Bai Yun has long had the nickname of “Teflon bear,” because she always looks so white and clean. In their early days at the San Diego Zoo, our male Shi Shi would be dirty and covered with grit, while our then-young female appeared freshly bathed. It didn’t much matter if it was raining or if the yard was mostly dirt or if she had just finished a play bout. Grime just never seemed to stick to our girl. Bai Yun was always camera ready.
Well, so much for that.
After weeks of renovation, our panda exhibits are once again ready to welcome our bears. New sod, fresh loamex (a soil conditioner), new trees and shrubs, and a host of new scents abound in their regular spaces, and when the doors opened this morning, the bears took advantage. The stimulation was enough to wake the playful urges in our old girl. She enjoyed wrestling with Yun Zi in the loamex and was even seen hanging upside down at one point. After finishing her play session and getting through her bamboo, she and Yun Zi crashed hard for a nap.
And let it be known that at the moment, she and her cub are as dirty as can be. I am reminded of that cherished children’s book, Harry the Dirty Dog. Bai Yun has gone from being a white bear with black spots (and legs) to being a black bear with white spots. She isn’t living up to her nickname today.
Come see our pandas in their newly renovated spaces. The thrill of the novel should entertain Yun Zi for a few more days to come, and you may even catch our matriarch engaged in a little spontaneous mischief herself.
Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Read her previous post, Bears in Winter.
Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them!
Video of this morning is now posted.
What a great post… I am still giggling, that made my afternoon. Glad they are all enjoying their new surroundings. Happy Holidays to all at the SDZ.
how cute!! i can’t wait to see them in their remodeled enclosure
Wow… that first picture says it all…
What did Gao Gao think about his new exhibit???
Moderator’s note: He did some climbing!
#22 Frances in NYC from previous blog – You may be right, older pandas seem to be subject to cataracts, it would be better that blindness. I suspect she is too old to have an operation to treat her eyes. I will try to find out from Chet.
It is a nice coincidence that the Bai Gao family is moving into their renovated enclosures the same day that Su Lin and Zhen Zhen are moving into their new homes as well. I noticed that it took no time for Gao Gao to find his front raw spot and munch on his bamboo in front of his adoring fans!!! Nothing wrong with mommy Bai Yun enjoying herself with Yun Zi and getting dirty, it is not the first time, she was much dirtier whilw playing with Su Lin in February 2006, see http://www.sandiegozoo.org/news/panda_news_2006_archive.html
More like a brown bear! Yun Zi is a good blance-er!
No wonder I saw a wonderful play session today!!! I just love seeing the results of Bai Yun’s playful, mischievous personalities emerging!
Thank you Suzanne for the post. I love watching them on a normal day and what a treat to watch on a special day
To see so much energy in the exhibits made me sit on the edge of my chair all morning waiting to see the next thing they did.
Absolutely adorable!
Wonderful! I love to hear that our Mommy is feeling up to some antics and not stressed….
Hi hope Doxiemom caught some video of this morning!
Moderator’s note: Our videographer was on hand to record the action. I’ll post a link to the video when it’s ready.
Looks good Gao’s new exhibit. And as usual he is really enjoying his meal. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date.
Thanks for the post Suzanne! Sounds like Bai Yun is a happy panda today.
I, too, chuckled. I think they are so cute together. Such a wonderful mom And such a sweet and entertaining cub. I have so enjoyed watching them together. I think we need to enjoy it while we can because won’t she soon ween him outta there? Can’t wait to head back there to see the new digs. : )
The best ever! I thought Bai was acting like a teenager; I was wrong, she was acting like a 6 year old to get THAT dirty. I love the pics and can’t wait to see the video. Thank you so much.
I suspect Bai’ll be back to her usual gleaming brightness before long, but it was great to see her having so much fun this morning. And I hope somebody got shots of Gao Gao climbing–I missed that!
Good job, landscapers!
How absolutely adorable they both look. I can’t wait for the video either. I wish I could have seen it on the cam but work keeps interrupting.
In this article you can see a picture of the transport of the overseas-born pandas within Bifengxia, as well as a picture of the panda cubs born at Bifengxia in 2010, on that picture you can see 15 cubs, not sure what happened to number 16….
www(dot)chinadaily(dot)com(dot)cn/china/2010-11/19/content_11580557.htm
Great new video of the now “brown” bears……they sure had fun.
