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Baby panda officially named in Vienna zoo

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A baby panda born in Austria in summer this year was officially named Fu Hu meaning "happy tiger" in Chinese at a ceremony held Monday at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo.

Photo released by Zoo Vienna shows panda baby "Fu Hu" who was then about 100 day old in Vienna, capital of Austria. Zoo Vienna held a name-giving ceremony for a male panda who was born on Aug. 23 this year. The panda was named "Fu Hu", meaning happy tiger. "Fu Hu" was the second panda born in Zoo Vienna, while its brother "Fu Long" was born here in August, 2007. [Xinhua]

The male cub was given the name after Austrian fans voted last month for the name online from choices suggested by the Chinese side.

At the ceremony, Chinese ambassador to Austria Shi Mingde officially designated the name to the cub on behalf of the Chinese government, and unveiled the name tag covered in red silk.

About 500 people from all circles of Austria attended the ceremony. Major media outfits in the country also sent reporters to the scene.

Shi said that choosing the name Happy Tiger reflected Austrian people's deep love and best wishes toward the cub as 2010 was the Year of Tiger according to Chinese lunar calendar and the animal had long been the symbol of health, strength and vigor in Chinese culture.

He also expressed his hope that more pandas can be born in the zoo.

Austrian Minister of Economy Reinhold Mitterlehner also attended the naming ceremony. Being the nominal adopter of Fu Hu, he said he "feels very happy about this day, Fu Hu is a symbol of friendship between the two peoples."

Mitterlehner also made comments on current Sino-Austria relations, saying that he was optimistic about the prospects of the cooperation in economy and other fields between the two countries.

Fu Hu was born on Aug. 23 in Schoenbrunn Zoo and instantly became a sensation because he was the second panda conceived naturally under human feeding condition in Europe.

Under an agreement signed by China and Austria, Fu Hu's parents Long Hui and Yang Yang was loaned to Austria in March, 2003. In 2007, the couple gave the birth to Fu Long after natural mating. Fu Long was the first panda in Europe that was conceived naturally under human feeding condition.

In accordance with the agreement, Fu Long was returned to China at the age of two and now lives in Bifengxia Panda Base in Sichuan, China.

Speaking about Fu Hu's current condition, Zoo director Dagmar Schratter said the cub looked very healthy, but in order not to disturb both mother and baby, the zoo still mainly used installed camera and sound monitors to observe his growth.

Fu Hu measured only 10 cm in length and weighed 100 grams when he was born,"but now measured 65 cm and weighed 7 kilos, a strong baby panda,"she added.

Schratter estimated that "he can be brought to the public next year. He is still too young that he moves only in the birth box". However, Fu Hu grows fast, "I think, in early or mid January of next year, visitors can see the cute baby."

Shi told Xinhua that Fu Hu's birth reflected the achievement of Sino-Austria cooperation in the fields of animal protection and panda research, as well as a symbol of friendship and cooperation between China and Austria.

According to collaborative research agreement between the two countries, Long Hui and Yang Yang would live in Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo for 10 years. During this period, their children should be returned to China at the age of two. China has the final say in giving names to baby panda but with full respect to Austrian people's wishes.

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