Bai Yun
I’ve been away from the San Diego Zoo for a while, but the intervening months have brought many changes to the San Diego Zoo and, of course, to “our” pandas. Coming back to work has given me fresh eyes, almost like a guest, and the Zoo is truly an even more remarkable place than I remember.
The first thing that struck me in early May was the construction. If you haven’t been here since last summer, it’s time for another visit. There’s a new Mercado in front of the freshly opened facade of the Reptile House, our Galápagos tortoises are being moved into their wonderful new quarters, and our dining options are more diverse than ever. Familiar services, like the Camera Den, have been shifted and improved—all in all, a brighter and more exciting look to our nearly 94-year-old facility.
With all of these changes, though, the core of the Giant Panda Research Station—the wonderful bears—have remained pretty much the same. Bai Yun is still the supermom that she’s always been, even mellower, if that’s possible. Gao Gao, in his off-exhibit enclosure, is doing his 19-year-old-panda-male thing of eating and sleeping. With the exception of his seasonal interest in the pandas ladies, he is reminding me of a young Shi Shi, content with his solitude and bamboo. Gao is, however, ever cooperative with his keepers and the research staff (coincidentally, mostly female).
Su Lin is all grown up now and reminds me, in her overt behavior, more and more of Bai Yun at the same age. Su still retains the sensitivity of her father, but Mom’s mellowness seems to win out in her disposition. Zhen Zhen remains a piece of work, as they say. As wild as Su Lin could be in one of her “moods,” it seems to be a more permanent state for ZZ, more common than not. She appears to be more of a blend of her sister, Su, and her brother, Mei Sheng; could this be a more assertive female as she matures, or will she outgrow her rambunctious ways?
Yun Zi
The biggest surprise for me was Yun Zi. Still super easygoing, with an experienced mother that has fussed less over each subsequent cub, he’s much different than brother Mei Sheng at the same age. Even when he wants his mother’s attention, he’s less persistent and more willing to entertain himself—the most self-possessed youngster of them all. I’ve wondered if, in fact, this was going to be the cub most like his grandfather, the great Pan Pan: large and serene, and all “take care of business.” Since Yun Zi is only approaching his first birthday, it will be awhile before we know, but as always, it’s going to be fun to watch.
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
Welcome back Miss Ellie.I for one have missed your blogs and it’s good to have a fresh prespective on our bears. I had the chance to hear you speak about the bears last year and it was amazing. Again welome back. p.s Monday was the second anniversary of Shi Shi’s passing.
WELCOME BACK ELLIE! We have missed you a lot and look forward to many, many, many more blogs from you and your new eyes.
Hooray, you’re back, Ellie. We’ve missed you and your wonderful posts.
WOW………Welcom back, Ellie. And thank you for your update. I loved your insightfulness.
Ellie, Thanks for the fresh perspective on the wonderful Yun-Gao family. I think Yun Zi will be a great patriarch like his grandfather Pan Pan.
Welcome back Ellie and thank you for the update.
Ellie, welcome back to Zooland! I hope the time away was a good one for you, but glad you’re back with us again!
Thank you for your view through new eyes! Refreshing and nice to hear, makes me see things a little different, as well. I wish I had watched from the beginning, but that was then, this is now. I am just happy I did stumble into this wonderful world since Zhennie was born! She will always have the largest spot in my heart, I guess I am just partial to little rebels, and I am sure she has her “cause”… all these beautiful, fuzzy creatures deserve humongous places in our hearts, where I know they are, indeed!
Auntie Kat
ooxx
I am joining in with everyone else to say, “Welcome Back Ellie!” Looking forward to your blogs….
that was a wonderful perspective!! I have only been a fan since Feb so this gives me a idea of their personalities, Thank You. They all just seem so cuddly, I just love them, and really can’t wait until Yun Zi’s 1st birthday
Thank you for the wonerful update on all the beautiful bears. It seems they move the camera view for yunzi and bai yun and it seems i never see them there when i am on!
Welcome back, Ellie!! I’ll be looking forward to your delightful posts! I’m sure you missed your pandas and will enjoy being back with them.
Thanks for the update. Looking forward to your blogs. I agree with the comment from Vie-Omaha, I to never seem to catch Zi on camera these days. Miss seeing the little guy, even if he is just sleeping.
Welcome back. You have been missed.
Hi Ellie: I’ve been a Pandaholic since Yunnie was born so I love reading your perspectives on the family… I can’t believe that Fab Furry Feet Gao is 19 years old and Queen Bai is 18 years young! I know I would enjoy reading more about your experiences with the whole family and Shi Shi…
I’m coming out to the Black and White Overnight for my vacation (counting down the days) and cannot wait to see the Pandas that I’ve been reading about this past year…. Maybe you’ll be working that weekend and entertain us with your stories?
What a gorgeous picture of Bai Yun!! With some kind of treat, she holds close! She is truly, the Graande Dame of this ZOO! I don’t know his grandfather, but YUn Zi is seldom petulent, and finds joy in everything! He really “thinks” and has a look of wonderment at something new,(I point to the mirrror,) scared him up a tree but mama came and looked and assured him it was OK. He even surprises his mama, her look at that time is something to see! I never knew Pandas had reactions. Zhennie has her mother’s sense of fun. You all teach us and then the bears’ allow us to learn their ways. Thank You!
We just had an earthquake, and prior to that, I saw Bai Yun send Yun Zi off. Do you feel them there, I am in Northridge, 20 miles from Los Angeles, and here is another one, (sitting at the computer), just a little movement. Did she know it was coming?I wonder at that. We had several while I visited the Zoo with my family in April.
HI, Ellie–welcome back!
I’m willing to bet that Miss Zhen Zhen will retain some of her Zoomie ways even as an adult–hope so anyway. She has always been such a unique little bundle of energy and smarts–not to mention beauty and athleticism.
Hi! Loved the update on all of the pandas! Thanks, Ellie!
On the Atlanta Zoo website, I read an article about Lun Lun that got me going! Apparently, the staff, vets, and keepers at the panda house feel that Lun Lun could be pregnant again! That’s good news, but we will still have to wait to see if Lun can hold this pregnancy to full term. Gestation in mother pandas run from around 87 to almost 190 days long, so it’s still a waiting game with Lun. They said that Lun’s hormone levels are showing signs of being pregnant, and they will keep monitoring those levels, watch her behaviors, and start doing ultrasounds on Lun. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed, do some praying, and keep believing, pandafans! Going back to AZ panda page for more updates.
I am so glad for you! I have been praying for Lynn and her recovery, and I know your updates about the pandas and the panda pics that you have been showing her has helped alot, along with you being there when you can. Give her a BIG, HUGE HUG from me, ok? Will keep praying for her, and I hope that you and Lynn can make it to San Diego Zoo very soon when she gets a little bit stronger. All of us pandafans love you both!
— sad pandas!
Dennis, New Jersey, I read your comment about your wife Lynn finally coming home from the hospital! YEA!!!
Well, that’s it from me for right now. Oh yeah, DC has hit 100 degrees and over for 2 days in a row! Mei Xiang and Tian Tian stayed indoors in the A/C all day on both days! I think that DC will be seeing another scorching hot day tomorrow, and both pandas will be staying indoors all day again! Neither one of them don’t like very hot weather very well.
Gonna go for now. Will check back in later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Welcome back, Ellie! We’ve missed you. I hoped I would meet you in January when I visited. I was fortunate to meet Kay that day. I always enjoy your blogs and your special insight into “our” pandas.
Thank you for the great post on the personalities of the Bai Gao clan. They are a wonderful bunch. They are all unique but do seem to carry some personalities of the parents. I enjoy reading these posts so much, I cannot get enough! Bai Yun is so special, I love watching her mother her cub. I am sorry I did not see the cam before Yun Zi was born. I would love to see how she changes with each cub as you say. She sure is the queen mom. It seems she likes to do everything on her terms.
I have two questions, will Bai participate in the hearing study at all once Yunior is weaned? Will he for that matter? Also, I think I may have asked before but do not recall seeing an answer, does Bai see the keepers play with the baby and pet him, and if so, does she care at all? (I know you cannot answer all questions, their personalities just fascinate me though!)
Thank you!
Also, (sorry) what is happening with the cam, it does not seem to have moved at all. I have not seen a bear since yesterday morning I think!
Thank you so much for the update Ellie! I feel like I’ve learned so much about pandas thanks to all of you at the Panda Research Station
It must be so fulfilling working with such beautiful, gentle bears like the Pandas.
I love watching Yun Zi and the rest of the family on the live cam everyday. I finally got to see them all in person this past weekend. I made sure I got the zoo membership so I can go back and visit anytime I’m in the San Diego area.
I’m curious about the names of Bai Yun’s parents (Dong Dong and Pan Pan). I had never heard about them before until now, and I would love to know what their names mean, if anybody out there has any idea? I tried to find some photos of them online but was only able to find a recent one of Bai’s mother, Dong Dong, on flicker.
Thank you!
Moderator’s note: Thank you for becoming a member of the San Diego Zoo, Joanna! It’s the best deal in town.
Welcome back Ellie! The pandas have grown a lot this year, especially Yun Zi! I have been watching the panda cam for almost a year now, I remember it was just 3 or 4 days after Yunior was born and I was really interested right away! It’s good to be back on the panda blogs! I was out of town, but I did comment a little though the comments were rather short.
Yes, thanks indeed for the lovely post. Very thoughtful and intriguing! i love to hear about all the different generations and behaviors of the bears. : )
Your view on the park and the panda’s is great, it gives me a different view. I was there the last week of
June, my first and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more of your views.
Thank you
lu
The Further Adventures of Yun Zi, World’s Greatest Athelete Part 2
It was a bright sunny day and there were many fluffy white clouds high in the sky. In the ringside seats, we see the effervescent ZZ who is so excited at seeing her baby brother in the finals of the Panda Open she is jumping up and down and wanting to climb some trees. Only Bai Yun’s genteel and firm paw on her shoulder keeps her seated. She is grinning from ear to ear. Su Lin gets 3 bowls of strawberries, boo and cream for them. Papa Gao is with Yun.
A scream rings out as a fan spots Yun Zi walking out onto Centre Court. He looks cavalier in his nice green T shirt with the collar turned up to accentuate his fluffy cheeks. He waves his paw to all his adoring fans. He blushes when he spots a banner held by 2 cute girl pandas – ‘Yunnie – Marry Me!’ and there were some fans who were wearing a T shirt with the famous photo taken of him by Weeta Pawtita where he is lying on his hammock and playing with some leaves of a pine tree.
‘Hi, Auntie Weeta!’ mouths Yunnie as he spots the famous photog taking up her position near the baseline. He strikes a cute ‘GRRRRRR, I am going to thrash my opponent’ pose for her.
Then his opponent arrives on court. Pawder Bearerda, the former No 1 seed, is a power player and Yunnie is meeting him for the first time in a Grand Slam final. They warm up by hitting balls to and fro. And then the umpire calls them to do the coin toss. Yunnie gets to serve first.
And he serves an ACE!!! The fans go wild and Pawder’s fans yell encouragement. Papa Gao Gao mutters, ‘Steady, steady, keep the focus,’ as he paces on his plush paws.