What wonderful pictures! The last of the three made me laugh. They look like panda acrobats in the midst of a maneuver — maybe a Yun Zi somersault with a twist off of Bai’s back.
Bai is still quite the beauty, even caked in dirt. It is always a treat to see demure and mature females romping around like youngsters. They always stay young at heart and able to have fun.
You know, I have noticed that Bai’s fur is really clean!! Thanks for the post, I’m SO glad that the climbing sturctures were put in and the soil, tree and cool scents! Oh and by the way, I got a new panda stuffed animal WHAT SHOULD I NAME HER??
Peace, Love and Pandas CIAO!
Annie Panda
P.S. Lucilla- I love your stories, Yun Zi and Xi Lan are so cute together!!
Great new digs for mom and son. You did a good job in fixing the place up. Cute pictures of them, does
Yun Zi still have his hammack? He seemed lost when they were moved to get the new things added.
Will see you in a week, can hardly wait.
lu
Moderator’s note: Yes, his hammock is still there.
Wow–the night cam looks great! So sharp–thanks SDZ!
Hi! I’m so glad that all 3 pandas are back in their regular yards! I did not get a chance to get on the pandacam to see Bai and Yuni have their fun, but I did read your article about how they all reacted to their newly renovated yards. Scent marking time! I know that Mr. Gao did alot of scent marking in his yard today, as well as eating his huge batch of boo! Of course, Bai and Yuni had their wrestling matches, did their exploring and sniffing, had their lunch of boo, then went down for a nice long nap! Has anybody noticed if Yuni has tried to do any of the redecorating of his yard yet? I’m just wondering if he’s going to take after big sis Su Lin in that department! Watching and waiting!
Got on the Atlanta Zoo website’s panda page, and the keepers have finally written up the newest weight and measurements on the little boy cub that they had taken on Thursday (11/18). Here are the numbers:
Weight 486 grams=1pound=17 ounces; total length 30.7 cm=12 inches; tail 5.7 cm=2 inches; nose 2 cm wide=.5 inch wide; neck girth 13.8 cm=5 inches; chest girth 19.5 cm=7.5 inches; abdominal girth is
21 cm=8 inches. Compare these measurements to the ones that were taken on Saturday, 11/13:
Weight 297 grams=.5 pound=10 ounces; chest girth 17 cm=7 inches; head 4.5 cm=1.5 inches;
tail 5 cm=2 inches. As you can see, this little boy has done some growing almost 6 days later! He’s doing very well, and after watching the AZ pandacam for a few short minutes earlier today, momma Lun had him all covered up in those big hairy arms of hers. So, I haven’t had too much opportunity to see him except that one time a couple days ago when he popped his head out from behind his mom’s arms. Will try to get onto the cam alot more next week.
Is SDZ going to have Christmas lights up at the zoo and WAP this year? Hope so! Getting ready for Turkey Day with my family next week, and my grandniece will be 2 years old on Sat., 11/20! My niece, hubby, and grandniece will be down here for a week from W. Virginia. It’ll be nice to see them again!
Gonna go for now. Will be back later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Moderator’s note: The Zoo will host its 2nd annual Festival of Lights, starting December 11.
#10 Heidi – Click on the Panda Video Gallery. Bai Yun and Yun Zi were have lots of fun in their spruced up home!
Conversation from Su Lin and Zhen Zhen in Bifengxia, China:
Su Lin: Hey, ZZ! You awake?
Zhen Zhen: (Sigh and stretching) Yeah, I guess. What’s up?
SL: Just got a quick fax from Cousin Xi Lan in Atlanta today! He’s got a little brother!!
ZZ: Are you kidding me?? Aunt Lun Lun has another baby boy panda?
SL: Yep! It’s a boy! The human keepers there finally found out his gender on his second health checkup.
ZZ: Oh boy! Aunt Lun is going to have her paws full with him just like she did with Cousin Xi!
SL: Yeah, that she will! Then again, he could have this very mild personality that doesn’t get him into too much trouble like Mei Lan.
ZZ: Well, we’ll have to wait a couple of more months to see how his personality develops. Does Mei Lan know that she has a new baby brother?
SL: If Cousin Xi is as fast with that fax machine as he was when he told us about his little brother’s birth, Mei Lan should know right about now!
