First giant panda cub born in S’pore is a boy; public can submit names until Sept 19
SINGAPORE - The first-ever cub born in Singapore to giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia is a healthy baby boy. The panda cub was born on Aug 14 at the River Safari after seven attempts by its parents to conceive. Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said on Friday (Sept 10) that its panda care team determined the cub's gender through a series of visual assessments. The WRS team, led by animal care officer Trisha Tay Ting Ni, subsequently confirmed that the baby panda was male after consulting a team of experts from the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP). The CCRCGP experts examined a series of photos and videos that were shared by the WRS panda care team and gave their feedback. Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, deputy chief executive officer and chief life sciences officer at WRS, said the cub's mother, 12-year-old Jia Jia, has exceeded all expectations in caring for her cub. Dr Cheng said: "The panda care team has decided to allow this period of maternal care to continue for as long as possible for the duo to strengthen their bond. While supporting Jia Jia's care of the cub, we were able to determine the cub's gender through close visual observation and will only retrieve...
Xin Xin and Le Le among names suggested by ST readers for first panda cub born in S’pore
SINGAPORE - Xin Xin and Le Le are among the popular names suggested by netizens for the first panda cub to be born in Singapore. The Straits Times asked on Facebook for suggestions of a name for the newborn panda, and netizens responded. Xin Xin refers to heart in Mandarin, or alludes to Singapore. Some netizens also spelt it as Xing Xing or Sing Sing, which would mean stars. Le Le refers to joy. Said Facebook user Yvonne Chua: "Since the mum's name starts with 'J' and the dad's name 'K', their junior (should) start with 'L'." The panda cub was born to parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia at the River Safari at about 7.50am on Saturday (Aug 14). Other name suggestions included Xi Wang (hope in Mandarin), An An (peace) and Kang Kang (health). En En, which refers to gratitude in Mandarin, was another idea. Facebook user Celia Chong, who suggested it, said: “Gratitude to the animal care team that helped Jia Jia during (her) pregnancy period in Singapore.” Qi Qi, referring to the number seven in Mandarin, was suggested by Facebook user Derek Lee, who pointed out that the cub was born on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It also happened to be during the giant pandas' s...
Unclear if baby born with antibodies is immune to coronavirus
Though it has been reported that babies might be born with Covid-19 antibodies if their mothers were infected with the virus during pregnancy, it remains unclear if this would mean the baby is immune to the coronavirus or how long the immunity would last. Earlier this month, Mrs Celine Ng-Chan, 31, gave birth to her second child and was told by her son's paediatrician that he has antibodies against the virus. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.