The two opponents were equally matched. Yunnie with his youthful enthusiasm and energy and Pawder with his experience. Yunnie wins the first set. Pawder the second. It soon comes down to the final set.
During the break, Yunnie looks across at his family. Mama Bai smiles her gentle smile and winks. ZZ and Su Lin are on their back feetsies, doing the Stevie acoording to the rhythm of ‘Yun Nie, Yun Nie’. When tehy spot their brother looking at them they scream and scream – ‘Yun Nie Yun Nie, You’re the Best. Yun Nie Yun Nie, Beat the Rest!’
Pawdera and Yunnie were tied at deuce. Then Yunnie trips and the advantage goes to Pawdera. Yunnie regains his composure to send a driving backhand along the line just out of the reach of Pawdera. Yunnie faults on his serve. Papa Gao Gao gives Yunnie the paws up sign and tells his son, ‘Go for it!’
Yunnie clears the sweat from his brow, he raises his racket, throws the ball and brings the racket with a cracking BOOM on to the ball. And it is another ACE!!!!!! The crowd goes wild. ZZ is climbing up the side of the stands, Su Lin is waving a large flag with Yunnie’s face. Mama Bai is so pleased she gets up and does a Stevie with Gao Gao. Gao Gao says, ‘Mama and I are super proud of all of you. Today, Yunnie has shown that though he is young he can succeed with hard work and focus.’
The family gather for photos by Weeta after Yunnie has collected his prizes and signed many autographs. Yunnie turns to ZZ, ‘Now it is your turn. Your trials are next week and I’ll be there to cheer you on. You can be an Olympic Champion, sis!’
Gao Gao gathers the clan and says,’Let’s all go to the Bamboo Buffet to celebrate! Everyone get into the MBV!’
THE END
IT IS TIME AGAIN FOR THE YUNIOR SHOW—-ALONG WITH a bit of ZZ……at Rita Petita’s Flikr page…and here is the link in case you need it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/
Dear Mary in Brooklyn, Frances and Anne in NYC, Grammie, and Bobbie Wood,
Thanks for all the encouragement and suggestions for story ideas (not all are within my area of expertise hence you may not see ideas taken up). It is my way of appreciating the pandas and Yunnie looks like a dream boat and a dreamer in that hammock.
Thinking on a Panda Girls series soon and maybe some tales of Bai Yun. When she smiles, she seems in some secret dream space of her own.
Anne – I have written 2 non-fiction books. Yes, I am a writer but tt is not my primary profession. So I would love to develop the stories into books for kids and to bless SDZ and their pannas.
I pray that the Pandas will grow in numbers and will no longer be endangered.
Welcome back Ellie and great blog! It’s always a pleasure to hear about the Gao-Yun family.
Welcome Back, Ellie! I missed your blogs, but we were in good hands while you were away.
Thanks for the updates on the whole family. Isn’t it amazing how each animal has their own unique animality (personality of an animal).
I am heading for Washington DC this morning to see Mei Xiang and Tian Tian at the National Zoo this week-end. Anyone who is there, you can look for me. I have a red chair. And when we are outside, I have a panda hat that says “Panda Joy” on the back. Come by and say, “Hi!”
Everyone have a great day, I feel so blessed to have the awesome giant pandas to watch and to learn about here.
Dear Moderator,
A couple of questions. I was watching the Washington, Australian and the Thai Pandas recently and they were all playing with enrichment toys. How often do teh SDZ Pandas get to play with enrichment toys and do all of them get them? For instance does Gao Gao get any toys and if so, what are they? Much as I love Yunnie, I would love to see photos or videos of the other Pandas at Play. Thanks for being so great at sharing the bears with us.
Lucilla
Moderator’s note: Your questions have been forwarded to our Panda Team.
Thanks to all of you who provide links to the great panda photos. I really enjoy them. I also enjoy viewing the videos of Lin Ping. She has gotten to be such a chub! Is her daddy Chuang Chuang a big bear? Just wondering where she gets it. Love the updates on our beloved SDZ bears too. They are a joy.
Wow! What an awesome update….it’s always great to read others perspectives…truly enjoyed it!
Thanks Ellie, that was a real nice post!
Karin
Thanks for the update. Informative as always.
This question is probably for the Panda Team. I was reading a posting from 9-15-2008 about Bai and her weight. Moderator: I looked to see if someone asked this question but didn’t see any.. if I overlooked it, please point me in the right direction so we don’t have to bother the keepers…
The excerpt below is what I have a question about:
As lactation continues, Bai Yun loses weight slowly. Her fat stores are depleted by milk production. Studies show that in mammals, a female is drawing nutrients from her bones to sustain the nutritive nurturing of her infant. By the end of the mother-cub association period, a female’s bones may be lighter as a result.
My question is: Is calcium being depleted from her bones? I’m assuming that osteoporsis isn’t a concern, but what does the female eat to replenish the calcium? I wouldn’t think that Boo would have all that she needs.. Do female pandas have issues with their bones as they age due to this depletion during their reproduction years? Thank you!!
Welcome back Ellie…..
Can only imagine how cool it was to come back to all the changes at the zoo… And especially to catch up on all your black and white beauties!!! Sure hope to get down there next Spring with Lee, we plan to go to China in the Spring of 2012… ha ha, counting the days already…
I so enjoy reading how each Panda is unique in their own way. Last time I was at the SDZ Zhennie was still in the den and Mei Sheng was getting ready to go to China. Can’t believe where the time has gone, and already Yun Zi is turning a BIG ONE
Have a wonderful day everyone!! breaking heat records up here in BC, so staying inside and nice and cool!! Just like a Panda
I just read an article about Chengdu putting out a contest/request for 6 panda keepers for a 1-month period. They haven’t released all the info yet but I would do anything to be one of the 6.
They also had a quote from Mei Lan’s keeper that I think everyone will like.
Moderator’s note: We can’t post excerpts from other Web sites, Lee. Readers can search “China launches global search for panda keepers”.
Thank you for the wonderful blog on this very special Panda family.
#20 linda luvs pandas
Bai will participate even before Yun Zi is weaned.
#26, Lucilla-that story was very creative! Thank you for the entertainment! I could just see them all at the event, and wouldn’t that be great if it were true? I would love to see them all together, a happy, loving family. I wonder what they would do if the Zoo did put them together just one time? The reactions on all their sweet, furry faces would be amazing!
Gawsh, they are all so beautiful, their markings, their personalities, their essence. I love seeing how they are praised. Thank you SDZ for all you do. I never really liked zoos before I was introduced to SDZoo and Bai just before she delivered Zhennie. My mind has changed. Zoo’s are such a good thing for all animals lucky enough to have a place within a Zoo. They are much more than a place to store an animal and have it watched by humans. They really care, and protect and study and love them just like we do. An amazing world within a world. oxo
KJ, #32–Yes, Lin Ping’s daddy is a big bear! He was over 300 pounds a couple years ago, & they put him on a diet because “he was too fat to mate”! I don’t know what his weight is now, but I think he’s looking pretty good. He really seems to enjoy the new yards, too. Although he seems mostly to doze & eat, I’ve seen him go on a good rolling binge, & he loves his swing. He’ll climb on it, wrestle it, bite it, roll under it & push it with his feet. I don’t know if it’s the weight loss or the new habitat, but he seems rejuvenated, & he’s a joy to watch when he gets going!
#32 KJ: LP gets her pretty face from Mom and her 80+ lbs from her Daddy. I think her orneryness comes from both Mom and Dad… I’ve seen both parents go crazy when they are out in their exhibit. They are fun to watch…
Thanks dd, that is so interesting about LP’s dad. I’ve not seen photos or videos of him before but have seen some of Lin Ping and mama Lin Hui. I watched the one of LP getting stuck in the little chair (?) . A keeper was calling out to LH to come to him, but she would not leave her baby. I find it so endearing how devoted the mother pandas are to their cubs.
This is a beautiful picture of Yun Zi in a tree
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/4769758311/in/photostream/
And in the comments, people have posted similar pictures of his sisters: Su Lin on November 11, 2006 and Hua Mei in 2001.
Okay, it’s a beastly, hot day here in NYC so maybe the heat has got the best of me and I’m just fantasizing about my favorite black and white pals. But, I saw a video on You Tube of Miss Ping doing the Stevie. But the way she moved her mouth, it looked like she was singing, too. Now, we have Miss ZZ who was spotted humming. If we can just teach SuLin to play the acoustic guitar, we could have a smokin’ hot Panda Girls band. What do you think Lucilla? (I did say it was a hot day, didn’t I?)
BTW, thanks Grammmie for posting the links to Rita Petita’s photos; I can’t always find the ones you mention and they’re just too good to miss!
Here are some of the famous panda birthdays in order!
Tai Shan- July 9
Mei Xiang- July 22
Su Lin- August 2
Zhen Zhen- August 3
Yun Zi- August 5
Mei Sheng- August 19
Hua Mei- August 21
Lun Lun- August 25
Tian Tian- August 27
Xi Lan- August 30
Yuan Yuan- August 31
Tuan Tuan- September 1
Mei Lan- September 6
Bai Yun- September 7
Yang Yang- September 9
44 KJ: I’ve seen that video. It was done I think the day after her 1 year birthday party. Lin Hui is a very protective Mom… She has reason to be.. Lin Ping seems to be able to get herself in trouble, whether it’s falling out of a huge tree or escaping through her enclosure bars or getting stuck in chairs…
4:13 EST – Yunnie is checking out the world high up in the tree while Bai takes a nap on the throne below. Way too cute! He’s just looking around and Camera 6 is perfectly positioned…
I wish I could edit previous comments before they have been moderated.. but now he has come back down to his hammock and brought foliage with him!!! DoxieMom, I hope you can get some of this….
#31 Lucilla
Our pandas get enrichment on a daily basis; sometimes it can be something as large as a Boomer ball or something not seen, such as a spice scent placed around the exhibit. The pandas, especially the younger ones, seem to like hanging toys filled with treats. The older ones love substrates like Lomax mulch piles and fresh pine shavings. We boast a large inventory of toys for our kids (thanks to generous donors), and we do rotate the toys often so they don’t get bored with them.
As Aug 5th is almost here, we would like to go to the Zoo to Yun Zi’s birthday celebration, is any special time to be there for our favorite Panda Family party? Thanks for the information.
Moderator’s note: We don’t have finalized plans for our panda birthday celebration yet. We’ll be sure to let readers know as details become available.
Yes Dianna, LP seems to be quite the little–or I should say big!– fireball. Did you see the adorable video of her sitting on top of a big blue ball, her paws holding onto the bars of her pen looking out. She was just sitting there patiently so content like she was waiting for someone to come and play with her.
Panda Zero, Panda One
Let’s all have some panda fun!
Panda Two, Panda Three
Let’s all climb the panda tree!
Panda Four, Panda Five
Let’s all do the panda jive!
Panda Six, Panda Seven
Let’s all go to panda heaven
Panda Eight, Panda Nine
Stop! It’s PANDA TIME!
In a comment I wrote about a month ago, I said that when a panda has twins, the mother can only take care of one at time so she has to pick one. That is true, but that only happens in the wild. This is what I read on Pandas International:
pandasinternational (dot) org/giantpanda.html
Scroll down to where it says “Cubs” and it is the last paragraph in that section.