ZZ: I think you might be right about Cousin Xi and his fax machine!
SL: Well, little sis, I am going to go eat some boo and take another nap.
ZZ: Me too! Can’t wait until our new little cousin turns 100 days old!
SL: Why is that?
ZZ: That’s when he will get his new name!
SL: Oh yeah, you’re right! We got our names when we were 100 days old each, didn’t we?
ZZ: Yep, we sure did, big sis!
SL: Food time! I’m gone!!
ZZ: OK! Will talk to you soon! Bye!
SL: Bye!!
Su and ZZ went their seperate ways to enjoy their day!
At Chengdu, China:
Keeper: Mei Lan, I have a fax letter for you!
Mei Lan: Probably from one of my cousins.
Mei opens up the letter and sees that it’s from her little brother, Xi Lan.
Mai Lan: Ooooh! It’s from my little brother, Xi Lan from Atlanta! He’s telling me that our new little baby panda that our mom had is a BOY!! WOW!!! Another little brother! Neat! (Sits and ponders) Well, it looks like my mom will have her paws full with this little guy when he gets a little bit older and starts to move around! Thanks for the fax, keeper!
Keeper: You’re welcome! Congrats, Mei!
ML: Thanks! Now where’s my dinner boo?
Mei Lan goes to her pile of boo with happy thoughts of her newest little brother.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Thanks so much the staff and keepers at SDZ to make a newly renovated playground for our lovely Bai Yun and cute Yunior.
Just want to share a news for all the fans of Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Mei Sheng and pandas who born oversea, they just move in a new home at Bifengxia Base, Sichuan.
Paradise open to returned pandas:
news (dot) xinhuanet (dot) com/english2010/indepth/2010-11/20/c_13614436.htm
Oh, they both look so happy together in their newly redecorated digs! Love the pix in this blog, hey, is that
Little Cloud standing on mum’s back??! Oh my goodness. She’s gotta love her little boy to let him do that…
You all did a fabulous job with the new exhibits! I just watched the video of Bai and Yun Zi and they looked like they had a blast!! I did see Gao chowing down on his boo yesterday, I hope he enjoyed it just as much!
Well done, everyone should be so proud!
Hey friends,
Go to the Zoo’s videos and there is a 3 min video on the Panda Exhibit Spruce Up and you can see the Queen and Prince Fluffy Butt playing and exploring their newly improved digs and there is a background shot of King Gao doing what else, eating boooooooo! Hahaha.
A lovely Thanksgiving to all.
Warmest,
Lucilla in Sunny HOT Singapore
Hello Lun Mei Mei,
Kong Xi Kong Xi (Congrats, Congrats)! I heard it is a boy. I am sure you and Yang must be over the moon at having a healthy cubby. I saw from the website he has got his markings already and your milk must be super rich as he is so cutely round. Gao Gao joins me to in sending our best wishes that he will grow up strong and wise.
Yun Zi wants his aunty to know that he is happy to babysit any time you need some alone time. He will play and teach the baby how to climb and enjoy nature. Hahaha, of course, you take him up on his offer at your own peril. He is growing well and is a loving child, even if I do say so myself. He is ever ready to play and also to help anyone. He heard that some hooman children were in a hospital because they are very sick and he wanted to go visit them. I told him he may pass them bugs that may make them worse. He is also such a eco warrior, I swear, and he wants to save the earth. He does want me to send his love to his aunty (and a special hug) and uncle in Atlanta.
Will catch up with you when you come out of your confinement. Please do make sure the confinement nanny makes all the special soups to help replace your energy. Also keep warm as winter is coming.
Happy Thanksgiving! Do send my best wishes to Yang.
Bai via iApprow Phone
Thank you for the update on the bears. Enjoyed how dirty they can become in their enviroment when
they want to check it out. Gao Gao was where I saw him eating his boo last month. Could not tell what was new?
Question: Can you click the cam pictures to make them larger? AZ has this feature. Thanks!
Moderator’s note: We don’t offer that feature on our Panda Cam. But we do on our blog post photos!
Thank you for the update. It is good to see Bai and Yun Zi playing and that they like the remodeled enclosure.
Thanks for sharing this! I love it.
Saw the video – glad Bai & Yunior are having so much fun in their “new” home!!
Funny, my skin does the same thing as Lady Bai’s when I hang up side down! Sorry…couldn’t resist that. I love the new landscaping.
