Second giant panda born in Malaysia named Yi Yi

(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) -The second giant panda cub born in Malaysia has been named “Yi Yi”.

The name, which translates to “friendship” in Chinese, was revealed by Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in Zoo Negara.

“(The name) Yi Yi was selected to recognize the friendship between the two nations (Malaysia and China), which has grown beyond four decades.

“The friendship between Malaysia and China will be further enhanced, not limited to giant panda conservation efforts but also diplomatically and economically,” he said during the naming ceremony.

The Malaysian government was careful with the selection of the panda’s name and consulted China’s Wildlife Conservation Association before deciding on a suitable name, Xavier said.

Yi Yi was born on January 14 last year and currently weighs almost 50 kilograms. Its parents are Liang Liang and Xing Xing, a pair of giant pandas which arrived in Malaysia on May 21, 2014, under a 10-year loan programme.

Their arrival marked the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China then. (Malaysian Media reports)