The new panda cub at the Taipei Zoo is almost a month old, and it already has a nickname! It’s not her official name yet, but her caretakers have noticed that she has a very gentle personality, just like her dad. So they call her Rou Rou, which means gentle. It also sounds like the characters for chubby.
The panda’s caretakers are the same ones who took care of her older sister, seven-year old Yuan Zai, when she was young. They say that Yuan Zai was a lot more rough and bold in her movements as a newborn cub. Her younger sister, on the other hand, is totally different. She’s very gentle and quiet.
The zoo says the panda cub is eating and growing well, and has a cute little belly when she finishes her milk. That’s another reason they gave her the nickname Rou Rou. The zoo will hold a public vote to decide on her official name, just as they did with her big sister Yuan Zai.
The zoo has been keeping the new baby panda in an incubator during her first month, and will soon let her live with her mother, Yuan Yuan. In the meantime, they’ve given Yuan Yuan a stuffed baby panda cub to keep her company.