Thank you, Suzanne for the lovely report. The photos were adorable. Yes, Bai Yun looks more like a brown bear. But both she and Yun Zi seem to have so much fun. #14 Linda Bai Yun does look like a teenager!!!
Sunday midnight is the last time to vote for the name for the baby panda at Vienna Zoo. So far the runner up is now Fu Hu (happy tiger) with almost 47 %, Wei Xing (joy of Vienna) currently holding 42,6 %. Ao Kang (Austria’s healthy boy) did not seem to be that popular and fell far behind. The little boy is keeping and growing very well. I am looking forward so much to seeing him soon.
The video has been posted–be sure to see the pandas playing and climbing and having a blast rolling in the dirt!
cute…cute….cute….very cute….Thank you Suzanne.. ^__^ .. I bet Ah Zi must be very surprised seeing his hygienic mama hanging up side down and let herself cover with dirt…..
At CMZ, keeper Tom built a new bed for CC then put it in his room, a short while later the new bed became a big toy for our duo Lins. Watch they play together on the big daddy’s bed at 3.00 of the clip and at 6.16 you’ll find another showing off by the big daddy himself, please enjoy;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upt2GmLkcqw
It seems that Bai Yun and Yun Zi’s acrobatic behavior in their newly renovated enclosure is even making the news in China!! news(dot)xinhuanet(dot)com/photo/2010-11/20/c_12796573.htm
Video Alert!!! DoxiMom captured the grand playtime between Bai Yun and Yun Zi which took place between 6:00 and 6:30 AM on 11/20!!! Do not miss watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWzJV3esG6w
Diane #31, to make the pandacam window larger, simply zoom in with your browser. On a PC, use Control with the “+” sign, as many times as you want. With a Mac, do the same thing.
#4 Danielle, NY – Basi has had operations for her cataracts.
From Panda News–a little mention of Su Lin and Zhennie moving to their new spaces and a couple of new (I think) pictures:
http://pandanews(dot)org/news/giant-pandas-zhen-zhen-and-su-lin-move-home?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PandaNews+%28Panda+News%29
Don’t miss the pictures of Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Mei Sheng and Tai Shan taken today, November 20, by Eveline Dungl from the Vienna Zoo. She is probably in Bifengxia for the inauguration of the Wolong Oversea-Born Panda Paradise and the Debut Ceremony of the Panda cubs born in 2010, since Fu Long is moving to a new home and a panda cub was born in Vienna this year.
pandanews(dot)wordpress(dot)com/2010/11/20/bi-feng-xia-mei-sheng-su-lin-zhen-zhen-tai-shan/#more-2535
It is kind of strange that there is no picture of Fu Long. I hope we will see the pictures of Fu Long in his new enclosure soon.
It’s great to know that a usually calm, serious bear of mature years such as Bai Yun becomes a little cubby again when confronted with a new set of stimuli! Yun Zi must have been in panda heaven having his beautiful mommy playing so robustly and getting filthy right along with him!
Hi! I watched the video about the exhibit renovations, Bai Yun, and Yun Zi. One thing about that vid was Bai and Yuni rolling in that dirt and getting so dirty that they looked like brown bears! Looks like they are matching the polar bears in the dirt rolling idea. Bai and Yuni were so funny just having their fun in the dirt while having one of their wrestling matches. Dirt wrestling, anyone? Did anyone get any video of Gao Gao going into his renovated yard and doing his exploring and sniffing? This vid was about Bai and Yuni, so I’m curious about how Gao reacted to his yard. Hope someone has that video of Gao to share with the rest of us!
Well, gonna go for now. I’ll be back tomorrow to check the pandacam again!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Great Post! It appears that our little Prince Fluffy doesn’t like the rain. I saw him hiding underneath the stone throne while it rained today.
Ooohhhh!!!! I just watched a video……cute cute cute cute……very cute…..A motion picture is worth a million zillion words….cute cute cute very cute.
Thank you to whoever captured this very cute moment and uploaded it…. ^___^
Congratulations on a spectacular remodeling job. No wonder Bai and Yun were so excited to explore and Gao even decided to climb! Love the video — you can just see how much the bears enjoyed their first morning. Gao has found his boo spot and is the original happy camper. The other two will have fun for days figuring out just what a neat exhibit home they have.
