Gao Gao
Bai Yun and Gao Gao were enjoying themselves Thursday afternoon at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station. Gao Gao had received a bin full of fresh pine shavings as his enrichment. He REALLY enjoyed himself! He was rolling around in the bin, rubbing the shavings all over his head. He even took a nap in there for a bit but then crawled out and moved to his favorite napping spot behind the tree. In the evening, he returned to the tub and sat in there, eating some bamboo. Gao Gao was also vocalizing quite a bit that day. Our guests were very excited to see him.
Bai Yun slept about half of the afternoon. Once the keeper replenished her food, she was up and about. On the hunt for her favorite snack, red apples, she vigorously climbed the tree stumps, which impressed all of our guests. After snacking on the apples and carrots for a bit, she placed herself atop her rock cave with very large pieces of bamboo to dine on.
By the end of the day, our giant pandas were still happily eating their bamboo, a perfect ending to a perfect day at the San Diego Zoo.
Alyssa Medeiros is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Bai Yun Scent Marks.
Is Gao vocalizing more because breeding season is starting?
Thanks Alyssa for this update on Bai Yun and Gao Gao. They are both gearing up for what is to come. Love that the keepers are spoiling them both too. I’ve got everything crossed here hoping that Bai does come into estrus this year that that there is a little one in August.
Gao Gao is in the tub right now ~ 12:59 pm CA time. He sure does like it!! He looks like a cubbie in there, he’s having so much fun. What a great enrichment for him.
I to was watching Gao Gao in the tub, how peaceful he was. Great pictures.
lu Sacto
Enjoyed watching Gao Gao have a ball in his tub yesterday on the webcam! It’s good to see that he is doing so well!
Gao Gao looks so peaceful when he lies on his back in that tub and sleeps. Question — does he snore on his back?
So that was Gao Gao who we saw spread Eagle in the tube on the PandaCam today?
He looks so cute when he is in his tube.
Hey Yuni – do you ever hear from your brother, Mei Sheng
He did the “spring salsa’ with an older (mature) panda a couple of years but we haven’t heard any thing since : Give him a call and let’s have the latest news 
You might have another nephew or neice. 
4: 15pm
Someone is sleeping on a rock and smiling. How cute is that! He is smallish so I presume it is Gao Gao. Thanks for the tub photos, sleeping or awake. he has lots of entertainment for our “guests”. Guests?
Moderator’s note: We like to think of our visitors as guests.
Speaking of Mei Sheung- since his chosen one is an older adult female, does he prefer the quiet kind? We should get someone to find out if he has progeny, and how many, and what sex. He has charmed the socks off the Chinese anyway. They visit him in droves!
we got to see cutie Gao playin in the tubbby! soooooooooooo CUTE!! take care Gao…. keep having fun!!! we LOVE you!! ;oD
I just love watching Gao Gao on the cam. He is the most adorable bear! I noticed his belly is shaved. Did he have a medical procedure done today?
Moderator’s note: He and Bai Yun had their yearly physicals done last week.
Gao Gao in his tub covered in wood shavings is the cutest thing ever!
It’s always great to have a “reason” to act silly isn’t it?!
HOW CUTE IS “TUB-O-BEAR” ???? Gotta love it !!!!!!!!!!
Gao Gao seems to have passed out in his tub.
He’s so funny.
DoxiMom has placed a video on You Tube showing Daddy Gao Gao having all kinds of FUN in his tub! Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myPESGEcMOQ&feature=g-u&context=G26bb269FUAAAAAAABAA
OMG = too funny. I just saw him asleep but he was having a ball, wasn’t he
Thanks for the link, Bobbie, and to DoxieMom for recording/uploading to Youtube. My computer does not have capacity to view SDZ videocam material upon HD conversion so the Youtube recording is much appreciated.
I haven’t seen a video of the family in a long time. Gao Gao is so cute in the tub!
How cute! Just like a little baby… Thx DoxiMom
Thanks for sharing the video, that was soooo cute. I have never got to see that side of Gao Gao before. How fun and messy all at the same time. Hopefully he doesn’t eat the shavings.
Gao Gao in the tub he’s just like a child so funny, I bet he smells lovely !!!
No, he doesn’t but I dont care. He’s my bear!
Dear Grandmother Bai Yun,
Hao Hao. Grandpa Gao Gao looks so cozy in his tub. Do you think, if I was a really good girl, he would let me come and try it for myself? I promise not to bite or steal food or anything. Can I, may I, please?
Your loving granddaughter,
Hao Hao
Please say hello to Uncle Yun Zi and tell him that my etiquette lessons are going well.
Dear Ah girl,
Come visit us and I will give you your own tub. Grandpa’s tub smells of him and I am sure you want to smell like a nice girl panda. I can put bergamot and lilac and other nice scents. Hmmmm, maybe lavender.
Come and spend Spring with us. Your Uncle Yunnie is dreaming up a design for his tree which the uncles and aunties have donated to buy for him. He destroyed many trees. But he was just being the bear that he is.
I am going to bake my apple honey clusters and I will send you and your Mama some.
Love,
Grandma Bai
Oh, how outrageously cute, cute, cute!!! Gao, you kind of look like “you know who” in the tubby… You are always our center stage character, always the ultimate- in whatever you do!!! YAY!!!
Here is a picture of Zhen Zhen in her enclosure which is next to Shen Bin and Yao Man’s enclosure at Bifengxia. In the comments you can see a video showing Zhen Zhen climbing in her enclosure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60696738@N00/6950602443/
The Edinburgh Zoo has posted a very interesting video about the usage of a Near Infrared Spectrophotometer by their nutritionist to evaluate the nutritional value of various animal feed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX9-edLuWTk
At the beginning of the video the nutritionist Andy Beer is holding bamboo in his hands.
Since the pandas at the Edinburgh Zoo, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, arrived very recently, I was wondering if such analysis is conducted at the San Diego Zoo to check the nutritional value of the different kinds of bamboos given to the pandas. If it is, it would be very interesting if a blog could be written on that topic since you have had pandas for such a long time already.
Thanks in advance.
Moderator’s note: Your request has been forwarded to our Nutrition Department.
It has been a number of years since we have analyzed the bamboo for nutrient content. We have not used NIR as mentioned in the video, but wet chemistry. The challenge with NIR is that you have to do wet chemistry on a number of samples to generate a reference. Additionally, a set of standard samples of a specific plant species and within a growing environment must be analyzed. So, we could not send ground bamboo from San Diego to the UK for NIR analysis.
Thanks very much!
I’m cracking up – 8:20 am panda time and Gao Gao was fluffing up his hay tub then layed down and got himself all situated – it was hysterical how he made himself fit. What a hoot