Amid the glitz and glamour of the annual The Giant Panda Global Awards, known as “Panda’s Oscar,” which commenced on Friday in Pairi Daiza zoo in Belgium, two giant pandas loaned from China to Belgium won the Golden award of “Panda Cub of the Year.”
“Bao Di and Bao Mei,” the giant panda twins, were born in Belgium in August 2019 to giant panda Hao Hao, who was loaned by the Chinese government to Belgium in 2014, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The pair of giant panda cubs were the second and third cubs born in the Pairi Daiza zoo, following the June 2016 birth of Tian Bao, the first giant panda ever born in the European country.
Jeroen Jacobs, founder of the GiantPandaGlobal.com, which organized the awards show, told Xinhua he has been visiting pandas in China every year for a decade. He regarded himself as a witness of panda’s happiness in Sichuan Province in Southwest China, adding that he is also a witness of friendship between China and the world in which pandas have played a significant role. Such an awards show is aimed at promoting the panda conservation work in China and abroad, Jacob said.
Panda experts and fans around the world are invited to vote for their favorite pandas, people, and institutions. Voting categories include “panda cub of the year,” “favorite panda in China,” “panda keeper of the year,” and “panda personality of the year.” More than 328,445 people voted at the end of 2019, according to the official website of the awards.
The highest number of voters in 2019 were from China, the US, Russia, Belgium and France, Xinhua reported.
Global Times
Giant panda cubs Bao Di and Bao Mei rest at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, Belgium, Dec. 31, 2019. Giant panda Hao Hao gave birth to twin cubs Bao Di and Bao Mei in August 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)
“Bao Di and Bao Mei,” the giant panda twins, were born in Belgium in August 2019 to giant panda Hao Hao, who was loaned by the Chinese government to Belgium in 2014, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The pair of giant panda cubs were the second and third cubs born in the Pairi Daiza zoo, following the June 2016 birth of Tian Bao, the first giant panda ever born in the European country.
Jeroen Jacobs, founder of the GiantPandaGlobal.com, which organized the awards show, told Xinhua he has been visiting pandas in China every year for a decade. He regarded himself as a witness of panda’s happiness in Sichuan Province in Southwest China, adding that he is also a witness of friendship between China and the world in which pandas have played a significant role. Such an awards show is aimed at promoting the panda conservation work in China and abroad, Jacob said.
Panda experts and fans around the world are invited to vote for their favorite pandas, people, and institutions. Voting categories include “panda cub of the year,” “favorite panda in China,” “panda keeper of the year,” and “panda personality of the year.” More than 328,445 people voted at the end of 2019, according to the official website of the awards.
The highest number of voters in 2019 were from China, the US, Russia, Belgium and France, Xinhua reported.
Global Times