I think that is a very smart method! Both cubs survive, which means one more panda in the world!
Peace, Love and Pandas CIAO!
P.S.
Tai Shan’s birthday is tomorrow and I can’t wait! By the way, I posted a comment (#47) that has list of some of the famous panda bear’s birthdays. Make sure to check it out!!
@ Annie
It’s interesting to see that Bai and Gao’s offspring were all born in the same month.
Thank you for providing us with the list of Panda birthdays
#26 Lucilla: That Story is too cute! You’re writing is entertaining and incredibly fun and you put smiles on all of your reader’s faces! Keep up the great work and know that we all enjoy your panda stories!
#1 Barbara: I wasn’t aware that monday was Shi Shi’s deathday. Wasn’t he a charming fellow? Bai and him also made a wonderful baby- Hua Mei, who is such a big girl now!
#7 Kat w: Wow, you’ve been a panda fan for quite a while now! I have been watching the panda cam and keeping up the blogs since Yun Zi was born! I think most people began going on these blogs and such around that time, but I’m not sure. I would like to hear how long people have been, that would be interesting!
#16 Virginia Spiegler: I often wonder if the pandas even notice the earthquakes in San Diego. Sometimes the earthquakes are small and the pandas don’t react. What if there was a big one and a panda got injured? That would be just terrible, but I know they would be taken care of right away. I shouldn’t worry about this stuff, I know I can trust the people there.
Ah Lucilla, now we know the real story – you are a writer!!!! You write so well and paint such a wonderful picture, we should’ve known!! Thanks for the wonderful stories!
My two small dogs haven’t noticed the earthquake but I bet the birds at the zoo do.
My parrot used to fly off perch, then back on perch, he would stare at the ground for 15 min. to see if it was going to move again!
You all that are hot…should come to San Diego….no sun and highs about 64 along the coast. Nice and cool but do bring a jacket!
#57 – Annie Panda. I have been watching pandas since Tai Shan was born in 2005 at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. I’ve kept up with all the bears in zoos around the world; however, the SDZ blogs give the most information about their bears. Atlanta Zoo is also pretty good. Curiously enough, the Schonbrun Zoo in Vienna stopped giving updates after Fu Long (who is now back in China) went on exhibit. So, there’s a lot of bears to watch!
i love pandas so much i go see them and i am happy for yun zi and bai yun.
9:27 p.m. and they are still at it…Bai & Yun are just ‘a givin er’…all I can see is the black and white, but I know it for what it is…they are still playing…good night everyone…take care in the heat wave and keep an eye on your neighbour just in case…cheers, Bernice…back to the cam!
It’s 4:15 panda time and Bai and Yun are doing some serious sleeping. They must have had a gay old night.
Thanks Annie for the list of dates. As for watching panda cam, I started when Hua Mei made her debut which I saw on CNN. I was hooked for life. Have followed the blogs from the beginning. Am really pleased to see how many of this blog were “captured” either by ZZ or YZ’s births. Ellie mentioned that Bai has mellowed with each new cub — so, I think, has the staff! After everyone, including Bai, being novices with Hua Mei, each cub has resulted in more confidence from mom and keepers. It’s a good thing (to borrow a phrase).
Happy Birthday, Tai Shan.
I love that pic of Bai Yun!
I am sure I would always be able to pick Bai Yun out of a crowd of Pandas, she has her own
‘look’ and she has a distinctive ‘smile’….I love her!!!
My image folder is absolutely full of pics of her, I love it when you post a pic of her eating
Ladies and Gentlebears, please put your paws together and welcome the PANDA GRRRRRLS!
[On stage run ZZ, Lin Lin and Ping Ping in red, white and blue sequinned dresses with big bows perched perkily on top of their cute heads)
‘We got the beat!’ and with that the Panda Girls launched into their No 1 hit ‘Bamboo Dreams’ and before long they had the audience dancing along with them. And as lead singer Ms ZZ sings the last line, ‘And I have a dream that we will live our lives together in a bamboo grove forever, ya ya ya..hmmmmmmmm’ and she ends by doing an incredible somersault.
Then Lin Lin starts her guitar solo and can she make that Fender guitar cry……and then the auditorium dims as overhead fireworks go off and Ping Ping emerges from the smoke in a hot red mini and does a shimmy that would put Tina Turner to shame. That little girl has grown into a woman. She dances across the stage and does a stage dive and body surfs across the heads of her adoring fans.
In one corner of the auditorium, Yun Zi, Tai Shan, Fu Long, Xi Lan, Mei Sheng, Hua Mei and Mei Lan are sipping bambootinis as they groove along to the music. And once their set was over, the Panda Girls join them. By then the new group, Polar Paws, were doing a slow set.
‘GREAT SHOW! ZZ you were fantastic. Lin, wow….’gushed Yunnie. ‘AND Ping, does your mama know you can dance?’ asked Tai.
‘THANKS!’ yelled the girls, still high with adrenaline. ‘Whew, it is always hard to perform before a home crowd,’ said Lin Lin.
‘You did great, and a couple of sun bears were trying to get your attention ZZ!’ teased Fu Long.
‘REALLY?’ asked ZZ with her eyes widening. She was still unused to male attention and she blushed. ‘Any cute bears?’ she asked Hua Mei Jie Jie.
‘Well, actually that brown bear over there is kinda sweet!’ replied Hua Mei. ‘Who? Let me see?’ asked a curious Yunnie, ‘Oh, HI! Wanna meet my sister?’
‘YUNNIE, I WILL KILL YOU!’ yelled ZZ. ‘Let me help you,’ laughed Ping Ping as she grabs Yunnie and tickles him.
‘We want EVERY BEAR to come on down and party. Come on and dance now, shake your groove thang!’ yelled the polar bear pair on stage.
‘Come on, I want to dance!’ and with that Yunnie grabs his sibs and cousins down to the dance floor. They danced till the wee hours of the morning.
Then quietly, he sneaks into his hammock and closes his eyes to sleep. ‘WAKE UP, Sleepy Head! All the uncles and aunties are Q-ing to see us, wake up, ‘ shouts Mama as she puts her snout on his tummy. ‘Mama, just a few minutes more please, I am tired…’ pleads Yunnie. ‘What have you been up to, I never know. All you do is eat, sleep, eat, sleep…’ grumbles Mama.
As she ambles away for her boo breakfast, Yunnie opens one eye and sings, ‘I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night and still have begged for more….hee hee, ssshhhhhh, don’t tell my Mama, OK?’
The End
I WROTE A NICE SHORT NOTE LASt EVENING, answering some questions, applauding stories and poems, the general kind of information and fun things I love. What I did not do was hit “submit” before going off to so more things, and check more news on Pandas. Instead of trying to reconstruct it I will just send my best wishes, give you the link to the first photo by Rita Petita that I got from the blog (I did not at that time make note of who posted it—they deserve much praise) and the link I use every day to check to see what is new so I can “alert the troups”. So the links will follow along with my wishes that you other fans of RITA PETITA can put it in your favorites for daily viewing. I figured if RITA can spend part of every week following and recording the Gao Family of Pandas the least we can do is check up every now and then to see what wonders she has made for us………… http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/4376499491/ the first “aware of” photo that hooked me on RITA http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/ for my daily checking—when you can, read the comments under the photos,–most are a “hoot” and you get to see how many invitations to display and awards she earns.
Cuteness alert… Yunior is laying in his hammock waving his big feetsies around and chewing on a piece of pine needle or boo or simething… really good closeups from the Cam Operator (Thank You!!!)
Can I have a bigger version of the pictures in the post? The little yun standing on his hammock. That is so cute.
Moderator’s note: You can purchase most of the images you see on our Web site in any size you wish. Please contact our Licensing Division at Licensing@sandiegozoo.org
Little Cloud so sweet, entertains himself all morning! What a cutie! Momma doesn’t even need a babysitter while she catches some beauty sleep!
Today is Tai Shan’s fifth birthday and also, his first birthday in China! I was looking at pictures of Tai just a few minutes ago and wanted to share my top 3 favorite pictures of him that I found:
blogs (dot) gwhatchet (dot) com/btb/files/2009/12/TaiShan_MeiXiang.jpg
media (dot) smithsonianmag (dot) com/images/Tai-Shan-giant-panda-8.jpg
farm3 (dot) static (dot) flickr (dot) com/2315/2272815916_eac8b3cd.jpg
There were 2 great videos of Tai Shan and some cute pictures on PandasLiveOn as well as a post about him. Well, I hope he has a great birthday and enjoys his cake and big, special card!
Yun Zi is sleeping now so soundly. He is just so cute. He sure loves his sleep. Give him a great big hug for me.
Yunni does indeed look ever so adorable…one paw flung over his eyes and the other sticking out on the side. I wish I was curled up next to him, sleeping the day away.
#65 Lucilla: What a darling story! The panda girls was such a cute idea, I can just imagine their outfits on them with the little bow on their heads! I love the ending line “Don’t tell my mama, K?”
Grammme: I was wondering if you were the same person as grammmie because your username doesn’t have the letter “i” in it, so I was just curious why you would have to make a new name. I know that for a while, whenever I tried to comment it wouldn’t work, so I made a new username and now it works again. Perhaps the same thing happened to you…
Yun Zi is sleeping with his paw covering his eyes. It’s so adorable. Hope you’re getting this Doxie Mom or Rita Petita.
It’s about 11:15 and I am watching the panda cam, and Yun Zi is sound asleep in his cute little hammock dreaming his panda dreams. I see he enjoys his sleep very much!
Just about an hour ago, I changed my computer desktop to a painting of a panda and a sort-of maroon color around it. I hadn’t changed my desktop for a while, but before I had a really cute drawing of a panda rolling around, almost like a sommersault.
#65 – Lucilla, thanks so very much for the story about the Panda Girls Band. They should get plenty of press because Beareatha Franklin was in the audience! And she had on her favorite chapeau – a big white and black fur hat (fake fur, of course) shaped just like a 6-month old cubbie. What a fashion statement!
I just watched the birthday video for Tai Shan on PandasLiveOn. It is just so sweet, Tai is loved very much by all of us and I enjoyed reading all of the little notes for Tai especially the one where it said something like “Who knew that a black and white fluffball could bring us all together?”. Who knew one panda could be so loved? Happy birthday Tai Shan!!!
Peace, Love and Pandas, CIAO!
Annie Panda
Another great story, Lucilla!
Yun Zi did look soooo sweet and innocent in his hammock today, I could just imagine a little panda halo above his head.
Yun Zi and Bai played for awhile yesterday, but like Ellie pointed out, he’s very content to amuse himself (and us
) in other ways. Here’s some video from yesterday as Yun Zi did his best to elude the camera by hiding behind Bai, a tree and the rock structure!
2010-07-08 Yun Zi, Peek-a-Boo, We Miss You!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT-9ZBaql1Q
Thank you Ellie and Debbie for the last 2 Blog entries. It’s always a welcome surprise to read first hand accounts of our Panda family, a sort of behind the scenes expose
And Happy Birthday Tai Shan, my first panna boy, who changed my life forever by introducing me to these beloved animals 
#73 ANNIE PANDA My computer had shut down, earasing things like that–and when I typed it back in I misses the “i”. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Lovely peom you put in yesterday—-#54.
