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Smithsonian National Zoo needs help naming its newest panda cub

Smithsonian National Zoo needs help naming its newest panda cub
Posted at 12:45 PM, Nov 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-18 16:47:45-05

In August, a male cub born to panda Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian National Zoo recently got his 3-month check-up.

The cub has remained nameless, so now the zoo in our nation’s capital needs help naming the little guy.

Until Nov. 20, the public can vote on one of four Mandarin Chinese names on the zoo’s website.

The names are Fu Zai, which is Mandarin for “prosperous boy”; Xiao Qi Ji, or “little miracle”; Xing Fu, or “happy and prosperous”; and Zai Zai, a Mandarin Chinese nickname for a boy.

Pronunciations for each name are available on the site via audio files.

Zoo officials will reveal the name that has garnered the most votes on Nov. 23.

Currently, the cub weighs 9.2 pounds and excels at napping, nursing, and cuddling with his mom, who is the oldest giant panda in the United States to give birth.