#17 Danielle — I’m hoping that Hua Mei has not been separated from her cub who is not yet 2-months old and the last cub is even younger. Not sure that would be the best solution for raising a healthy cub. But then again, what do I know. Although it would be interesting to have Hua Mei and her cub together on what used to be called Leopard Mountain. Just glad the girls are out of quarantine and Mei Sheng is out of the old breeding center!
By the way, the fickle finger is relearning how to bend. It is not happy, but that’s no deterrent. No pain, no gain. So far lots of pain; gain is coming more slowly.
Loved the video; a big thank you!
Thank you for all the updates, the videos, and for taking care of our fluffy black and white treasures. But, I have a question… while you were remodeling and the cameras were out of whack, I got hooked on watching the Polar Bears and the Elephants… how hard would it be to get a camera like the one they have, for our Pandas? The ones we have are choppy, unfocused and tiny
Are there any plans to upgrade?
This gift to Bai and Yunnie is just plain sweet- TOTAL SWEET! To see Bai feeling so young again brought the “so happy for you” tears- and the two of them rolling around- having a mom and baby dirt festival- it can’t get any better for all of us who guard the canyon from afar. Thanks to all at SDZ who assisted- it shows, and shows, and shows- I hear all the way to China!
#43 Danielle, NY
Yes, Dr Eveline Dungl was in Bifengxia for the big celebration.
I think the various news reports got it wrong but there’s only one new enclosure in Leopard Mountain and that’s the one that Su Lin and Zhen Zhen moved into. Fu Long and Tai Shan remain in their current enclosures. Mei Sheng probably got moved into one of the existing enclosures.
Well, I only saw one new enclosure when I was there in September and didn’t see any other new enclosures, whether completed or being built.
Moderator, #3, WOW, Gao Gao was climbing! Yippee! The new renovations must have been so fantastic they even got the notorious non-climber climbing.
I finally had the chance to see Bai & Yun Zi this weekend (on cam) in their renovated exhibit. Looks so nice SDZ! Yun Zi has been perfecting his climbing skills for sure. So nice to see Gao Gao out as well. I have missed seeing the handsome eating machine!
#37 Weegee – I bet when keeper Tom built the bed for CC he had no idea it would become a “playground” for Lin Hui and LP. They have so much fun playing, biting & climbing ontop of one another. Glad to also see CK (and HK) have returned to CMZ.
Chet just posted some pictures of Su Lin and Zhennie’s new spaces and a link to a blog by Fu Long’s former keeper, with pix of the girls, Mei Sheng, and Tai Shan in Bifenxia.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chet_pics/sets/72157625442460220/with/5197240178/
http://pandanews(dot)wordpress.com/2010/11/20/bi-feng-xia-mei-sheng-su-lin-zhen-zhen-tai-shan/#comment-550
Dear Doxiemom,
Thanks for the video of Da Mama and Da Cubby at play. It was touching seeing them enjoying each other and the remodeled enclosure.
GREETINGS MAMA and PAPA,
Ning hao! Zhen Zhen and I are finally out of quarantine! YAY! We have moved to our new quarters together with Tai Shan and Sheng Ge Ge. They have created a section for the Special Six from overseas. Hee Hee. I love the trees.
I know I know, Mama, I promised you I will not freak out the Chinese by remodeling my yard and bringing the trees down. Mama, can I do that in the Spring, then I can blame it on that time of the year, hee hee.
Zhen Zhen has been exploring her area and she is very happy. SHe loves the panda bread they make for us. I do too as it is healthy and yummy. I will send you the recipe. I think Papa will like its taste.
Papa, there are so many different types of boo here that are different from the ones we get in SDZ. I am sure you will love them. The nanny keepers here are giving us a variety to try.
Papa and Mama, Zhennie and I are learning the language fast and our nannykeeper is a nice lady who is also learning our language. ZZ tries to confuse her by mixing the languages.
We do miss all our friends at SDZ and of course our family especially Mama and Papa. We can see from the live cam Yunnie is growing up fast. We miss him very much. We are envious that the enclosures got re-modeled after we left. However we have a whole new environment to play in.
Tai Shan is still a clown and he makes us laugh whenever we feel homesick. Mei Sheng Ge Ge is well settled in and is speaking Chinese like a pro. Hopefully in Spring, he will get to be a Papa and me a Mama. Both Tai and Sheng have given me the lo down on some of the pandas here, hee hee. We will see who I end up dancing with.