LUCILLA ANOTHER GREAT ONE. Was that Weeta Pawtita I saw off to the side getting some candid shots for the family album and Bearly Nights Magazine? I hope so–she is one of the very best. I hope your head is just bursting to tell us more——every time I read one I wish there were 10 more to read right away.
Our family is considering a trip to the Zoo for the Panda birthdays in August. Have any details been planned yet, specifically the date?
Moderator’s note: We’re still in the planning stages for celebrating panda birthdays the first week of August.
Tai Shan’s birthday celebration video! Happy Birthday, Tai!
panda (dot) china (dot) com (dot) cn/2010-07/09/content_20462805.htm
Hi! I am here in Washington, DC. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian enjoyed today and were both inside and outside… with fruities, feeder-treat enrichment items, bamboo and a few naps… makes for a good panda day!
Joy
PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TAI SHAN!
Joy
Hi, you all! First chance to get on the computer and check pandacams today at 6:30pm EDT. Been busy doing things around the house today.
He is now a BIG 5 years old today (July 9)!
Anna Panda, loved your panda birthday list, but you left off 2 more USA pandas at Memphis Zoo! Le Le’s birthday is on July 18; Ya Ya’s birthday is on August 3. And, we all know that Gao Gao doesn’t have a real bday date because no one really knows when he was born in the wild, so the SDZ keepers just pick a special day out of the year to celebrate his bday. And—-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TAI SHAN!!!!!!
NZ’s 2 pandas were indoors when I checked the pandacams on their panda page today. One of the pandas, could have been Mei Xiang, was on CNN news this morning licking her favorite summertime treat—the fruitcicle! It was a story of how the DC pandas try to beat the heat. Could’ve been Tian Tian; can’t really tell them apart. At least DC will be out of this horrible heat wave today! The temperature went down into the 80s today, and they have a cold front with some rain coming thru today. Then, it will be a nice cool down to the pandas’ liking!
Was just on the SDZ pandacam, but no panda around. It was on ZZ’s yard at the time I checked in on the cam. Also kept missing Bai and Yuni the last couple of days. I guess I’m hitting the cam at the wrong time of day or nite! Will keep trying, tho!
Anna Panda, your little poem on #54 was very cute!
Can’t wait for the birthday parties for the pandas, expecially Yuni’s first birthday! Can’t believe he will be ONE YEAR OLD on August 5! He has really grown up fast over this last year!
Well, gonna go and check the pandacam again. Will check back later on.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Today the SDZ is all abuzz as the limos stop outside and deposit their famous personalities. Vanity Fur’s yearly HOT issue is doing its photo shoot at SDZ!
In this issue are the Panda Girls, Thom Bruise, Bearetha Franklin, Pawger Beareda, OrPaw Bearfree, DJ Lion Prinz and more. The photog doing the cover is local alum Weeta Pawtita and her bearcon camera. Her assistant is the new upcoming photog Yunnie. Annie Bearowitz is also here as she is shooting a special section on the rock and roll royalty in the animal kingdom with Bliss the heavy metal rock penguins, Polar Paws the duo who have rejuvenated the genre, Lady Paw Paw the new queen of rock and roll.
Yunnie is running around, arranging props and helping to style the shoot. In the background, we hear the Panda Girls latest release ‘Bamboo Dreams’ which is rocking up the charts.
‘Yunnie, can we get the Beara Wang dresses, please, please, pretty please?’ asked his sister ZZ as she grabs him in a headlock! ‘ACK, heelp, sis, I will see what I can do, will try OK,’ croacked Yunnie as ZZ releases her iron grip on her brother. ‘Hee Hee, that is a good boy. If you don’t…’ starts ZZ. ‘I’ll tell Mama about the day you sneeked out to…,’ grins Su Lin. ‘Hey you girls are fierce,’ gulps Yunnie. ‘Yeah, we are fierce, sasha fierce! YAY!’ chimes in Lin Ping, ‘and can you get us an into with the Lion Prinz please? He is amazing and look at his mane, he is HOT!’
‘Errr, gotta go. Weeta needs me, byeeee,’ scoots off Yunnie.
Throughout the day, SDZ was filled with animal personalities from around the world who jetted in for their shots. ANd at the end of the day, Yunnie felt run off his feetsies. He lay in his hammock, pleased that Vanity Fur was going to use some of his photos. Also he smiled as he recalled how the centre spread was on the Panda families in USA cos they were very special pandas.
‘And how is my baby?’ asks Bai Yun who plants her snout on his soft tummy. ‘I am tired, so tired but I think I want to be a photographer, Mama!’ grins Yunnie.
‘Like Auntie Weeta? You need to work hard.’
‘I know but I get to take photos of hot chicks!’
‘Oh really?’ and Bai tips Yunnie out of his hammock.
‘NOOOO, really, Mama. I took photos of the red hot Dixie Eagle Chicks! I want a mummy milk shake now please, with extra cream….’
Thank you for the wonderful update. Gramme says: I look forward to her articles on all the new blogs.
The site Flickr.com with photographer Rita Petita is awsome. She is a very talented photographer. Also, #47 Birthdays reminded me that today was TaiShan’s Birthday. He was the first bear I followed from birth. Since then I have followed all the zoos! I’m hooked. Wish I could go on that trip to China to see TaiShan with the Washington DC zoo.
Just watching a little bit of Lin Ping… does anyone know how much Xi weighs compared to LP? They have to be really close…
LUCILLA—WE JUST HAD AN EXCITING phone call from ROLLING BEAR MAGAZINE……if the photos Weeta took are not promised, and she was freelancing, they want to buy hers, not send out their own photog, and do a feature story—perhaps cover story, of THE PANDA GIRLS. So if you get a call from ROLLING BEAR it is not Yunior playing around…..Good Luck.
WE COULD NOT GET MANY PHOTOS OF TAI ToDAY, BUT WHEN I RECHECKED the blog I found some more had been added at the end and it includes wonderful photos up close of his cake. I hope you enjoy the different ways that Tai’s new home makes their birthday snackies.
feeds (dot) feedburner (dot) com/PandasLiveOn
Repair the link by removing all spaces and (dot) and replace with a period.
#82 PANDALOVER I tried the link provided several times but cannot get it to work. I did the repairs to the link, but then when I click on the arrow on what I have to assume is the video, all I get is another copy of the page I just clicked on. I am a sport—had six of them stacked up before i gave up—-what is the trick please?
#82 Pandalover – Thank you for the link to Tai Shan’s birthday video. It was great to see how he enjoyed his day.
#65 Lucilla – Thank you for another great panda adventure story. Your writing is so animated, I always end up imagining the action like I was watching a movie!! Great stress busters!
#78 FRANCES IN NYC I thought he finally learned MULTI-TASKING. One arm over his eyes to block the sun, another waving lazily to the crowd while taking a nap in the hammock…our boy is talented huh?????
# 23 Annie panda
What a beautiful story of Bai and Gao’s family. I believe that zhen zhen will do the best in the sport game. Just think about her daily workout; she is obviously a wonderful sportspandagirl.
#85 Chari Mercier: I had a feeling I was missing some pandas birthdays! Thank you, I will write them down on my list later. Ya Ya has the same birthday as Zhennie and Le Le has hers just 4 days before Mei Xiangs. I am really excited for August too because of all of those panda birthdays!
#86 Lucilla: Another adorable story! I can just imagine Yunior being a photographer! I the part where it says “Annie Bearowitz is also here shooting a special section on the rock and roll royalty…” is Annie supposed to be me? If it is, thank you for putting me in the story! Also, I love the title for the Panda Girl’s song: Bamboo Dreams. So cute!
I was just on PandasLiveOn and I read that a female panda, Shaun Shaun, is living at the Guadalajara Zoo (temporarily) in Mexico. Shaun Shaun is 23 years old! Well, I hope Shaun has a great time there and has lots of bamboo!
To the moderator: How long to pandas usually live in captivity?
#94 Jenny: In my comment, number 23, I didn’t mention anything about Gao Gao or Bai Yun, I was just saying Welcome back to Ellie, how long I’ve been watching the panda cam and how I was out of town and didn’t comment that much. You might have gotten mixed up with another comment and thought it was from me. I’m kinda confused now…
Moderator’s note: Life span info can be found on our Giant Panda fact sheet.
Annie #95–Annie Bearowitz is the famous photographer Annie Liebowitz.
Yes, Grammmie, he is a multitalented multitasking panda cutie.
And there’s Miss ZZ, with her sweet face and her dangling foot, dreaming her Panda Princess dreams again (or her Panda Girls dreams–thank you, Lucilla).
So cute about Zhen Zhen being sooo rambunctious; I have called her “Zoomie” from the time she made what I called “crop circles” in the den, and funny to hear she has not changed. Great update, Ellie, and thanks so much for the insight on “personalities.” All the SDZ bears are just precious.
WOW YUNIOR WANTS IN ON THE PHOTOGRAPHY GAME TOO……..but he has been known to change his mind. He is so talented and interested in so many things that I see him as and CEO of a multi-tasking agency covering many things. Because he is so good at so many things he will be able to look over what is submitted and know what works and what doesn’t. As you see Lucilla and I got our stories/ideas crossed, much like others get wires crossed….but it shows we are both thinking. I see yunnies older sisters really pick on him—not like my dad..the youngest of 10 and my mom swore his older sisters spoiled him. Right now there is peace in Panda Cam Land, Bai Yun is munching on her bamboo, while baby sleeps on the stone throne. I hope everybody has a comfortable Panda Weekend.
# 26 Lucilla
I made a mistake. Your story is beautiful, I am hoping the sequel.
Bai Yun is so beautiful in this picture! And Yun Zi–such a cutie standing in his hammock! Can’t wait to see them again in March at the second annual Panda Convention.
Heard some more rumblings here on the local news that the NZ may be requested to send one or both of “our” pandas back to China at the end of their lease in December. Seems to be a possibility because they are supposed to be on loan for breeding research, and as we know, this hasn’t been very successful except for our special guy, Tai Shan–what a MIRACLE he is! It is just very difficult, for whatever reason, for Mei Xiang to become pregnant. The possibilities are that both Mei Xiang and Tian Tian may go or just Mei Xiang. I can’t imagine the NZ without pandas!
If only Mei Xiang returns, then the NZ could possibly get another mate for Tian Tian. I really hope this doesn’t happen and we keep both of them. It would be very sad to lose one or both of them. It is also a possibility that a completely new pair could be sent from China.
I did have a thought, that if they do take only Mei Xiang back, how about sending Su Lin here to the NZ instead of to China? As far as I can remember, she is no relation to Tian Tian. I know that Su Lin is related to Mei Xiang because Bai Yun is related to Mei Xiang. Does anyone know for sure of the bloodlines there? And maybe the powers that be have considered this. I’m sure if my pea-brain can come up with this, maybe someone with power in these matters has thought of it. Then Su Lin could remain a US panda and have Tian Tian’s cubbies!
Doxiemom #79: Thank you SOOOOO much for that adorable video of Bai and Yun Zi!!! I really appreciate those videos because they capture so much more than we can see on the Pandacam. It is such a treat to see our pandas up close and personal in your videos — keep up the good work!!! Kudos from an admiring fan!
