Look, Ma, no paws!
Giant panda Yun Zi is doing great during the slow, step-by-step separation process. Our once-little guy has been such an independent bear! The other panda narrators say that when it comes to eating bamboo, he is one of the most advanced cubs they have ever seen at the San Diego Zoo, with the ability to eat the culm of the larger pieces of bamboo at an early age. Yun Zi often comfortably rests on his log perch at lofty heights during the day, and Zoo guests marvel at how much he has grown in the last 18 months.
As panda researcher Suzanne Hall said in her post, Moving Right Along, even when we give our youngster and his mother, Bai Yun, the opportunity to spend time together, they often just choose to do their own thing. Tuesday afternoon, Yun Zi was having a great time knocking apples, carrots, yams, and leaf eater biscuits from his giant panda toy. The keepers cleverly hung this toy from his favorite log, of course! Yunior (Yun Zi) was confidently navigating the right-hand enclosure to look for more treats after his moment of frolic was over, and Bai Yun only seemed concerned with devouring the lunch portion of her bamboo.
All is going as well as the Panda Team has hoped for, and we are so proud of our (not so little anymore) guy. Yun Zi is already over 91 pounds (41 kilograms) and is getting bigger every day. Can you believe he was the size of a stick of butter when he was first born? This is totally normal, though, for a panda cub; after all, they can grow to be 600 times their birth weight by the time they are 18 months old. Still, it is hard to believe that one day Yun Zi will be around 300 pounds (136 kilograms). Our boy bear still has plenty of growing to do, but he is definitely on the right track.
Michelle Penick is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Fond Panda Memories.
It would be really amazing if Yun Zi were to weigh close to 300 lbs. since neither of his parents is near that weight–though he does seem as if he will take after Bai Yun’s side of the family. His advanced bamboo eating talent no doubt comes from Gao Gao’s side.
I think someone in the last blog comments said that Lin Ping now weighs about 160 lbs., which means she weighs almost as much as Gao Gao now!
So glad everything is going so well.
Frances, Gao Gao low weight may be due to his difficult beginning in life, it might not be in his gene.
Moderator, do you know when we might get an update of the panda weight chart comparing all the pandas born at the SDZ?
Moderator’s note: I’ll ask.
Another great post, Michelle! Like many others, I’ve been watching Yunnie from birth. It has been amazing to see this cub grow and learn about life as a Giant Panda. God Bless the webcam and the volunteers who run it.
im gonna miss them being together
but i am glad to hear its going well 
Yep, my sentiments exactly!!!
Michelle, thanks very much for this update on Yun Zi. Ever since I saw him learning to put his hind paws under his belly before starting to walk, avoiding the swimming to nowhere sessions that we normally see from the other cubs, I knew this was a clever one!!!
And thanks for using my favorite picture of Yun Zi from the Facebook series. It looks as if Yun Zi is doing Yoga!!
And he’s very good at it!
yeah Yu Zi, I knew you could do it, you’re such a smart little bear. I hope to be able to see you one day in person. I do keep an eye on you every day. It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that Momma and baby will soon be separated permanently. Will they be able to still see and smell one another through the fence once it’s closely permanently?
Wow… you guys are doing a wonderful job with your (almost daily) posts on the weaning!! I don’t know who is getting the most “hand-holding”… the hoomans or Yunnie!
You have to look really hard when LP and LH are together to tell who is who… The Princess is growing up to be a very lovely young (big) sub-adult.
Another cub that is making progress is Fu Hu. www(dot)zoovienna(dot)at/news/neuigkeiten-rund-um-das-pandajunge/
Instead of going back to sleep in the birth den, he is starting to sleep in the indoor room where his fans can see him. Surprisingly, he is choosing to sleep in the same spots his big brother Fu Long used to sleep in. The Vienna Zoo also posted a video, but I don’t quite agree with the title they choose “Fu Hu trainiert Klettern – As Fu Hu learns to climb” as it seems that Fu Hu had climb on the platform and mommy Yang Yang was dragging him closer and closer to the edge. Eventually she left him hanging, keeping an eye on him but letting him find out what to do next!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qel6Wc1nKz8
It is hard to try to figure out what was the lesson of the day, as far as Yang Yang was concerned, perhaps she wanted Fu Hu to figure out how to come down. But it seems he was determined no to go down that way and eventually managed to climb back on the platform, just to run down so safer ground…
What strength and determination Fu Hu displayed. I bet his muscles were aching the next day. He probably slept well that night too.
