Kushiro Zoo red panda twins get names: "Rim" and "Rera"
On February 27, the Kushiro Zoo held a naming ceremony for the red panda twins born in July of last year. The zoo announced that they had chosen the names “Rim” and “Rera”.
Both cubs are male. The zoo staff considered names from among the 310 suggestions received nationwide, ultimately using the names suggested by sixth year Kushiro elementary school student Shibuya Mana (12). Mana visited the zoo and received a “Name Giver Certificate” and commemorative red panda dolls.
Mana based her name ideas on words in the Ainu language. “Rim” means waves in that language, and out of a desire for the twins to always be happy, she named the other cub the Ainu word “Rera” for wind, in reference to the wind continuously generating waves.
Mana also came up with names for “Kururu”, a South American sea lion born at the Kushiro City Zoo in July of 2020, and “Tokio”, a South American sea lion born there in July of last year. She smiled and said, “Red pandas gesture and move about in such a cute way, and I love them so much. I’m so glad they chose my names for the twins. I look forward to watching them grow.”
At the zoo, visitors can see the energetic twin cubs playing together and running around after their mother Asunaro.
Location
Kushiro Zoo
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