Koalas get new nicknames at Singapore Zoo

Four koalas at the Singapore Zoo have got their local nicknames here on Wednesday.

The four, formerly known as Chan, Idalia, Paddle and Pellita, got their nicknames as Cantik, Sayang, Nila and Manja, which were chosen from about 250 submissions across the state.

The zoo has also held a name selection ceremony for these four cuties, during which each of them need to choose from two names on eucalyptus leaves offered by zookeepers.

Chan chose Cantik, which means "beautiful" in Malay, while Idalia picked Sayang, which means "love". Pellita chose Manja, which stands for "affectionate" in Malay and the oldest one Paddle chose Nila, which pays tribute to Sang Nila Utama, a prince who is said to be the one who founded Singapore.

The four female koalas have become the pop stars since they arrived from their homeland Australia in April as a gift to celebrate Singapore's 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. They will be staying here until January 2016.