ZZ sends her bestest love and so do I. Please give Yunnie a huge hug from us.
Love and Kisses,
Lin, your loving daughter
Moderator: The info (age, weight) about the Pandas on the “Meet The Pandas” page is gone.
Moderator’s note: It’s there when I click the page…
Fu Long’s old keeper from Vienna went to BFX to visit and has an article and some photos of Su Lin, Zhen Zhen and Mei Sheng (Tai is there too) taken on the 20th of November!! Our SDZ pandas look great and how wonderful to see Su up in the trees again, Zhennie’s adorable face and grown up Mei Sheng!
http://pandanews(dot)wordpress(dot)com/2010/11/20/bi-feng-xia-mei-sheng-su-lin-zhen-zhen-tai-shan/
Well, Fu Long’s little brother will be called Fu Hu!! It is quite appropriate that the brother of Happy Dragon is called Happy Tiger… You can read all about it on www(dot)zoovienna(dot)at/news/neuigkeiten-rund-um-das-pandajunge/
And although Fu Hu is hot, the Google translation of the title is not correct; it should be “Pandababy will be called Fu Hu”. Fu Hu is growing nicely; he weighs 5.6 kg (12.3 lb).
On today’s picture, Fu Hu is shown close to the entrance (and also exit!!) of the birth den, he may venture out soon, if mommy permits it of course…
You can read another article about Fu Hu on www(dot)zoovienna(dot)at/news/pandababy-wird-fu-hu-heissen/ which also contains an update on Fu Long. It is nice to see him munching on his bamboo, alone and sitting next to his roommate and cousin Wu Jie. I was relieved to see that they can stay together for now, as they seem to get along so well. It is comforting to see that the Chinese born Wu Jie can stay in the “Oversea-Born Panda Paradise”, but after all he is family!!!
Hi Weegee: I was watching a little bit of Ah Ping and at the beginning of the show, there were floating candles on the lake at the zoo. Was that for a special ceremony? I like watching Keeper Tom when he narrates. He always looks like he’s ready to start laughing when he’s telling us about Ah Ping…
So it takes 3 keepers to bath little miss Ah Ping?
But she was sitting in her tire so I don’t think her fluffy butt got wiped off. 
She does like that tire!
congratulations to all on the new exhibit, you couldn’t have planned it better. It was great seeing Bai acting like a kid again and Yu Zi climbing all over everything. The dirt seen of particular interest and a good time was had by both just rolling care free. I hope they will enjoy it for a long time
I am sorry if someone has already posted this, but I discovered this short video of Lun Lun’s cubbie first exam only today, it took place last Thursday, November 18.
www(dot)zooatlanta(dot)org/home/animals/mammals/giant_panda/giant_panda_cub_gallery
So that there is no misunderstanding — neither Tai Shan nor Fu Long moved last week. They were already well ensconced on Leopard Mountain. The only moves were the girls and Mei Sheng. I think Hua Mei is still in the breeding center — but I could definitely be wrong on that. At least she and her baby boy are together.
The new exhibits never fail to amaze. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this project. It is a smashing success.
AZ posts daily updates on Lun Lun and “Wee Lan”. I always enjoy reading Joseph’s. You can always tell when it’s his post because he most often just calls her “Lun” and he writes about how Lun gets mad at him for not giving her more biscuits and the cubbie and Lun never sleep when it’s his turn to watch them… He’s entertaining…I think maybe it was him that wrote a pretty funny blog about Lani attacking him in the dark when she was a little cubbie and he hadn’t turned the lights on yet but was in her exhibit…
Love, love, love the new exhibit!!! And even Gao was climbing?! He must be thrilled too. The video was a delight! Thank you all so much for all your work. It is indeed beautiful!!!!
Thank you to everyone who sent links of the girls moving. It was nice to see pictures of them
Does anyone know if they will be sharing the space Chet posted pictures of?
lj #67 – The girls have their own separate bedrooms and yards, but share the same villa. Fu Long and Tai Shan have the same arrangement and I assume that Mei Sheng and Hua Mei will too.
