Hong Kong residents compete to name twin panda cubs who just turned 6 months old

HONG KONG (AP) — Panda craze has once again gripped Hong Kong as residents compete to name the territory’s first locally-born giant panda cubs who just turned six months old.

The competition to name the twin cubs, born Aug. 15, launched Saturday following a celebratory ceremony attended by Hong Kong leader John Lee and other officials at Ocean Park, the theme park that houses the twins, their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year. Residents can submit their suggestions via the park's website.

Lee said the southern Chinese city now has the largest number of pandas in captivity outside of mainland China, and the cubs’ names would be announced in the first half of this year.

The pair, currently identified as the “Elder Sister” and the “Little Brother," will make their public debut on Sunday and meet visitors for five hours daily. Those who want to enjoy time with the cubs outside regular visiting hours, before the park opens, can pay 1,500 Hong Kong dollars (about $190).

During a media preview session on Saturday, the male cub laid on a swing playing with a tree stick before a carer placed him on a slide. The female cub explored the enclosure before climbing onto a tree.

The panda carers said the female cub seemed more active than her male twin. She loves climbing the tree inside the enclosure and resting there while her brother likes to wander around and play with the plants. The male cub has been marked with two purple food-coloring spots on its back to distinguish it from his sister.

The birth of the baby pandas last year made their mother Ying Ying the world’s oldest first-time panda mom.

Their popularity on social media also raised hopes for the city's tourism boost. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the panda craze to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy.”

Ocean Park’s chairman Paulo Pong told reporters on Saturday that the park already saw income increases over the Christmas period and Lunar New Year holiday, alongside an uptake in overseas tourists, after the newly arrived pandas from mainland China started to greet the public.

“We're turning the page and we believe the pandas are definitely helping the income of the park,” he said.

But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($9.2 million) last financial year, and in 2020 required a government relief fund to stay afloat. Observers are watching if taking care of six pandas will add to its burden or give it a chance to revive its business.

Pong said raising pandas was about animal conservation and education, instead of “just a money exercise."

Pandas are considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country’s giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy.