How Old Is Lei Lei? the True Age of Tokyo's Beloved Giant Panda as She Prepares to Leave for China
By Alexander Ross
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When mother panda Shin Shin gave birth to twins inside Ueno Zoo's breeding center in the early summer of 2021, keepers held their breath. Twin panda births in captivity pose extreme logistical difficulties because mother pandas in the wild routinely abandon the weaker newborn to focus resources on a single infant. Zoo specialists immediately initiated an intensive incubator-rotation system, swapping Lei Lei and her twin brother Xiao Xiao between Shin Shin's chest and an incubator every few hours so both could receive maternal colostrum and warmth.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government organized a nationwide naming contest that generated over 190,000 public submissions. The name Lei Lei, written with the Chinese character for bud, was chosen alongside Xiao Xiao, representing dawn. Together, their names symbolized the dawn breaking and flowers blooming as the world navigated pandemic lockdowns. While Xiao Xiao stood out early with a green line painted on his back to help keepers tell him apart, Lei Lei captured public attention with her calmer demeanor, steady nursing habits, and rapid weight gains.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