There is a very very cute video of Meng Meng. She wants to catch a bird in the gardern. Want the link can work in your district.
http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/20402019-1609686411.html
Hello panda fans!!! Video alert!!! Watch the warrior princess ZZ the Wonderpanda in action!
I call this video “Zhen Zhen vs. Cardboard!!” Do not miss this fast paced view of the zoomer girl!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOyhbsuZMI&playnext_from=TL&videos=b1pJlXX8W3o&feature=sub
Enjoy!!
I don’t blog much because of time constraint but, I read all the topics posted and the bloggers’ entries since Yun Zi’s birth.
I am very much appreciative for all the educational and informative materials contributed by every one on both sides. Not to mention, the funny moments created by the story tellers, poem writers, and by the bloggers themselves. Thank you all…
But today, I am utterly disappointed after reading the Moderator’s response to #81 Heidi.
I definitely remember being the first to agree to attend YZ’s b-day party in August as suggested by a blogger. And, I thought that this B&W Overnight was meant for celebrating the pandas’ birthdays. I was indeed very heartbroken after reading this blog:
# 81 – Heidi in AZ says:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Our family is considering a trip to the Zoo for the Panda birthdays in August. Have any details been planned yet, specifically the date?
Moderator’s note: We’re still in the planning stages for celebrating panda birthdays the first week of August.
FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST!
If I had known that, I would have just waited for the March 2011 convention because my attending the B&W Overnight without a purpose (selfish as it might sound) takes me away from a commitment that I should be focusing in.
Sorry, but I just have to vent out how I feel.
Moderator’s note: The Black & White Overnight will be celebrating panda birthdays as well as doing other neat panda stuff. You’ll have a great time!
57 annie panda i’ve been watching since yun zi was a few weeks old.
‘Actors, places please, let’s take it from Act 2 Scene 4, from the top of the page,’ calls Yun Zi as he settles down in his director’s chair.
Lin Ping and Fu Long take their positions while the other actors get ready.
‘BUT HOW can you be making this decision now! You can’t just walk out and leave all this behind!’ screams Fu Long as Rick.
‘I knew you would not understand. Why was I even stupid enough to think that I could make you see reason,’ says Lin Ping as Jeannie, her face creased in anger and frustration.
Rick reaches out to her. ‘Come, sit, let’s talk about this. We…I was too hasty…We need to think what is best for us….please Jeannie, stay!’ he implores. She turns from him and looks at the ground and is silent.
‘Look, please Jeannie, for Mama’s sake, stay,’ whispers Rick.
‘Try to understand, I can’t. If I stay I will be crawling up the wall in no time, I need some freedom….’ and she turns towards him.
‘Stop!’ shouts Yunnie. ‘Ping, wait just a moment before you turn towards him. Say your line first before you do so. Try that and see how it works, K?’
And before we know it, it is opening night at the Savoy Theatre in SDZ. The latest play by acclaimed playwright/director Gao Yun Zi is making its debut. And already there is a buzz that ‘Shattered Bamboo Dreams’ is his best. It stars Lin Ping, the hottest stage sensation, and old stage hand Fu Long. Appearing as the matriach in the play is Lun Lun, the southern diva from Atlanta Playhouse.
The Panda glitteratti are arriving by special jets and stretch limos. On the red carpet, we see Bearyl Stripe, the grande dame of theatre, and Willie Shakesbear is here too. Backstage, Gao Yun Zi is calm, giving his actors a short brief and quick words of encouragement. He emerges front of house to greet the VIP guests.
‘Oh, darling, so nice to see you here tonight! Muack Muack!……Hi, Aunt Weeta, thanks for coming to take photos, I got the special box seat for ya….yes, Grammmie is here too in her elegant Bearintino gown….some of the nanny-keepers came too, hee hee……HI MAMA, PAPA…’ and Yunnie runs to hug his parents who always come for his openings. She is elegant with a red cape drapped around her shoulders and he dapper in his tux.
The rest of the Gao family are here too. ZZ and Su Lin have supplied songs for the play for together with Lin Ping, they are the famous Panda Girls, so they are surrounded by fans in the foyer.
‘HI YUNNIE!’ they rush forward and kiss their brother, ‘Break a paw!’ The house bells ring and the audience stream into the theatre. Soon the houselights dim and a solo spot picks up a despondent Jeannie on stage.
By the end of the play, there was not a dry eye in the audience. As the curtain goes down, there is silence. Then there is thunderous applause. Everyone, on their feet, cheering and calling ‘Author! Author!’ Yunnie appears sheepishly on stage. He makes a deep bow. Heindicates his actors who take their bows.
The next day in Variety and in all the newspapers including Panda Times, International Panda Tribear and later in the magazines, the talk of the town was Yun Zi’s latest triumph. And Yun Zi writes in his blog, ‘I have a lot to be thankful for, for Mama, Papa, all my family, my aunties and uncles, my nanny keepers, the Panda blog fans, Auntie Weeta……’and he falls asleep in his hammock.
Next morning, he opens one eye and sees it is no longer Broadway by his familiar surroundings. He stretches and looks for his Bear Pad but can’t find it. He looks for copies of Variety and they are not there. He smiles and knows he has had another fantastic dream. He climbs down and spots his mother resting on the throne. He climbs her back and thinks, Now do I look like a cape drapped round her shoulders or should I try to be an elegant hat? Hmmmm?’
‘Yunnie, what are you doing? asks the patient Bai.
‘Loving you, of course, Mama,’ grins Yun Zi.
RITA PETITA HAD A SPECIAL SIGHTING AT YUN ZI’S ENCLOSURE showing us just where the Big Foot Legends come from. After I took some time to really study the photos I could swear lhat he has long hair around his toes—-just like another favorite Sweet Daddy Gao Gao. If you care to take a peek just go to this link, there were only 2 new photos when I was there….perhaps there will be more when you get there. Have a lovely Panda Sunday, and the rest of the week too. Just be loyal to the Feetsies all week and we will all be happy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/
DoxieMom — another splendid video. Got tickled when I thought I saw Bai grab Yunior by the scruff of his neck and pull him to her. Oh to have the jaws of an adult panda! Also, Yunnie leaning back in the tree near the end was so cute.
Lucilla — Brava. At the appropriate time when Yunior is old enough, a published collection of his adventures would certainly be in order. Fun for us kids of all ages.
#108 Grammmie: Plushy Paws Junior in all his glory!! What a cutie…
Another great story, Lucilla, and more great pictures, Rita, and great panda cam views.
A very happy Sunday panda afternoon, everyone!
Wow, Panda Fan North, the cardboard box didn’t have a chance with our Panda Girl. Not like the bird who was teasing Meng Meng. Wonder how he’d make out with Miss ZZ?
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE STORIES, LINKS FOR VIDEOS, PHOTOS, ETC. You all have made my morning and I thank you so much. The smiles you gave me could not be better since they were all Panda oriented. Everybody take a bow….and Lucilla it is my first Bearintino gown-you have made me feel very special…….Love Grammmie
P. S. Mary in Brooklynn—many of the readers agree with you, I bet there are some in this comment section alone…I think there is encouragement in every blog that a story appears. Perhaps in time she will see the wisdom of your words.
Thank you for everybodie’s contribution to the blog and comments.
#107 Lucilla- Yet another wonderful story! I love the title “Shattered Bamboo Dreams” and how all of his family and friends are there and Grammmie too
As Mary in Brooklyn said, Brava!
I was watching the panda cam about 10 minutes ago and Yun Zi was rolling around, being all silly and Momma Bear was lost in her bamboo, munching away. Also, about half an hour ago, Su Lin was eating bamboo and the sun was shining perfectly on her, it was too cute! Anyway, there are 2 adorable photos of Yunior on Flickr and he’s playing with his little feetsie weetsies! One of the pictures is called “Big Foot Sighting” or something like that…..
Pandafan North – Great video of Zhennie. All she needs is a piece of cardboard for entertainment and Yunnie has his furry feet..I hope Zhennie never grows out of it..
Jenny: Thanks for the video of Meng Meng. That bird was torturing her on purpose!!! Bad bird!! She is a pretty panda.. what zoo does she live at?
Lucilla: I have no idea where you come up with your story ideas but I’m glad you do.
Jenny #103–that was a great video. Meng Meng looks very playful like Zhen Zhen, and the birdie was a great enrichment for her.
DoxiMom because you asked
And as a Thank You to You for putting up the video of Bai and Yun Zi on July 8th so that I could see what I missed while filming at the Wild Animal Park 
Here’s what I got to see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMm4VCCzv9s
After all….Three Baby Elephants and the experience of Elephant Rush is right up there with the joy of seeing The Pandas
Moderator, I hope you will allow me some leeway here 
I do think the Panda Fans will enjoy 
Moderator’s note: Here’s a blog post explaining the new Elephant Rush at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.
Hey!panda fan! Lin Ping panda cub in Thailand predicted Spain will beat The Natherland, see Lin Ping clip in Englist at ch7 (dot) com/news/news_thailand_detail.aspx?c=2&p=376&d=93308
# 105 – Moderator’s note: The Black & White Overnight will be celebrating panda birthdays as well as doing other neat panda stuff. You’ll have a great time!
Whew… what a relief… Thank you, Moderator.
Way to go, SDZ!
#101 – Laurie in Baltimore. Love your idea. I wonder if a petition to China to let us keep Su Lin in NZ would do it?
Saw a video of DM in facebook showing Yun Zi in front of a gate. Could he be calling out to his big sis, Su? Smart boy…
i was reading the article on the pandas in mexico, which stated that the pandas and subsequent cubs are the property of mexico. so how is it that the pandas and cubs born here belong to china?
103 jenny what a darling video all should check that one out.
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS TIME. I GOT ON TO LIN PING’S NICE PANDA CAM EARLY THIS a. m. only to find her reviewing her foot area….Master Gao Yun Zi is not the only “Big Foot” on display in a zoo. Princes Lin Ping has her own set of Big Feetsies that go “Boom, Baboom, Baboom as she walks. Than may be why they keep carrying her around….so as not to have un-needed noise in their zoo—and who can blame them??? It seems the Feetsie thing is going from zoo to zoo….can somebody check on the X-Man tomorrow at Zoo Atlanta to see if this is true for him too??? It may be harder for him, being a few months older than the two younger cubs, but it just might give us some important information about their Wonderful Feetsies. Please let us know what you find out as you check live, and/or photos you have gotten online or in person.
The night viewing cam is out (not switched over from the day-cam) so we cannot get a good look at our Yun Zi and Bai Yun until the sun is up tomorrow…..but I will not be trying to stay up all night in case something fun happens. I hope everybody and all of the bears have a good week, Happy Feetsies to all.
Grammmie: All the better to do the “Stevie” with!!! Did you also notice how CLEAN her feetsie’s are? What I thought was a white stripe on the bottom of her feetsies, was just part of the pad!!! Yunior’s aren’t quite that clean….
#118 Nusa: Lin Ping is a very smart Panda… I wish she could have warned me that LeBron was leaving the Cavs….
Good morning, all!
Another wonderful story. Thank you Lucilla! Thank you all so much for the videos and comments. What a way to start a Monday morning.
