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SAN DIEGO --The wait is over. San Diego Zoo officials Tuesday named the male panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo this summer.
At a late morning news conference, zoo officials said the cub's name is Yún Zĭ , which means "son of cloud." The cub's mother is named Bai Yún, which means "white cloud."
In accordance with Chinese tradition, Zoo officials waited to name the giant panda, born on Aug. 5, until he was 100 days old. The name was chosen from among 6,300 suggestions submitted by the public on the Zoo's Web site. Zoo officials narrowed the choice to five finalists and invited panda fans to vote for their favorite.
The final five names were:
Yún Zĭ is the fifth healthy cub delivered by 17-year-old Bai Yún. The father is Gao Gao, according to zoo veterinarians. The two mated naturally in April.
Yún Zĭ was born with his eyes close, was hairless, weighed about 4 ounces and was about the size of a stick of butter when he was born. Now, at three months, his eyes are open, he has thick black and white fur, and he weighs more than 10 pounds.
In 1999, Bai Yún's first cub, Hua Mei, became the first giant panda conceived by artificial insemination in the western hemisphere and the first in the country to survive to adulthood.Hua Mei is now part of a breeding program in China, along with her brother, Mei Sheng, who was born in San Diego in 2003.
Bai Yun's two other offspring, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen, born in 2005 and 2007, are still at the San Diego Zoo.
Bai Yún and Gao Gao, both born in China, are on long-term loan to the zoo. All panda cubs produced through the zoo panda mating program also belong to China.
At a late morning news conference, zoo officials said the cub's name is Yún Zĭ , which means "son of cloud." The cub's mother is named Bai Yún, which means "white cloud."
In accordance with Chinese tradition, Zoo officials waited to name the giant panda, born on Aug. 5, until he was 100 days old. The name was chosen from among 6,300 suggestions submitted by the public on the Zoo's Web site. Zoo officials narrowed the choice to five finalists and invited panda fans to vote for their favorite.
The final five names were:
- Fú Shèng, which means blissful San Diego,
- Xiăo Lóng, which means little dragon,
- Xióng Wěi (syong wei), which means extraordinary bear,
- Yŏng Xi ăng , which means eternally blessed,
- and Yún Zĭ which means son of cloud.
Yún Zĭ is the fifth healthy cub delivered by 17-year-old Bai Yún. The father is Gao Gao, according to zoo veterinarians. The two mated naturally in April.
Yún Zĭ was born with his eyes close, was hairless, weighed about 4 ounces and was about the size of a stick of butter when he was born. Now, at three months, his eyes are open, he has thick black and white fur, and he weighs more than 10 pounds.
In 1999, Bai Yún's first cub, Hua Mei, became the first giant panda conceived by artificial insemination in the western hemisphere and the first in the country to survive to adulthood.Hua Mei is now part of a breeding program in China, along with her brother, Mei Sheng, who was born in San Diego in 2003.
Bai Yun's two other offspring, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen, born in 2005 and 2007, are still at the San Diego Zoo.
Bai Yún and Gao Gao, both born in China, are on long-term loan to the zoo. All panda cubs produced through the zoo panda mating program also belong to China.