AZ panda page alert!! There is a great pic of Lun and her cub on the page with today’s update. It’a a great pic of Lun holding her baby panda while he’s nursing, and you can see all of the cub, not just a part of him! It’s a great pic to see, so go on the AZ website’s panda page for a looksee!
Just saw Bai and Yuni on the SDZ pandacam in their yard eating their dinner boo–Bai sitting on the ground with her back to the cam, Yuni on his tree branch. Very cute scene!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
I got a new panda stuffed animal (number 15!!) and I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on what to name it. If it’s Chinese, please include the pronouncation, hehe!
Lucilla- wonderful stories and “letters”!
Oh and saw those pictures of ZZ and Su, I miss them SO much, they’re such big girls now *sigh*. I also went on the Zoo Atlanta Website, seems like the cub is doing well, as well as Lun. Anyway, hope Gao, Bai and Yunnie are well, but I do have a question for the moderator-
What is the temperature like where pandas live in the wild?
I know they live up in the mountains, so is it cold? Don’t the SDZ pandas get used to the weather here, but is it the same in China? Did Su Lin and Zhennie have to get used to a change of temperature?
WELL HOPE EVERYONE HAD A PANDA-FUL DAY!
Peace, love and pandas ciao!
Annie Panda
P.S. Happy early Thanksgiving! I give thanks to God for having pandas in this world!!!
Amanda – Yes, CK and HK are back and told the fans about what they had done in China during their 11 days trip. Tor, the leader of Thailand Panda team (Tor is known as HK but his rank is higher than HK) said that Thailand panda team by head keeper Tae (aka CK and I suggest to call him CHK) presented the Panda Therapy project to the meeting which intrigued the China Authorities. They discussed the possibility of extending the idea into the further study.
Dianna from Ohio – The ceremony you saw is called LOY KRATHONG, which is one of the most beautiful festival in Thailand. It is celebrated on the full moon in November. The word loy means to float, and a krathong is a banana leaf cup. People place a candle and incense sticks in their krathongs and then float them on a local river or pond. As they push away their krathong, they ask for forgiveness in polluting the waterways and also for good luck in the coming months. This year the US ambassador and his family also joined the festival in Chiang Mai and they all beautifully dressed up in Northern Thai costume.
The narrator you saw was keeper Ple, he is a very funny guy and very animated person. Keeper Tom is very shy and very quiet but he has such a talent of inventing things and enrichments for our three pandas. He also has his own unique way to communicate with the pandas without saying a word….(shhhh…I told ya he’s very quiet…) ^___^
Thanks all for the link to the new photos of our girls! Su Lin looks so happy high up in her tree! She’s probably surveying her new enclosure to plan her redecorating activities. I wonder if Su Lin remembers Mei Sheng at all! Perhaps she can smell him.
Zhennie looks content. I get the impression that these enclosures are much larger than those at SDZ. If so that must be wonderful for our adventurous ZZ. Hope there’s a moat where she can throw things.
It’s almost worth it to wait so long for news of them. What a great idea, to have all the American (and Austrian!) bears together. We should get plenty of news and photos and video from tourists.
So at last they’re settled. Now I wonder: if people succeed in getting a pandacam for Tai Shan, perhaps it could include all the “foreign” bears! Just dreaming, of course. But still . . .
Is it at all possible that Bai Yun could fall pregnant again?
Moderator’s note: It is possible.
Guys, today hi-light, Tor talked about Ba Si and her famous performance in the past. Now that she’s very old, (at age 30 in panda might be equal to 100yrs old in human) she can’t see anymore but living a happy life. I don’t know if you guys had seen the clip of her performance yet. If not, here it is;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXdfoOQS0Fc
Oh my goodness, just saw some pictures from Rita, Yunnie is so dirty in the rain, but still so cute! And Gao is so small and sweet, Yunior looks a lot like him!! Oh and Bai is so beautiful, how does she stay so clean??
Best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving to all: my fellow pandholics worldwide, the wonderful nanny keepers and our always fun and beautiful black and white friends. Special treats for everyone.
Mary #68 – Thank you for your reply, I apprecitate it. I would love to see the girls interact together
Their new homes look very nice and I am sure they will be very happy there.
