Beauval’s baby pandas were named Yuandudu and Huanlili – Franceinfo

Yuandudu and Huanlili: the first names of the two pandas twins born on August 2 at Beauval Zoo Parc (Loir-et-Cher) were unveiled on Thursday November 18 by French footballer Kylian Mbappé and Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Jiaqi.

The two athletes, godfather and godmother of the pandas, discovered a plaque, protected by a red fabric, in the presence of two small plantigrades installed in their wooden park on wheels, with Plexiglas walls.

“Yuandudu and Huanlili are inspired by the names of the parents, Yuan Zi and Huan Huan. They evoke the wish for healthy growth for babies and symbolize the deep bonds between China and France”, said Delphine Delord, deputy director of the Beauval zoo. Baby names are traditionally Chinese names chosen by the First Lady of China, Peng Liyuan. This time, it was the French public who, for the first time, decided on the names.

“More than 122,000 French people are connected to our site to choose the first names. Yuandudu and Huanlili were acclaimed. They received more than 45% of favorable votes”, underlined Delphine Delord. The PSG footballer is the godfather of Yuandudu and the synchronized diving champion Zhang Jiaqi, gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, is the godmother of Huanlili.