And thank you Lee and Moderator for adding even more excitement for the B&W Overnight! Can’t wait!!
Laurie in Baltimore – please be sure to keep us posted if there is anything it appears the Pandaholics can do. What a great idea!!!
#120 – Doreen in Richmond, VA – I believe the pandas in Mexico were a “gift” from China to Mexico. This was before the current “panda loan” model was in place. The other panda who is owned by the receiving country is Bao Bao in Berlin. His partner died a few years ago. The U.S. also received a gift of pandas during the Richard Nixon presidency. Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling were housed in the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The U.S. pair had five cubs; unfortunately, they all died from bacterial infections. In those days, very little was known about the Giant Panda and research efforts were not as extensive as they are now. Needless to say, this was very heartbreaking for the zoo staff. Ling Ling eventually died of old age. Hsing Hsing lived another 13 years after that. He also died at the National Zoo.
Panda Team responds: Yes, the parents of those Mexico City cubs were gifts, not loans, to Mexico. If the National Zoo’s Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling’s offspring had survived, they would have belonged to the National Zoo. At this point, any breeding done with the Mexico females would need to have the assistance of a male, and no breeding males exist that are not owned by China.
#117 Bobbie Wood — Thank you for posting The Elephant Rush video — so enjoyable. I have seen it live several times and it is always wonderful. The elephant keepers’ recent blogs have been so descriptive of The Rush and the pool parties.
For all you Gao Gao fans, Auntie Weeta has some new pix posted, featuring Gao Gao up in a tree! And some glamor shots of Miss ZZ too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/
#104 pandafan-north — Zhen Zhen never fails to entertain. This is one that will have anyone laughing out loud. Thank you for the alert.
#119 Lee from San Francisco
#124 Diana S.
I’m betting the Panda Team at SDZ may have seen or been alerted to my post and/or already be in on any possible negotiations to keep Su Lin in the US at the NZ…
Since both the NZ and SDZ are affiliated with Wolong/Bifengxia, it could work if China requests only Mei Xiang be returned.
We shall see what happens…SDZ knows what the Pandaholics can do if they need us to put our minds to it and help in any way.
Lucilla, every time I read your wonderful stories I’m transported into Pandaland and enjoying every moment with the characters.
Bobbie Wood, how lovely to see an even longer video of the Elephant Rush. A lovely complement to the SDZ video. Love those babies.
Panda-fan North, well what can you say about our adorable ZZ and a piece of cardboard? She’s a star, as always!
Well–if Pandas Live On is correct with their family trees, it is actually Tian Tian that shares the same father as Bai Yun (Pan Pan). Therefore, my “scheme” for Su Lin will not work as she is actually related to Tian Tian.
Frances from NY: Take a look at the first pic of fluffy feet Gao and the 1st pic of Zoomin’ Zhennie… Don’t you think ZZ takes after her Dad?
Thanks to everyone who posted links! The new Rita pictures are great, as always. You guys had me cracking up with your “feetsie” comments. All pandas have cute feesties. Thanks to PandafanNorth for posting the link to the new Zhennie video. That YouTube user is becoming my fave since he has all these great Zhennie videos. She is such a ball of fun!
I am taking a trip to a Wildlife Refuge this weekend. There are no pandas of course, but there are foxes, deer, over 200 speciesi of birds, etc. I will be at one with nature and its babies.
#120 doreen in richmond va and #125 pandafan-north
Actually, Xin Xin is the granddaughter of Pe Pe & Ying Ying, who were a goodwill gift from China. They arrived in Mexico in 1975. Her mother is Tohui (daughter of Pe Pe & Ying Ying) and her father is Chia Chia. Chia Chia was on loan from the London Zoo; he was also a goodwill gift from China and had arrived in London in 1974 with his partner Ching Ching. Ching Ching was hill and eventually died in 1985. Chia Chia was also loaned to the National Zoo in 1981 to mate with Ling Ling, but it was unsuccessful, they fought.
Chia Chia arrived in Mexico in 1988 and died in 1991 at the Chapultepec Zoo.
Bao Bao and Tjen Tjen were a goodwill gift from China to Germany; they arrived at the Berlin Zoo in 1980. Tjen Tjen, the female, died in 1984. Another female panda, Yan Yan, arrived in 1995 on loan from China, she died in 2007. No cubs were ever born in Berlin. Bao Bao was born in the wild, it is estimated that he was born in 1978. Bao Bao is the oldest male panda in captivity.
#131 Laurie in Baltimore – that’s correct, Tian Tian shares the same father as Bai Yun (Pan Pan). Mei Xiang shares the same father as Lun Lun (Lin Nan).
#125 Pandafan-north Thanks for the info on the first pandas at the National Zoo. I was wondering why their babies didn’t survive. I hope that our DC panda pair stays on beyond December 2010- I would like to think we could see beyond contracts with the older family members… A stress that I am not sure serves a long term purpose.
Dianna #132–she totally does!
#134 & #135 Danielle, NY – thank you for filling in the holes in our information about the Mexico and Germany pandas.
Re your comment to #131 Laurie in Baltimore about Tien Tien being related to Bai Yun and consequently related to Su Lin. Would it work, from the genetics perspective, if Su Lin went to Atlanta and Lun Lun went to NZ? I know, I know, it won’t happen because they come from different breeding stations in China. Darn it, anyway. I feel sorry for Mei Xiang, though. She was such a great mother to Tai. And feisty when she didn’t want anything to do with Tien. There are some great videos of her on youTube.
Grammmie == you asked the question and I finally have the answer regarding the celebration of the cubs’ birthdays in BFX. They do not do anything special for the individual cubs, which actually makes since since there was a whole herd of them last year. I think – don’t hold me to this – they have a group celebration for all of the cubs at some point. Last year they did celebrate An An and Ping Ping, but that’s because they were the first cubs born after the 2008 earthquake that really shook up the whole organization.
My contact is still waiting for an answer as to whether Mei Sheng bred this spring. Can’t imagine that he would miss his moments of sheer enjoyment. Will pass along the info when I hear.
I was just on PandasLiveOn and was reading about Ba Si (who’s 30th birthday is today) and several other pandas at the Fuzhou Panda Center in China. Ba Si was born in the wild and was found unconcious in a river by a woman who wrapped Ba Si in her jacket and notified the state authoritites immediately. At the Panda Center, there is An An, who is known for her large ears and cheekbones, Fu Fu who loves climbing and cooling in it’s pool, Lin Yang who is constantly on the lookout for the keepers, Yiao Qing who is Yang Yang’s (Zoo Atlanta) half blood sister and Long Fei who was brought from Wolong after the May 12 earthquake along with Fu Fu, Lin Yang and #7. #7 was born in the wild after the earthquake and had to have his right paw removed, one of his eyes is blind and the other eye needs cataract surgery. Those pandas are all beautiful and wonderful and I find Ba Si and #7′s stories very touching. Happy Birthday Ba Si!!
It would be so wonderful if we could keep all our US pandas, but alas it doesn’t seem like a workable plan, Laurie. We shall all just have to work extra hard and save our pennies and go to China to see them. There will be a whole contingent by the time we do this! I keep hoping that a less expensive travel plan will come into being by then too; Southwest won’t give me a free flight to Bifenxia I’m sure!!
#138 – pandafan-north – Actually it would make very good genetic sense to swap a few pandas from one breeding center to the other in order to have a more diverse genetic pool. Besides the genetic connections that we know about, there are also the previous genetic connections which happen in the wild that we don’t know about. If you look at the areas were the wild pandas were captured, many pandas are coming from the same areas and we don’t know about their family connections.
Don’t forget that Lun Lun is not an easy one either, she never mated naturally with Yang Yang, she scared him off and since he is not a fighter, he doesn’t insist…
I think it was about one year ago that Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were given access to each other to mate and I believe Tian Tian got frustrated because it didn’t work out and he started insisting more forcedly, it was not pretty to see and I was very concerned for Mei Xiang as Tian Tian is much bigger and stronger than she is.
It is actually an advantage to have those two big centers in China as they can try to mate pandas that have affinities for one another; they are not limited to only one possibility as it is the case in the Zoos. In that sense, SDZ and the Zoo in Vienna are very lucky as the males and females like to mate with their partners. In Vienna they actually like to spend time together as well.
# 117 BOBBIE WOOD Again Bobbie, the best music for the video…I love Fiddler anyway…you just made it one better.
#123 DIANNA – OHIO You are right—-gives a better base for dancing. That may be why Princess Lin Ping and Prince Fluffy-Butt love dancing together so much whenever dancing comes up in a Lucilla Story. Of course her feetsies are clean—they give her baths a lot….and Yunior doesn’t even like to get his feet wet when he surfs. Her Manny Nanny Keepers give her a bath every day, unless it is two every day.
#127 FRANCES IN NEW YORK Thank you for getting the “WEETA” word and link out.
#133 MARIE This must be an interesting camp. Take a stuffed Panda with you and your soul will be complete. You are right about all the cute feetsies, big and little ones….nobody can beat a Panda feetsie. We do take Feetsies very seriously around here.
# 139 MARY IN BROOKLYN Well by now you might have seen the lovely “cake” made for Tai Shan’s 5th Birthday. If not check out the link http://feeds (dot) feedburner (dot) com/PandasLiveOn look for the first and third story for full coverage. Be sure to remove spaces and (dot) and replace with a period. I love the term “herd” of cubs….you are right about that. I would ove to see a “herd” celebration. I think they hold celebrations for some of our Pandas that were born here for us—–not the pandas.
Meng Meng is at Beijing zoo. She and Zhen Zhen are both playful panda girls, but a huge difference between them is that Meng Meng is a very big (or fat) girl now while Zhen Zhen is a little bit small. Meng Meng had fallen from trees for several times, but now she can handle of such problems, chosing a steady tree and then sleeping there without anybody laughing her fatness. By the way, Meng Meng is a beauty and a famous star among the chinese panda fans.
Zhen Zhen is good at using her eye power to scare other creatrures in her yard, one day she stared focusly at a squirrel, and scared it away (rita described the story below zhen’s cut pics.).
Have everybody watched the “panda escape” video (not Taishan’s one)? I just find the smart baby succeeding in getting out is An An (安安), and finally he was captured when almost getting out the kindergarten door. From then on, all keepernannies keep an eye on him. What a boy.
BEETWEEN 7 AND 9 IS GOOD FOR ACTION TONIGHT. There was not a case of “Assault and Battery”….it was “Summersalt and Battering”—the stuff they do with paws to faces when they are trying to get a play session going. About half way through he wanted to retreat to his hammock—so she climbed quickly up the other side of the stone throne to block him, and made him work to get there. Since he wouldn’t come down right away she came back and put her head in the hammock about 10 mins later…and he has been batting at her but not coming down. I saw a flash go off, must be music to the tourists ears at night zoo. At one point he stretched out—-making his head and feetsies hang off either end, and when momma came to play some more he was almost off on the other side. But now it is about 7:50 and momma has given up, and he has curledl up for his nap…..maybe there will be action later, and if the night cam switches we might see it too.
PandasLiveOn has put up short video clips on Tai Shan’s fifth birthday party. He is growing into quite a studly bear. Enjoy.
‘Wake Up, Baby Brother!’ nudged ZZ as she tries to wake up her sleepy eyed brother Yun Zi.
