Rare panda triplets named

A Chinese zoo announced names for the world's only surviving giant panda triplets on Monday, choosing from over one million names proposed by the cubs' fans across the world.

The female cub of the trio, born on July 29, was named "Meng Meng," translated as "cute," and the two males were named "Shuai Shuai" and "Ku Ku," meaning "handsome" and "cool" respectively, according to the Chime Long Safari Park in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

"Criteria for the selection included names that are easily remembered by kids and convey our best wishes to the cubs," said Dong Guixin, general manager of the zoo. He added the names were chosen based on the pandas' gender and personality.

In late August, the zoo launched an online campaign to solicit names for the triplets. From the proposed names, the zoo came up with a short list of 100 and then invited a panel of animal experts, representatives from all walks of life and children to decide on the final names.

The triplets born at Chime Long are the fourth set of panda triplets ever recorded. But in all previous instances, at least one of the triplets died from physical defects or being underweight.