ATLANTA, GEORGIA, United States (Reuters) — Fans around the world are being invited by Zoo Atlanta on Monday (November 21) to vote on possible names for giant panda twins born on September 3.
The 11 week old twins born to Lun Lun and Yang Yang in the United States will be named on December 12, their 100th day of life, in accordance with Chinese tradition.
Zoo Atlanta has set up a website to help fans vote for one of seven sets of names for the cuddly siblings.
The 100 Day Celebration follows an ancient Chinese tradition whereby when a child reaches his or her 100th day of life, he or she has survived the risky fragility of infancy and may be considered on track for a successful future.
With fewer than 1,900 in the wild, giant pandas are an endangered species facing serious threats from “habitat fragmentation and habitat loss via deforestation” according to Zoo Atlanta’s website.
The giant panda’s status in the world was upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” by The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in September 2016, but the species remains reliant on conservation programs.