Speaking of names …
In the wild, giant pandas wouldn’t care if they had names. But when they enter the world of the humans, they get humanised and are given names.
I was particularly interested in what Hua Mei’s twins were called. It was hard to find out as they are back in China where it’s not as easy to get giant panda news as it is in the States. As it turned out, I chanced upon this web site called Pandas International. In one of their monthly newsletters, they announced that they’d adopted Hua Mei’s twins and named them Da Hua Sheng for the first-born, and Hao Yun, for the younger one.
Recently, someone asked about her twins’ names on the San Diego Zoo’s panda weblog, and according to the answer given, their names are Hua Ling and Mei Ling, which are combinations of their parents’ names (Hua Mei, mother, and Ling Ling, the male giant panda she mated with).
Hmm …
Two sets of names. Which is the right set?
After a couple of emails with Suzanne Braden, one of the directors of Pandas International, she explained that giant pandas usually have official names and nicknames. The latter are usually given by organisations or even individuals who adopt them. Thus, Hua Mei’s twins are officially Hua Ling and Mei Ling, while their nicknames are Da Hua Sheng for the first-born, and Hao Yun.
Hmm …
Both her twins are boys, yet, their names are quite feminine. I think I like their nicknames better.
Of course, now there’s a chance their uncle – Mei Xiang’s cub – may share the same name as the elder twin. Well, without the Da in front.
Hua Sheng is one of five names shortlisted for Mei Xiang’s cub. The National Zoo is currently running a contest for visitors to the site to vote for his name. I voted for Hua Sheng. It was only after I voted that I learned that there’s a prize of a trip to the Zoo, with an exclusive opportunity to meet the pandas. And then, a few hours later, I learned that the contest is only for American citizens. Okay, so no chance to win a prize, but I hope my vote is counted.
Mei Xiang’s cub will be named on the 100th day of his birth, a tradition started with Hua Mei. This naming ceremony apparently is a Chinese tradition, but it must be a tradition for China, since I’ve never heard of it before.
100 days = 3 months 8 days, so that should be 17 October thereabouts.
