Panda twins baptised at Vienna zoo

Panda twins Fu Feng (L) and Fu Ban (R)
Panda twins Fu Feng (L) and Fu Ban (R)

Two pandas conceived naturally and born at Vienna zoo, Fu Feng and Fu Ban, were officially baptised on Wednesday, 100 days after their birth.

The twin cubs were absent from the ceremony attended by China's ambassador, however, with the male and female being kept away from the public's gaze until the end of the year.

"The names bring and it is a special sign that the twins were born in the 45th year of the diplomatic relationship between the People's Republic of China and Austria," ambassador Li Xiaosi said.

The name for the female, Fu Feng (Happy Phoenix), was chosen by the zoo while her brother's name, Fu Ban (Happy Companion), was selected by an online ballot of 12,000 people.

It was decided not to name them before they were 100 days old since around half of newborn cubs die. Today they weigh five and six kilos (11 and 13 pounds) respectively, up from 100 grams at .

© 2016 AFP

Citation: Panda twins baptised at Vienna zoo (2016, November 23) retrieved 9 May 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2016-11-panda-twins-baptised-vienna-zoo.html
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