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Baby panda born in Japan given sweet-smelling name after record vote

Japan's baby panda has finally been given a name, Xiang Xiang, fragrance: AP
Japan's baby panda has finally been given a name, Xiang Xiang, fragrance: AP

A panda born at a zoo in Japan has been given a sweet-smelling name after a record number of people submitted suggestions.

The three-month-old giant panda is now called Xiang Xiang, which means 'fragrance', Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike announced on Monday.

The name was chosen from more than 320,000 suggestions and was approved by authorities.

The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo said the panda is healthy and growing rapidly.

The panda cub born at Ueno Zoo in June is healthy and growing rapidly (AP)
The panda cub born at Ueno Zoo in June is healthy and growing rapidly (AP)

She now weighs 13lbs and measures 26ins long, nearly twice as big as she was a month ago, according to the latest measurement marking the 100th day since her birth.

Videos released last week showed the fluffy black-and-white cub crawling, and some teeth coming in.

Xiang Xiang was born on June 12 to the zoo's resident giant panda, Shin Shin.