth city,” said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, Deputy CEO, Life Sciences and Operations, and Chief Life Sciences Officer of Mandai Wildlife Group.
“Borne out of the close cultural ties between Singapore and China, he is an emblem of great animal care and close collaboration with our Chinese conservation partners — the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda. We would like to thank all those who participated and contributed in naming him.”
You can visit Le Le now
Le Le can be seen in his new nursery with a glass front at the Giant Panda Forest, River Wonders, starting December 30th. There he can be found snoozing and playing with enrichment toys, learning more confidence, and nibbling on bamboo shoots.
Viewing times are set for between 10.30am to 3.30pm every day, as this is when mummy Jia Jia feels comfortable letting Le Le go on his own while she feeds and exercises. Talk about me time. Each viewing window will last 20-30 minutes. The comfort level of the mother and son may affect the duration.
Source: Her World