First Giant Panda Cub Born At River Safari In Singapore

It’s a boy for giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia, who welcomed their firstborn at River Safari on August 14, 2021. After close to a month in the warm embrace of Jia Jia’s loving care, the panda cub is doing well and steadily growing day by day. The cub’s gender was unveiled by the #littleone’s father Kai Kai, who made the gender reveal as part of his 14th birthday celebrations. With 14 blue and pink candles gracing his exhibit in the Giant Panda Forest, Kai Kai tugged on an enrichment gift that released a shower of blue confetti, along with carrots, which he enjoys crunching on. Kai Kai’s birthday falls on September 14, about a month after the birth of his cub.

In the past month, the cub has started to develop prominent black markings around his eyes, ears, and body-transforming from a fur-less pink newborn to a miniature version of his parents. Jia Jia has also regained her appetite and has resumed eating, albeit slowly. She is now regularly seen munching on her favorite bamboo leaves, while contentedly and confidently cradling her cub. The new mom is also comfortable leaving her cub unattended for short intervals, while she eats, poops, or pees.

In conjunction with this momentous milestone, you will get to play a part in the naming of this #littleone before it turns 100 days old on November 21, 2021!

Names should be catchy and easy to remember while reflecting characters with positive meanings or attributes, have relevance to Singapore heritage and culture as well as significance to the friendship between Singapore and China. A judging panel chaired by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Deputy Chairman of Mandai Park Holdings, will oversee the process. The judging panel will include representatives from academia, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, relevant government agencies, and WRS. Shortlisted names will be released for public voting, and the panda cub will take the name with the most votes.

Details on how to participate are available on www.wrs.com.sg/pandacub, and you have until September 19, 2021, 2359 hours, to enter your submissions!

For now, the panda care team and the rest of the nation can continue watching the #littleone developing and seeing the bond between mother and cub grow. His fur is expected to be fully in within the next few weeks, and he will soon open his eyes to the world.