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'FIRST LADY' BRIGITTE MACRON WILL VISIT A NEWBORN BABY PANDA AT THE BEAUVAL ZOO ON DECEMBER 4, AND WILL REVEAL ITS FIRST NAME AS PART OF HER VISIT, IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. 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_.