This four-and-a-half-month old panda cub will no longer be called “Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s cub”, but instead its new name Le Le (叻叻) from now on.
The name Le Le emerged as a clear community favourite, amassing more than 31,000 votes out of the over 64,000 votes sent in by the public for the five shortlisted options. The other options were 宏宏 (Hóng Hóng), 新乐 (Xīn Lè), 新阳 (Xīn Yáng) and 新缘 (Xīn Yuán).
ICYDK, there’s a symbolic meaning behind the name Le Le.
What does “Le (叻)” mean?
The character “Le (叻)” comes from “Shi Le Po (石叻坡)”, which was the ancient Chinese name for Singapore. This was in use since the island’s beginning as a trading port. Shi Le Po is a transliteration of the Malay term “selat” which means straits, indicative of Singapore’s geographical location.
“We are overjoyed that our panda cub now has a name, and one that is proudly indicative of his birth city,” said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, Deputy CEO, Life Sciences and Operations, and Chief Life Sciences Officer of Mandai Wildlife Group.
“Borne out of the close cultural ties between Singapore and China, he is an emblem of great animal care and close collaboration with our Chinese conservation partners — the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda. We would like to thank all those who participated and contributed in naming him.”
You can visit Le Le now
From December 30, you can catch Le Le in his new glass-fronted nursery at the Giant Panda Forest in River Wonders, where he can be found snoozing, playing with specially created enrichment toys, learning to walk more confidently or nibbling on bamboo shoots and leaves.
Viewing times are scheduled for around 10.30am and 3.30pm daily, as these are the times when mummy Jia Jia is comfortable to leave Le Le on his own while she goes to feed and exercise. Talk about me time. Each viewing window will range from 20 to 30 minutes, and may vary depending on the comfort level of both mother and son.