First giant panda cub born in Singapore officially named Le Le

The official name of the first giant panda cub born in Singapore is ‘Le Le’ - with the chosen name having received close to 50% of the more than 64,000 public votes cast via an online poll held last month. The chosen name was selected from five shortlisted options including Hong Kong, Xin Le, Xin Yang and Xin Yuan. Male cub Le Le was born on 14th August, nine years after first-time parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia arrived in Singapore.

Guests to Singapore’s River Wonders - formerly known as River Safari - can visit Le Le in his new glass-fronted nursery at the Giant Panda Forest. Visitors might catch a glimpse of his daily routine which includes playing with specially created enrichment toys, learning to walk more confidently and catching up on sleep.

River Wonders is a river-themed zoo and aquarium located in Singapore. It is built over 12 hectares and nestled between its two counterparts, the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, Singapore.

Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, Deputy Chief Executive, Life Sciences and Operations, and Chief Life Sciences Officer of Mandai Wildlife Group advised “we are overjoyed that our panda cub now has a name, and one that is proudly indicative of his birth city. 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 Centre for Giant Panda. We would like to thank all those who participated and contributed in naming him.”

Viewing times are scheduled for around 10.30am and 3.30pm daily as these reflect Jia Jia and Le Le’s present routines. These viewing periods coincide with Jia Jia’s feeding and exercise sessions when she is comfortable to leave Le Le on his own. Each ‘viewing window’, which ranges between 20-30 minutes, may vary depending on the comfort level of both mother and son, and will be reviewed and adjusted over the next few weeks.   

Trisha Tay Ting Ni, Animal Care Officer, Mandai Wildlife Group, who leads the panda care team advised “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. At four-and-a-half months, he continues to be heavily reliant on mom’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.

“For now, Le Le continues to curiously learn more about his surroundings and enjoy moments of independence, as he gets ready to greet visitors. He has passed the 9kg mark and is starting to nibble on bamboo shoots and leaves.”

The panda cub is set to return to China when it reaches independence in about two years and will join the rest of China’s panda breeding population, the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said in August.

Kai Kai and Jia Jia turned 14 and 13 years old respectively in September this year and are in Singapore on a 10-year loan from China, which is set to end next year.

WRS said previously that it is in talks with Chinese authorities about extending Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s stay in Singapore beyond 2022.

Image: Le Le rests while getting used to his new nursery space on Day 126 17th Dec 202.Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group