‘What’s up?’ he opens one eye.
‘Mama and Papa have a mission for us and we need your help too! Come on, Su Lin is joining us in Papa’s enclosure.’ The urgency in ZZ’s voice makes Yunnie sit up and jump out of his hammock. He trots after his sister who is way faster.
‘Hello, Papa, Mama!’ greets the ever polite cubby. ‘Good boy, he is a chip off the old block, eh?’ grunts Gao Gao in delight.
‘Listen us, we have been given a special mission. We have received word from the Panda News Grapevine that some very bad men are sneaking into SDZ and kidnapping Yun Zi for animal experimentation.’
‘Yikes, me? Hmmm, I’ll bite them, I’ll scratch them, I’ll kick them….’Yun Ni is outraged.
‘Yes, but you are still young and small. It is easy to for two grown hoomans to grab you,’ explains Bai patiently. However, for anyone who knows her, they will see anger in her eyes. ‘Why these hoomans want a young cubby for experiementing on? I don’t know but it cannot be good. And Yun Ni may end up crippled or hurt or worse cut up into….’ Bai’s voice was now almost husky with pain.
‘So Mama, we have to protect baby brother, how?’ asked Su Lin, hugging Yunnie as she loves her brother dearly.
‘Maybe we can swop enclosures to confuse the hoomans? It would be funny of they came and met Papa and Mama instead of Yun Ni,’ suggests ZZ.
‘I have consulted most of the animals in SDZ and they are all going to help us protect Yun Ni. The polar bears offered to throw ice chunks at the bad people. The elephants have volunteered to sound the alarm and wake up the whole zoo….I am happy to know we have many friends,’ sighs Mama Bai.
‘It is only muni minded people who want to do these things! Grrrr,’ Papa Gao was getting indignant.
‘What is muni, Papa?’ Yunnie asks.
‘It is something that hoomans need to get what they want. They need lots of it to be happy or so they think,’ replies Gao Gao.
‘They should be happy like us pannas,’ exclaims Yun Ni. ‘Don’t worry Mama and Papa, I will be all right!’ and he hugs both of them tightly.
‘Come, let us sit and do some planning,’ suggests Gao Gao as he brings out a board which has several scenarios written on it.
And the Pandas talked into the wee hours of the morning, planning how to save Yun Ni from the clutches of bad animal experimentalists.
TO BE CONTINUED
Good news for Hope fans! Hope and Lily have reunited! And Lily is producing milk for Hope . Maybe it will work this time.
Oh my gosh!! Lily and Hope are reunited AGAIN!! You have to read this!! There is a video too that will make you tear up…. I’m so glad Yunnie won’t ever have to experience what Hope has gone through…
bear(dot)org/website/lily-a-hope/live-den-cam(dot)html
Lun Lun aka Mommie Monster aka Anti-Canoodler Monster….
)
(Don’t get me wrong.. I like Lun Lun… she was fun to watch with Xi and Lani
Panda annie#140 BaSi also was one of the very first pandas to live at SDZ she was on the 200 day visit. Happy birthday BaSi. she has been very well taken care of by the staff. Speaking of staff here’s to all the keepers who take care of all our animals’
MORE NEW TAI SHAN PHOTOS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS LINK http://feeds (dot) feedburner (dot) com/PandasLiveOn To repair the link remove spaces and (dot) and replace with a period. Also some good news from Hope and Lilly, called REUNITED…..see for yourselves,
http://www (dot) bear (dot) org/website/lily-a-hope/live-den-cam/544-reunited (dot) html
fix link the same way.
Hi Panda Gang,
Ellie, welcome back! We’re all glad your back in the panda game! Sounds like the B & W function at SDZ will be a lot of fun. I hope to come next year as I will be celebrating the big 50 birthday! I enjoy reading all of the blogs from everybody; I’m not always able to type a response due to work constraints. I can’t wait to retire, then I can volunteer many hours at the SDZ in the Panda Research Station, and blog all I want!
Lucille – Love your stories! Keep them comin’! They should make an animated movie of your characters, like The Chipmunks? That would be so awesome!
Have a good Panda Day everbody!
Many of you seem to have a fascination with paws size. Please go and check the picture of Hope from Saturday’s posting and let us know what you think of her feetsies…
http://www(dot)bear(dot)org/website/lily-a-hope/live-den-cam/541-a-visit-from-grandma-.html
I have been searching, without success so far, for a video of Chiang Chiang eating while sitting in his chair. I saw him, Lin Ping’s daddy, doing that live a few days ago and he has really furry hind paws, I don’t think having ever seen so much hair at the sole of panda’s paws…
For the LP fans, this is a cute video. Most notably the beginning when she gets some new enrichment items, her famous panda dance around the column and starting at 7:55 when momma decides that LP is too big to share her seat (and probably her boo!) and pushes her off. Of course, LP comes right back, only to be shoved off again. Kids never learn. LOL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDjWng3stnE
Very charming video/pictures of Tai’s 5th b-day. Scrolling down to the bottom, Tai and the 13th month “pool party- solo version” clip is something “really cool” to watch on a day like today. He was a very, very animated tyke and wooed the crowds each year we visited. Tai, your surroundings in China are gorgeous! All my tears in February have turned to twinkling smiles as you roam out and about. You have been dubbed, “the wise one” there. The NZ did a splendid job getting you ready to interact and respond in such a “professional” manner.
Enjoy all your native land has to offer!!
ZZ is having some fun in the tree tops thought she was doing a hand stand.
It is about 10:30ish in the morning, SDZ time, and the Zoomer is at it again. When the cam came on, ZZ was way up on a tree branch, bouncing away. DoxieMom, I hope you’re able to capture all this energy busting activity from the classroom! She is a dare-angel, I tell you (don’t like the word daredevil). Gives all her fans hypertension in the meantime.
#143 Grammmie: It’s not a camp. I’m a little too old (32) for camp. LOL. It’s just a nature reserve. You get there by ferry and there are trails to walk and bike. I don’t own any stuffed pandas.
I should buy one. One is never too old for stuffies! 
Su Lin is looking so peaceful, asleep in the sunshine.
Lucillaa #148–please continue and let us know how we can help guard Yun NI against the bad hoomans.
Danielle #155–Hope has some pretty big feetsies too. And do you think Chiang Chiang and Gao Gao might be related since they have those extra-furry feet (or plushy paws)?
Watch out, Marie #160–one panda stuffy is never enough!
Danielle: I have seen Chuang sitting in that chair eating his boo! The chair has a special boo holder and he gets all comfy and selects which one he wants to chomp on… It’s like he’s at the beach/resort… I would not be surprised to see a Cabana Panda coming out with a Boo Daiquiri for him…
The camera hasn’t zoomed up close on him so I haven’t gotten a good look at his fuzzy feetsies…
Welcome back, Ellie.
Marie #160–watch out! One panda stuffy is never enough…
Danielle #155–Hope has some pretty hefty feetsies too.
Do you think Chiang Chiang and Gao Gao might be related since they have similarly plushy paws?
Lucilla #148–I volunteer to help the pandas protect Yun Ni from the bad guys.
Danielle–do you suppose Chiang Chiang and Gao Gao might be related, due to the mutual plushiness of their paws?
Oh Marie, once you buy one panda stuffy, the rest just tend to appear! One is NEVER, EVER too old for panda stuffies!
Yes, indeed, Hope’s feetsies fit right in with the rest!!
Our little man is napping now – he needs to rest up for tonight!
pandafan-north #159, I did indeed capture the energy of Zhen Zhen as she gave one of her tree top performances today. And I “stole” the name “dare-angel” for the title, too, lol
She was up there for 16 minutes, so I sped the recording up to double speed so I could include all her antics as she hung upside down and bounced on the limbs and platform! I added some easy listening music to help calm the nerves, lol!!
2010-07-13 Zhen Zhen: Our Dare~Angel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryGnd31JExw
Welcome back Ellie…:) I always knew my girl ZZ was “special”♥♥♥ OMG…and my little man, YunZi, I could not get enough of him when I was in San Diego a few months back….I love all the pandas♥♥♥ TY for the update…:)
#166 and 167 Frances in NYC – I am not an expert on the geography of China, and I hope I got the correct sites where the pandas were captured, so I will try my best. Chuang Chuang mother’s, Bai Xue, was captured in Taibai, that’s North East of Chengdu but quite far. His father, Xin Xing, was captured in Baoxing, that’s South West of Chengdu but not too far from Chengdu. Gao Gao was also captured in Boaxing. So Chuang Chuang and Gao Gao could very well be related.
Well done everybody. I, too, like the term “dare angel”, and am greatful that DoxieMom got the footage (I was sleeping). Thanks to everybody sharing all of the video, photos, article lilnks, etc.
If we rally the troops Yun Zi will be safe, but I think a crowd of 40 or 50 volunteers each night in the panda area of the zoo might require that we have a keeper or two to watch us too. You do not think that the surfing buddy volunteer was behind all this and we let them go because we know how beach overnights and parties can go around here with surfers????? Food for thought.
To All: Do not miss DoxiMom’s latest video of Zhen Zhen! (see #169) Fantastic! The visitors today got to see Panda Ballet
Who wants to count the upside down hand-stands?
Or.. just pet it when passing by 
The Shop Zoo store has the neatest floppy panda bear…Have fun Shopping 
Marie # 160: I am over double your age and I cannot imagine not having a panda to hug
Lucilla # 148: Yikes! You are leaving us breathless with the latest YunZi Adventure!!! Hurrry! We need the next chapter!!
Pssstttt… hey Pandaholics… the Polaraholics talk about feetsies too!!!!
#169 DoxieMom – thank you for catching ZZ’s wonderful tree ballet presentation!! The music was a perfect fit. She’s truly a panda wonder!
wow, Zhen Zhen is amazing and lets hope a branch doesn’t break while she hangs out.
I wanted to add what I read in the paper about the elephants. When last week’s earthquake hit, they were romping in the pool. Suddenly they all ran to the highest hill and made a circle around the babies. Parents all flapping their ears out and in protection mode until danger passed.
I hope someone has caught it on video and will post that amazing video.
Lucilla, I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out who the bad hoomans are that want to attack Yun Ni. Those p’s and n’s are very sharp and uncomfortable, so please hurry! LOL. Lovely start to another in the Adventures of Yun Zi, boy panda.
Doxie, you sure caught the essence of ZZ. She really zooms and zips around like a pro.
Grammmie, I know BFX has made at least one ice cake for Mei Sheng since he has been there. The pictures I saw showed him enjoying his treat a whole bunch. Hua Mei, on the other hand, celebrates her birthdays mommy style with cub(s). I don’t remember ever seeing an ice cake for her on her birthday. Hope BFX makes Fu Long an ice cake as well, especially since it will be his first birthday away from his mom.
RITA PETITA HAS BEEN A BUSY PHOTOG…..NEW EXCITING PHOTOS OF BAI YUN AND Zhen Zhen were added last night—-and depending on this morning’s schedule perhaps more added too. The last photo down as of 11 p. m. was Yu Zi awaiting his manicure and pedicure. Here is the link to enjoy them all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritapetita/
#169 DoxieMom What a precious acrobatic presentation for ZZ! She scored “high” points for all the “positions” necessary to achieve a commanding total score of 20/10! The only item missing- thank goodness, was the optional swan dive free fall to a lower branch. I was holding my breath on that one. The music score ZZ “selected” was as beautiful as she is.
