Written/Compiled and reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel Life Network
Sixteen finalists from around the world flew to Chengdu last weekend to begin an intensive series of panda conservation training sessions, including Hong Lei from Taiwan, who finally got the chance to get up close with seven panda cubs born at the panda base in 2012. Among them is a three-month-old panda born on the day of the London Olympics opening ceremony. After a lively online naming vote, it was officially named “Oreo” today.
The Olympic panda cub was officially named “Oreo” today. (Image source / ChengduPambassador Facebook fan page)
This fittingly adorable name, describing the panda’s black-and-white, chubby cuteness, was proposed by Rebecca Revich, a young lawyer from California, USA, and also one of the finalist contestants. She said, “The adorable black-and-white panda is just like an Oreo cookie, and ‘Oreo’ means beautiful in Greek. I think the giant panda is the most beautiful animal in the world.” The seven panda cubs born in 2012, including Oreo, Xiao Qiao, Si Yi, Yuan Run, Miao Miao, Cheng Shuang, and Cheng Dui, have just passed their health checkups and are all in very good health. They will grow up with their birth mothers and are also part of the “reintroduction plan,” with hopes that these giant pandas can eventually return to the wild. With the addition of these seven new cubs, the number of pandas at the Chengdu Panda Base has now reached 113, making it the global hub for the highest number of pandas bred in captivity.
The seven panda cubs born this year in Chengdu have been named Oreo, Xiao Qiao, Si Yi, Yuan Run, Miao Miao, Cheng Shuang, and Cheng Dui. (Image source / ChengduPambassador Facebook fan page)
Besides getting an early look at the new arrivals at the panda base, the 16 finalists, including Hong Lei, must learn a wealth of knowledge required of panda keepers, as well as venture into the wild habitat to explore wild pandas and gain insight into their behavior and the damaged environment they live in. After two and a half weeks of intensive trials, the Chengdu Panda Base will announce the final three winners on November 17.
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