Everland’s twin baby pandas, named Rui Bao and Hui Bao, respectively, are disclosed to the media at the theme park in Yongin, 43 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 12, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
YONGIN, South Korea, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The operator of Everland, the nation’s largest theme park in Yongin, south of Seoul, disclosed its twin baby pandas’ names on Thursday, three days ahead of their 100-day celebration.
One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other Hui Bao, which means shining treasure, Samsung C&T Corp. said in a media event in the morning after selecting their names through public competition.
About 20,000 people proposed some 40,000 names for the baby pandas in the public competition held from Aug. 24 to Oct. 6, and 10 finalists were put to online and offline voting that drew about 700,000 participants, the company said.
The twins, which weighed only 180 grams and 140 grams, respectively, at birth, have gained more than 30 times their weight in about 100 days, both exceeding 5 kilograms, it said, adding they have been growing well according to the panda’s growth stages.
Everland’s zookeepers and veterinarians and panda experts from China have together cared for the baby twins and their mother named Ai Bao. The mother panda is currently regaining her pre-birth weight and maintaining a healthy condition through intensive post-natal care by the zookeepers and others.
Everland plans to consider opening the twin baby pandas to the public early next year.
(Yonhap)
