Yun Zi explores December's snow.
I know many of our San Diego Zoo guests have missed seeing our youngest panda, Yun Zi. Rest assured that he is doing just fine and is still here at the Zoo! Yun Zi has access to our north exhibit during the day, and in the evenings he goes into a set of bedrooms that have sunrooms in case he feels the need to get some fresh air.
Believe it or not, the bears really don’t mind being off exhibit and in the back with keepers. Yun Zi enjoys watching the keepers work, make enrichment, and prep diets for the pandas. He definitely takes after his father, Gao Gao, in the respect: Gao Gao also enjoys the quiet environment, so being in the back with keepers is a nice change for him.
Yun Zi is growing very fast and has officially surpassed his father’s weight. On average, he is anywhere from 4 to 6 pounds (2 to 3 kilograms) larger than his dad, putting him around 174 to 176 pounds (78.9 to 79.8 kilograms). Our little Yun Zi is growing so fast and is becoming a very impressive-looking bear. Through different phases of his development he has taken after his siblings, and for right now he has long legs like his sister Zhen Zhen.
Keepers are training him to perform different behaviors, and for the most part he is eager to learn. Currently he has been working on extending his arm out for blood draws, which will help keepers and vets maintain his good health. There is no official word on moving him into the front viewing area or opening the north exhibit at this time, but check the blogs periodically for updates!
Anastasia Horning is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Panda Pregnancy?
Go Yunior! It amazes me that a panda tolerates a blood draw without being put “out.” Go bear!
Thank you for the update on our boy
Thank you Anastasia for the update on Yun Zi. He’s a great looking son!
Hope he is out on exhibit soon
Someone went to war on the Hammock! Did an elephant try to pick it up and dropped it? Elephants are too big for the hammock-Sorry.
Yunnie!!What a smart boy you are, but you have always been ahead of the pack!!!
is Bai Yun the panda who is currently on the panda cam? I don’t know how to identify the pandas but I vaguely recall a picture of Gao Gao (or other paternal panda) who had one ear that was not really symmetrical.
Moderator’s note: You are correct that Gao Gao has one ear that was partly torn off long ago.
Thank you Anastasia for the update on Yun Zi. I sure miss watching him on Panda Cam. But glad to hear he is doing well and learning a lot also.
ME:”Bai! Your baby Yun Zi is bigger than your husband!”
BAI: “So what? All my children are bigger than Gao!”
I just knew he would pass dad in weight, He will take after mom in size, Would love to see him now, what a good looking young bear. The girls will love him.
lu Sacto
thank you so much. He is a beautiful boy, just like all of your Pandas!
Can’t wait to see our boy back on the cams. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him. When will you be beginning of the pregnancy testing, crossing fingers for one more little one to fall in love with.
Thank you for the update on Yun Zi, Anastasia. Can’t wait to see him. I’m sure he will be a very different panda when we do see him; so much bigger, and not a cubbie, but a subadult youngster.
Thanks for the update, Anastasia. “Size does not matter after all”. Gao Gao might be smaller than his son but he has sired beautiful babies, amonst them our “little boy” Yun Zi.
Thanks f the update. I was wondering if Yun Zi had suddenly vanished. I really miss seeing the not so little boy on exhibit…can’t wait to have him back.
Any “hopes” of seeing Yun Zi the first week of June?
I’ll be in San Diego, visiting from the East Coast, and it would be the answer to my prayers if he would be out on exhibit !
I have followed Yunnie’s development, from birth to his flourishing into a darling “boy”.
He certainly brought more than a little light into my life…such a magical bear spreading joy to all we Pandaholics.
Zhennie and Su Lin were charmers, too….miss them so much.
Oh well, I can only keep my fingers crossed that we see him when we visit my favorite Zoo !
Thanks for listening ……………
Moderator’s note: You’re in luck, Georgie! Yun Zi is now on exhibit while his mother is off exhibit to prepare (we hope) for a cub or two.
Thanks for the snow photo. Gao’s size is most probably because of his poor start in life-alone at a young age, not enough to eat, and trying to recover from whatever tore 1/3 of his left ear off. I think Gao planned on having big kids so when he gets older, and his furry fluffy sexy feetsies get tired he can round up his kids to carry him around. He may be the smartest Panda in his enclosure! You go Gao……..