59- Kath I get a blank screen when I type that link with the dots. I would love to see the girls I saw Su Lin the day before she left. Not sure
what I am doing wrong. Thank You
Hi, pandalovers, lately I had so much trouble with my computer that I was not able to write any blog. As you may all know by now the panda baby’s name in Schoenbrunn is Fu Hu. I am very happy since I loved this name from the beginning and I find it relates not only nicely to the Chinese Year of the tiger but also to his brother Fu Long. Today Fu Hu and I share a birthday, well he is three months old today and soooo cute like all the panda babies are. I wonder when he will be introduced to the public. The Atlanta panda baby is growing so fast. I always find it amazing how fast they get their black markings even when their other skin is still quite pink. The photos of Su Lin and Zhen Zhen in Bifeng Xiao are gorgeous! They seem to have settled well. The can climb trees again after quite a while
Aaahhh… it’s so nice to see King Gao pass out on something other than dirt. He has nice cushy grass to snooze upon now… The exhibits look so nice with all that sod..
Love the new exhibit. Love Doxiemom’s video. And love the SDZ video too. Thanks everyone.
I was watching Lun Lun and its getting harder for her to keep the little one hidden, hes getting so big and looks more and more like a tiny panda, they are so cute together. I only wish I had discovered the SDZ panda cam when Yun Zi was just born. I am a sucker for baby pandas, ok all pandas
Susan #78–you’re replacing the “(dot)” with “.”? Keep trying–it’s worth it!
Love the closeups of Beautiful Bai today.
#78 Susan, PA – It might be better if you copy the link below, paste it in a word document, replace the two (dot) by an actual dots, and then paste that to open the website. I hope it will work that way.
pandanews(dot)wordpress(dot)com/2010/11/20/bi-feng-xia-mei-sheng-su-lin-zhen-zhen-tai-shan/
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!! Hope you all will have a nice holiday weekend with family and friends, but don’t eat too much of the turkey, dressing, and all of the other goodies!
Was just on the AZ pandacam, and I got lucky!! Saw the cub all by himself on the hay in the den while his mom, Lun, was out eating, drinking, and just having some me time for a few minutes. The cam only gives us 10 minutes to watch, and I watched that cam the whole time taking in the adorableness of this little boy! His black/white colors and fur look like it’s coming thru very clearly now. The cub did do a little bit of squirming, but settled down. When I got back on the cam for the second 10 minutes, Lun was back in the den supporting her cub with her paw on his butt while he was nursing. Now, that was a good day for me seeing this little cutey!
He looks very good and healthy, too!
Got on the SDZ pandacam, and the cam people got a great closeup of Bai eating her boo. Nice job, pandacamers!!
Gotta go and finish up laundry duty. Will be back later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
#70 Annie Panda
Temperatures in the mountains of China vary seasonally. In the winter, there is snow on the ground. In the summer, it can be balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our panda girls arrived in China in September, at a time when temperatures where not unlike the ones typically experienced in the early summer in San Diego. As fall has set in, the girls have had as much time to adjust to the change in weather as the other bears at BFX have had.
Thank you Kathy I am at work will try that when I get home.
Watching ZA cam and Lun Lun just left for another break – it’s 3:30 pm here. I swear the little fella looks like he’s doing pushups. He seems to be doing quite well. Poor momma spends most of her time feeding or cleaning him. It doesn’t appear she is getting much rest this afternoon. It’s a rainy day here in Atlanta so it’s great they can spend it cuddling together.
Love the new digs for the SDZ pandas. Just saw Yunnie on his hammock with butt in the air. You just never know what you are going to get with that one – except that it’s a joy to watch.
#79 Ruth – Happy Birthday! and many more. Was so happy about Fu Hu personally, since I am also a tiger. (A little ballot box stuffing was also involved. Shh – don’t tell anyone.)
When we were at BFX in late September, it was in the 60s and humid. The uniforms felt good over our clothes. The altitude was more of a bother than the actual weather. Now that the road to the base has been “fixed” with side protection barriers and mirrors for some of the more hair-raising corners, I’d love to go up there some winter. However, that is only a distant dream.
#71 Weegee – Glad to hear everything went well in China for Tor and Tae. Keeper Tom definitely has a different approach when working with LP and the others. And you’re right, he is quiet. It looks like LP is going through the next step towards seperation from Lin Hui. Tonight I see LH going straight to the outside exhibit while LP went to the indoor exhibit alone. After doing some exploring and climbing LP now seems to be missing her mother. So sad to see but know it must be done.