Panda Watch is a blog by the Post that tracks the latest on the baby panda twins – the first to be born in Hong Kong – until they are ready to meet the public. This will be the last issue of the blog before the twins’ debut on February 16. To read our previous blog entries, click here.
Hong Kong’s panda twin cubs will make their highly anticipated first public appearance on February 16, with Ocean Park getting them used to having humans in their presence.
The cubs, “Elder Sister” and “Younger Brother”, have been spending time exploring their new enclosure at the park’s Giant Panda Adventure since mid-January.
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While Younger Brother seems to have chosen a log as his favourite spot in the enclosure, Elder Sister enjoys lazing and napping on a fork of branches on a tree.
As part of their first Lunar New Year, the twins were given a specially made “candy box” – a large round container with several compartments, each containing a different treat or toy.
Their enclosure was also decorated with fai chun ornaments, which contained phrases with panda puns and auspicious messages denoting good luck and prosperity.
Ocean Park also posted a video of the zookeepers and the cubs putting their paws together to wish everyone a happy new year and good fortune.
Among the first visitors who got a sneak preview of the cubs was celebrity host Dodo Cheng Yu-ling.
She visited the twins on January 24, following Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s announcement that the twins would meet the public in February, a day after the cubs turned six months old.
Other stars who have met the cubs include Nancy Sit Ka-yin, Louise Lee Sze-kee and Gigi Leung Wing-kei.
In videos posted on social media, the cubs are seen crawling around the enclosure energetically and enjoying themselves on a swing and a slide.
As Panda Watch draws to a close, the Post recaps the significant moments of the cubs’ growth over the months.
The twins were born on August 15, making mother Ying Ying the world’s oldest first-time panda mum.
At two weeks old, the cubs started developing black-and-white features on their raw pink skin.
When they turned six weeks old, they started opening their eyes to see the world and left the safety of the incubators.
Their weight increased rapidly over the months, and they celebrated their 100-day milestone in November, with Ocean Park handing out red eggs and ginger pork knuckles – a traditional Chinese dish typically served to family and friends after a baby is born.
At five months, the cubs started crawling around their den and even played on a toy slide and rocking horse.
At the same time, mother Ying Ying also started caring for both cubs as their condition stabilised.
In January, the cubs moved into an enclosure at Giant Panda Adventure, with a bigger space to crawl up and down and explore.
On February 15, six months after their birth, there will be a ceremony to formally introduce the twins to the public, and an event to name the two cubs.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs to meet public on February 16, John Lee says
- Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s twin cubs to make public debut after Lunar New Year
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