Jia Yueyue (, ) and Jia Panpan (, ) are twin

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

s (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'') born at the Toronto Zoo on 13 October 2015, to mother,

Er Shun Er Shun is a female giant panda, born at the Chongqing Zoo. On Monday, March 25, 2013, two giant pandas Er Shun (female) and Da Mao (male) arrived at Toronto Zoo, with their exhibit (the refurbished Amur tiger exhibit) opening to the public on May ...

and father,

Da Mao Da Mao (born September 1, 2008) is a giant panda that was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. He was born to Mao Mao (female) and Yuhin/Xiongbang (male). The name Da Mao means "first of Mao" as he was his mother's first bor ...

. They were the first giant pandas to be born in Canada, and only the second giant panda twins to survive the

neonatal period An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used t ...

in North America. Their birth was the result of one of two artificial insemination procedures overnight from 13 to 14 May 2015. The pandas went on public exhibit at the zoo on 12 March 2016. The last day that the giant pandas were viewable at the Toronto Zoo was 18 March 2018. The two pandas have since left Canada and now reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Naming

Their Chinese names mean (Jia Panpan ()) and (Jia Yueyue ()). Their names were revealed on 7 March 2016. In March 2016, the prime minister of Canada,

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

, the premier of Ontario,

Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...

, and the mayor of Toronto,

John Tory John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014. After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...

, attended their naming ceremony at the zoo. Jia Yueyue and Jia Panpan are great-grandchildren of Pan Pan, the longest living male giant panda to have lived in captivity.

References

{{Reflist Individual giant pandas 2015 animal births Animal duos

Naming

See also

References