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AP PHOTOS: 6-month-old twin panda cubs climb and sleep at their debut in Hong Kong

Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to media in Ocean Park during a greeting ceremony in Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s youngest celebrities, twin 6-month-old panda cubs, made their first public appearance before adoring fans Sunday.

The cubs born Aug. 15 are Hong Kong’s first locally born giant panda cubs. They live at the Ocean Park theme park along with their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year.

Crowds flocked to the park Sunday to glimpse the pandas inside their enclosure. Their caretakers were at hand as the pandas climbed up a tree trunk or slept on a swing.

A large selection of panda-themed souvenirs was available.

The cubs don’t have names yet — they are being referred to as “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother.” A public competition to name them was launched Saturday following an event attended by Hong Kong leader John Lee and other officials. Residents can submit their suggestions via the park’s website, and the cubs' names will be announced in the first half of the year.

Visitors can see the cubs for five hours daily or can pay 1,500 Hong Kong dollars (about $190) to see them before the park opens.

With the cubs’ birth, Hong Kong now has the largest number of pandas in captivity outside of mainland China.

Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to media in Ocean Park during a greeting ceremony in Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors hold panda soft toy to enter the panda enclosure to meet the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs as they make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to media in Ocean Park during a greeting ceremony in Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors enter the panda enclosure to meet the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs as they make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors take selfie at the panda enclosure as the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors enter the panda enclosure to meet the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs as they make their debut appearance to public in Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to media in Ocean Park during a greeting ceremony in Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Souvenirs of the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs are displayed at a shop in Ocean Park as they make their debut appearance to public in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors shop at a panda-themed store in Ocean Park as the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Souvenirs of the Hong Kong giant panda are displayed at a shop in Ocean Park as they make their debut appearance to public in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Visitors shop at a panda-themed store in Ocean Park as the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to public in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Souvenirs of the Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs are displayed at a shop in Ocean Park as they make their debut appearance to public in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong-born giant panda twin cubs make their debut appearance to media in Ocean Park during a greeting ceremony in Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)