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China to solicit names for UNDP ambassador panda cubs

Xinhua, January 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Names will be solicited from around the globe for two panda cubs that have been designated as ambassadors for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The naming contest will kick off next Sunday with a ceremony at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The twins will "sign" a contract with the UNDP using their paw prints at the ceremony, said Zhang Zhihe, director of the base.

The contest, which lasts through June 5, was jointly launched by 25 zoos from 17 countries. A total of 17 UNDP human volunteer ambassadors will also be selected. Candidates can upload video clips of themselves with pandas in the zoos to enter. Winners will be given a chance to visit the giant panda's home habitat in China.

The ambassador pandas, born on Sept. 16 last year, are both female. They were selected by the UNDP on Oct. 24. Endi