I visited Zoo Atlanta one day when LunLun and XiLan were playing outside on one of the platforms – maybe 3 feet off the ground. X-man was pestering her big time, and she picked him up by the nape of his neck in her mouth, swung him out over the edge of the platform – and dropped him like a stone. I was not the only one to gasp, but little X-man ran right back up to pester her some more!
Reenie from Atlanta, thanks for this great story about Lun Lun and Xi Lan. These cubs are really persistent, resistant and pestering!!!
Danielle, thanks for sharing the clip of Fu Hu. What a brave little guy!
Thank you for updating the pictures in the photo gallery. He is doing a great job
we all new he would Yun Zi plays by his own rule book.
awww I keep seeing him on his favourite tree. He spends so much time on it now, dozing… He’s so adorable.
Although Bai and Yun Zi are my favourite bears ever, I have started watching mom and cub at Atlanta. As I missed Yun Zi growing I get a second chance. But of course I’ll never get attached to any other pandas like I am with these 2 here, so no fear.
I also have started watching the mom and her baby panda at the Atlanta zoo. I still love the Pandas at the SDZ but I love watching the baby pandas grow up.
I also watch the ZooAtlanta PandaCam and really enjoy seeing this new cub growing up. I missed so much of YunZi’s earlier days.
My how fast they grow – Yun Zi is no more the small panda but has grown up to my a handsome devil. Thanks for the almost daily update. It sort of eases the sadness of what is going on (I feel the separation more than Yun Zi) I’ill get over it – I hope.
Great work!
Great Blog—but even better photograph….how did you get him to pose in that position???? I know he poses for Rita Petita (Mollie) in cute and wonderful ways…..but seldom see him make a pose like the one above. Good work everybody……………Love Grammmie
Yunior a 300 pounder? That is one big boy for sure. Wonderful update and it is good news to hear how well the separation is going for mom and cub.
Question for you: Is it unusual for a panda such as GaoGao to sleep on the ground on his side? He reminds me of a puppy dog. haha
Thanks for keeping us updated, Pat
I have seen Bai sleep on the ground at night sometimes too. Since the adult pandas do not have natural predators, they don’t always feel the need to sleep up high like the youngsters do.
Thanks, Michelle! I have not seen Bai sleeping on the ground, but it makes sense the way you explained the predator issue.
keep up the good work, little cloud. i sure do miss seeing you and momma interacting every day, but at least you are doing well on your new journey, my boy.
peace, love and hugs to you.
auntie kat
Thanks for the update Michelle on Bai Yun and Yun Zi. When it comes to the bamboo, Yun Zi is just like his dad Gao Gao when it comes to eating the bamboo. Bai Yun though a great momma Panda must enjoy having her rest.
Yunnie must be doing yoga, as he appears to be so at peace with himself in his new abode. May we all follow his path.
Thanks so much for the updates. Its been wonderful watching Yunni grow up. I am also a bit sad to see the separation between mom and cub begin.
Thanks so much for the video and regular updates!! Weaning may well be harder on the fans than it is on the pandas! I appreciate so much being “kept in the loop” on how Yun Zi & Bai Bai are doing!
What a boy, How he has grown to a big teenager.What is the e-mail address to get on to Atlanta? I would love to see there new little one.
you keeper do such a great job on keeping us fan update.
Thank you again.
lu
lu, try zooatlanta.org and click on the panda cam to see Wee Lan.
From the size of a stick of butter to a butter ball! Yun Zi is a sweetie at any size. Keep the updates coming, it feels like we are there with you.
Sweet photos on Cao Cao and her wild cub:
blog (dot) sina (dot) com (dot) cn/s/blog_6a7c47100100p3lh.html
Panda Fan, thank you so much for posting these photos. This is such a hopeful story and Cao Cao and her cub are doing so well.
It is almost noon EST and Yun Zi is doing the downward facing panda pose on the tree limb. What skill and balance he has!!!! The Atlanta panda cub is starting play fighting with momma already. I got lucky yesterday and got to see a little bit of it. He is quite persistent considering he has no teeth yet.
Yun Zi loves his Skybridge. It’s a great place to eat and sleep. Too bad there is no water up there and then he wouldn’t have to come down very often. It’s just like a child who has a treehouse in their backyard.
Wow Yun Zi is adjusting better than anyone could have expected. He’s a big boy now and soooooo independant.
I’ll be there to visit all of you this spring!! Can’t wait to see my panda family.
Sandra, why don’t you join us for the Panda-Vaganza convention in March? You’ll have the best of times! Look us up on the Panda-fandom Worldwide page on FaceBook.