Kai Kai and Jia Jia’s male cub approaches first 30 days and will be named by the public before his 100-day milestone.
Photo Credits: Wildlife Reserves Singapore
"Its a Boy!" After close to a month in the warm embrace of Jia Jia’s loving care, the cub’s gender was unveiled by the Papa Panda Kai Kai, who made the gender reveal as part of his 14th birthday celebrations.
Gender Assessment
The gender of the cub was determined through a series of visual assessments performed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS)’s panda care team, led by Animal Care Officer, Ms Trisha Tay Ting Ni. This was subsequently confirmed in consultation with the team of experts from China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) who observed the cub through a series of photos and videos shared by the WRS panda care team.
Super Mama Jia Jia
Image credit to Wildlife Reserves Singapore
The cub has not yet undergone a full veterinary examination because mama panda continues to be its primary caregiver. With Jia Jia continuing to be a super mum, there have so far been no reasons for any medical interventions. The close relationship between Jia Jia and her carers has allowed them to observe the cub at close range, enabling them to confirm the presence of external male genitalia.
The team will only retrieve the cub for veterinary checks when the time is right. In the meantime, her carers will slowly start to resume conditioning sessions via positive reinforcement training to prime her for cub retrieval.
Public To Help To Name The Baby Boy
Members of the public will be able to play a part in the naming of the baby panda before it turns 100 days old on 21 November 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 number of votes.
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