Thank-you for your video views!
Operation Save the Baby Part 2
OUCH! That hurt! Faces of strange hoomans wearing masks poking him with sharpies and taking blood from him kept floating in front of him. And some of them made him eat and swallow yucky medicinal drinks that made him throw up.
‘I want my MAMA! Help, PAPA, where are you?’ sobbed Yunnie.
‘Wake up, baby, you are safe! at least for now,’ reassured Bai Yun, ‘ See Jie Jie Zhennie is sitting at the top of the tree as sentinel and she wont rest till morning. Meanwhile Su Lin Jie Jie is booby trapping the area under Papa’s instructions – all our uneaten boo and discarded shafts are coming into use. Hee Hee!’
‘Mama, why do the hoomans want to expewiment on me?’ asked a distraught Yunnie.
‘Oh those hoomans want to make muni. They think muni is the most important thing in the world. They think by capturing a young panda like you they can find the fountain of youth. They will take your blood, your brains, your bile, every part of you to see if they can stay young. Sigh,’ replies Bai as she cuddles her little one.
“Mama, they are stooopid, dont they know love is the most important thing. Especially love in a famwery with Mama and Papa!’ cries Yunnie.
‘Well, maybe some of them did not have a nice Mama and Papa?? Or they have been tricked by the world to focus on muni?’ answers Bai wisely.
“Mama, when I grow up, I want to be a Panda Ambassador to spwerd love and tell hoomans it is important to love all animals and to help us gwow in numbers. Many aunties and uncles are kind and love us here!”
‘Yes, they do…the nanny keepers and the visitors and the special aunties like Doxiemom, Grammmie and Auntie Rita and those far away who love us through the blogs…YUnnie, the world is full of good people and animals but once in a while there will be some bad ones just as there are some bad pandas who will want to fight…Papa was once in a bad fight and he got badly hurt. I am so grateful he managed to get some good hoomans to heal him…’ Bai manages to smile a little at this recollection.
‘I think, for the rest of the night, you sleep next to Mama, OK?’ asks Bai Yun.
‘When are the bad people coming?’ I dont want them to hurt you, Mama. Let them take me, please. Dont get hurt for me!’ begs Yun Ni.
‘Son, the biggest love I can ever show you is to protect you with all my strength. As a Mama, this is what I must do. We dont know when the bad people are coming but we think it is tomorrow night. Rest well, little one, we still have one more day to plan. We have the advantage of surpriase as the bad hoomans don’t know we know what they are up to,’ says Bai as she pulls her cubby close to her and settles down for the rest of the night.
‘Night, baby, Night, Mama,’ whispers Zhen Zhen perched on top of her tree, ever vigilant, her face set and firm, angry at the thought that someone wanted to hurt her brother.
‘Night, Jie Jie, love you….’Yunnie’s voice drops to a whisper as he falls asleep, comforted by Bai’s presence.
TO BE CONTINUED
Hi, I was rummaging through an old magazine pile and found a March 1986 issue of National Geographic that has a cover story on pandas called ‘Secrets of the Great Panda.’ I got mine for about 50 cents. Just thought I would share in case anyone wants to collect Panda stuff.
Thanks as always DM! I must be the only one who isn’t nervous when she’s doing her daring feats. She’s fearless and never seems to have a problem up there, which makes me relaxed when I watch her. I can never say enough how much I enjoy this panda girl.
#169 DoxieMom — Thank you so much for capturing some of Zhen Zhen’s high wire gymnastics. I was fortunate enough to see it LIVE — and what a show it was! It actually lasted most of an hour. Her performance was accompanied by Asian music coming from the zoo shop on the other side of the wall which seemed to inspire her to perform ever more daring feats. It was truly remarkable as she moved to and from parallel branches at great heights. The visitors would gasp, “I can’t watch”, as her moves became increasingly daring. I have never seen anything like it and all with such ease although she did put extra drama in it from time. She seemed to enjoy the oohs, aahs and gasps emanating from her audience- a marvelous treat.
Today’s update on the pandas in the Atlanta Zoo is quite funny, you must feel sorry for the keepers trying to understand the pandas, the pandas really keep us on our toes… It also gives the pandas’ current weights; I have added their weights in pounds.
Lun Lun: 107.7 kg (237 lb), Yang Yang: 130.5 kg (287 lb) and Xi Lan: 46.5 kg (102 lb)
For comparison, the last time I saw Lin Ping on the scale, on July 8, the reading was 42.5 kg (93.5 lb) and she is 9 months younger than Xi Lan!!!
As I was still looking for a video of Lin Ping’s daddy, Chuang Chuang, sitting on his chair while eating his bamboo, last night I saw a lot of videos of Lin Ping and her mommy Lin Hui. Lin Ping reminds me a lot of Tai Shan in the way she interacts with her mommy, never giving up in her relentless play/attacks. She follows her everywhere and always ends up on top of her mommy somehow… Those panda mommies have so much patience with their cubs, it amazing…
Yeah! Yun Zi is a lefty! Nibbling away on bamboo-holding the “to be eaten branch” way out with his right paw- taking it in with the “special” one. So terribly cute- Yunny-Boo- leaning, sandwiched between the upside down fork of a fallen branch- probably concocting some sinister evening plans- now nestled between those two exquisite signature ears. Oh, and if Bai thinks this is all sooo you- who else have you fooled?
Oops! Now Yun’s a righty- using mommy as the comfy back cushion of choice while having a Boo- a la Boo dessert. One lovable moment to TOTALLY enjoy!
Talk about stuffed pandas – everytime someone sees a stuffy, I end up with it – I have a real family now – no place to sit – I have a huge one the size of Yun Zi and a whole lot of small ones.
Shirley
Zhennie’s at it again… I caught just a minute before the cam was switched over to SuLin who was sleeping.
I wonder.. do the keepers, as they are going about their business, catch a glimpse of Zhennie or Yunior doing something and they stop and take a break to watch?
Thanks DoxieMom.. I never seem to catch these things live.
Thanks Danielle… I was hoping someone would do the conversion of the weights for me… I was wondering about LP’s current weight… If she doesn’t stop growing that girl will scare off all potential male Panda suitors!!! She looks as big as Xi….
Marie: Loved the video of Lin Hui pushing LP off the platform… LP is like Xi… she keeps coming back for more…
What a Zhen Zhen – perpetual motion. What do you add to the bamboo to make a such a crazy little panda. She is so cute. It is very hard to keep up to her – up the trees down the trees – run around her area. Zhennie is a real handful. She is a very healthy and happy panda.
I love you Zhennie!
Moderator: Forgive me, this isn’t about Bears but this is too cute not to share…
You all have to watch the “Elephant Calf Needs A Name” video. He is so cute!! That trunk!! It’s like it has a life of it’s own…
Panda question: Has Zhennie ever misjudged her branch and fallen out of the tree?
Moderator’s note: Here’s the elephant video link…
#180 Lucilla – oh, you nearly made me cry with that last episode – so sweet and so loving. Thank you!! By the way, I am compiling all your stories into one document. I figured that a bunch of us at the Black and White Overnight might discuss ideas for how to benefit the outside world with your stories. It’s all just a “lightbulb above my head” right now, but keep them coming. They are beautiful. And you know, I was thinking that for someone like you to be able to write about such basic life values as love and sweetness, courage and caring for each other, you have to embody them as well. It would be so great to meet you sometime! You sure you can’t just hop on a plane and join us for the sleepover?? Or maybe next March at the convention?
To Diana # 190: Oh My Goodness! I agree with you
Cute!! 
#183 CAROLE IN SAN DIEGO We thought all she did was sing and acrobatics-now you tell us when she hears oriental music she dances too????
#188 DIANNA – OHIO Not to worry…those big girls and smaller males seem to get along just fine—-like Bai Yun and Gao Gao She out weighs him generally by about 60 pounds, and they think she is a year older than him (he is wild born and has no date for refference as you know), perhaps the girls feel more comfortable with a smaller male—-less threatened. I know that does’t work with us so much, but they don’t let us be Pandas either.
#191 PANDAFAN-NORTH Just think how many ideas that can be had from only one story. At one point the Bamboo Diamond was introduced…I wanted to know if it was the color, the cut, the shape, an interior inclusion, or where it was found that got it it’s name, why it was beloved/revered by all of the Pandas, becoming their symbol…etc. The Diamond then got into another story—-but another element got added and a whole new adventure started from it. What we need is “Lloyd’s of Londons” to insure Lucilla’s brain……we would not want to ever be deprived of the spin she can make out of just a little suggestion. Once you start brainstorming in a group please drink—-it is the only way you will get to sleep, my mind spins all by itself, I can only imagine this kind of thing in a group? Yes, I say drinking should be mandatory. I can imagine where your minds will go, and wish I was going to be there to see the group results……but I don’t drink because of a particular medication, and have a spinning mind anyway….I could keep the camp up all night unless a keeper decided I needed to be darted with a tranquillizer lest I run amock.
#177 MARY IN BROOKLYN What better way for a Panda Mom to celebrate her Birthday than with her Babies. Can you imagine how upset the DC folks and east coasters might have been if his passage into adulthood were not celebrated??? Apparently Tai is a Rock Star everywhere he goes, and has the hearts of China too, and then he has his Lifetime Sponsors too. I wonder if when he breeds if his feet will be allowed to touch the ground?
Dear pandafan-north,
You are toooo tooo kind. I think there is enough ugliness in this world and it is nice that something as innocent as the pandas can be a means of unity amongst us is some thing to be celebrated.
Unfortunately work commitments do not allow me to attend the B&W Overnight and I am green with envy. I will save my pennies for next year’s convention. I do want to see Yun Ni, Ms Bai Yun and the Studmuffin, the Panda girls….I did see Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang in Thailand a year and a bit ago before Lin Ping came on the scene.
Do enjoy yourselves and I do hope my stories will bring joy to all.
Lucilla
Oooh Lucilla, this story is really exciting. Thank you for another brilliant instalment.
Yes, Lucilla, the world needs more kindhearted hoomans like you, this is a very scary world, I’m sad to say. I love your stories, they portray our beloveds as the pure and innocent, beautiful creatures they are, just attempting to get along, why can’t the world just get along? Why is this so hard to do? Like you said, muni…..makes the world go round, the root of all evil….
Hang tight, our furry ones, our armies are growing, more and more, hoomans are finding love in their hearts and sympathy and courage as well, to stand up to the hoomans of ignorance. We won’t let you down, we will fight for you to the very end. This is our purpose….this is my purpose.
Oh, Lucilla, you make us feel like we are right there with Mama Bai and Yun Zi. It just makes me want to reach out and hug him close!! We must keep them all safe from the bad hoomans.
We shall definitely look forward to meeting you at the next convention!!
#36 Dianna
There is not a simple answer to this question due to the complexities of calcium/phosphorous/vitamin D metabolism. While lactating animals moblilize calcium from their bones, we’re not sure that actual bone loss occurs in a normal situation. If a lactating animal is on an inadequate diet with high calcium demands, then bone problems could develop.