Panda-mania builds in Singapore

Panda-mania is heating up in Singapore as about a thousand entries have been received in a nationwide contest to name two pandas from China, local TV broadcaster Channel NewsAsia reported on Thursday.

The pandas, which will be on loan to Singapore for a 10-year period, received overwhelming attention in the island-state.

A judging panel will decide on their names based on the suggestions received. Those names are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Some of the names which have been suggested include Mandarin names like "Xiang Qin and Xiang Ai", "Ping Ping and An An" and " Xing Fu and Kuai Le" as well as "Ping Ping and Pang Pang" - Chinese for table tennis.

The pandas will arrive next year and can be seen at Wildlife Reserves Singapore's River Safari attraction when it opens in 2012.

Source: Xinhua