The twins were born at the Toronto Zoo on October 13, 2015, and have become instant stars. The names were revealed as Jai Panpan, Canadian for Hope and Jai Yueyue, Canadian for Joy.
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“The panda is a symbol of peace and friendship, which is fitting considering Canada’s ever-growing relationship with China”, Trudeau said.
Not only do pandas have a low birth rate, panda cubs – especially twins – have a very high mortality rate. Pandas, an endangered species native to China, are carefully meted out by Beijing to reward its foreign allies, and their arrival was hailed at the time as a sign of thawing relations between Beijing and Ottawa.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among a handful of special guests at the naming ceremony, which was also attended by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
The cubs’ parents Er Shun and Da Mao are also no strangers to political photo ops.
A pair of panda cubs born in a Toronto zoo have been named in honour of the country of their birth. According to the National Zoo, about 1,600 giant pandas are left in the wild.
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A special committee was set up to compile possible monikers, which were then put to a public vote.
