Our giant panda cub is named Le Le, and you can visit him now

Le Le was a clear frontrunner from the start, winning close to 50 per cent of the more than 64,000 votes cast by the public

By Her World Team - 29 Dec 2021

le le giant panda cub — Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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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.

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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“The nursery was constructed to provide a safe and fun space for Le Le to meet his guests for a part of his day before he returns to Jia Jia’s side for the rest of the time," said Trisha Tay Ting Ni, Animal Care Officer, Mandai Wildlife Group, who leads the panda care team.

"At four-and-a-half months, he continues to be heavily reliant on mum’s milk and tender loving care. Both Le Le and Jia Jia are also still getting used to spending more time away from each other, so we adapt their daily routines based on close observation to ensure their wellbeing remains the top priority and that they do not display any stressful behaviours.”

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Since Singapore's giant panda couple Kai Kai and Jia Jia were blessed with their first cub on Aug 14, 2021, the nation has been eagerly waiting and watching for updates on the cub's growth and progress. After all, the reproduction rate among giant pandas - a threatened species - is notoriously low. And Kai Kai and Jia Jia had gone through seven breeding seasons before this breakthrough pregnancy that happened through artificial insemination.

Keep scrolling to check out Le Le's growth since day one.
How much the giant panda cub has grown

Day 1 - The little one is born (Aug 14, 2021)

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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His weight was estimated to be 200g.

Day 6 - Fur starts to appear

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Day 10 - Black markings start to appear

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Day 23 - He stays close to his mum for food and comfort

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Day 24 - He develops prominent black markings around his ears, and starts looking like his parents

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Within his first month, Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s cub developed prominent black markings around his ears. His eyes and body transformed from a fur-less pink newborn to a miniature version of his parents.

At this time, Jia Jia has regained some appetite, settled well into her mothering routine, and been able to rest more. She's comfortable enough to leave him for short intervals and has started munching on bamboo leaves again.

The panda care team has been regularly carrying out conditioning sessions via positive reinforcement training to prime Jia Jia for cub retrieval, so as to conduct thorough health checks on the baby.

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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The panda care team has been regularly carrying out conditioning sessions via positive reinforcement training to prime Jia Jia for cub retrieval, so as to conduct thorough health checks on the baby.

Day 26 - Black markings are more apparent

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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The black markings continue to intensify as the cub grows.

Day 28 - His gender is revealed

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It's a boy! On Sept 10 (Day 28), proud daddy Kai Kai revealed his cub's gender as part of his 14th birthday celebrations (Kai Kai's birthday falls on Sept 14), by tugging on an enrichment gift which released a shower of blue confetti, along with carrots.

Day 33 - Cub gets his first weigh-in

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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On Sept 15, the cub got his first weigh-in when mummy Jia Jia was having breakfast in her maternity ward.

From an estimated 200g at birth, he grew into a healthy 1,504g cub at 33 days old — testament to Jia Jia's superb maternal skills.

Day 40 - Cub opens his eyes to the world

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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On Sept 22 (Day 40), he opened his peepers and tipped the scales at 1,870g, growing by about 370g from the week before.

At two to three months old, the giant panda cub should be taking his first steps.

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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At two to three months old, the giant panda cub should be taking his first steps.

Day 52 - Cub's baby teeth are spotted

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Six baby teeth were seen in this photo taken on Oct 4 (Day 52). On average, teeth for baby pandas start growing in at three months old, before they attempt eating bamboo from about seven months old.

Day 54 - Cub gets his first measurements

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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Lead panda caretaker and animal care officer, Trisha Tay Ting Ni measured the cub for the first time on Oct 6 (Day 54). The measurement: 51.5cm from the tip of his nose to the base of his tail, which is 7.5cm long. Good gains!

Day 55 - Cub crosses the 3kg mark

Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group

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On Oct 7 (Day 55), the panda cub clocked another milestone by crossing the 3kg mark, weighing 3,072g. That's about the weight of a newborn baby in Singapore.