Godmother Brigitte Macron to reveal baby panda’s name

The baby panda, who was born to mother Huan Huan at the Loir-et-Cher zoo at the beginning of August, will be officially named and will have Mme Macron - who is the wife of President Emmanuel Macron - as its 'godmother', explains French news source 20 Minutes.

As is traditional after the birth of a new panda, as ‘first lady’ of the host country, Mrs Macron shares godmother duties with the wife of the Chinese president, who represents the country from which the panda originates.

Mrs Macron has reportedly been sent updates and photos of the baby by text since the birth.

The baby - which is the first to be born in France - has so far been named Mini Yuan Zi, in reference to its biological father, Yuan Zi, and is not yet on public display at the zoo. It is expected to be available to see from the end of January.

The birth of a baby panda is hailed as much as a diplomatic success as a zoological one, as the loan of a panda to a foreign host country - in this case, France - is only approved by Beijing after a formal request from the head of state of said host country.

Because of this, at the age of three, once the baby no longer needs constant support from its mother, it will return to China, in honour of this agreement.

“In nature, the mother and her baby often stay isolated in a cave or a protective environment for several months, sometimes four-to-six months at a time. To preserve this intimacy and to ensure their wellbeing, [we have] maintained this isolation [at the zoo for them],” explained zookeepers at the park, speaking to 20Minutes.