Can you start to see the cub’s panda colors?
Being a relief mammal keeper can be difficult. You need to be trained to work in multiple areas, remember all the safety protocols, and know how to identify individual animals, as well as build a relationship with those animals so that you work well with them and have the ability to notice when something is out of the ordinary. However, being a relief keeper also has benefits. You have the opportunity to work with a variety of animals in different areas of the San Diego Zoo, assist with training new behaviors or maintain existing ones, and be there to help wherever and whenever the department needs you. When I found out I was needed to help monitor our pregnant panda, Bai Yun, for signs of labor and later to monitor Mom and cub’s well-being, I accepted the mission. After all, it is my job! Once I found out that mission would take place overnight, from 7:30 p.m. to 4 a.m., by myself for two weeks, my mind began racing. Would I be able to stay up all night? If something went wrong, how quickly could someone back me up? Would I be able to stay up all night? How well can I work all the camera equipment?
All of those anxious feelings quickly turned to excitement about what I was going to be a part of. How many people can say that their job required them to spend 80 hours monitoring a mother panda and her brand new cub?! What an amazing 80 hours it has been! Sure, much of the time was spent watching Bai Yun sleep in the den, but all of those hours were worth it when I was fortunate to be the only keeper on duty the first time Bai Yun left the den, giving me and anyone else watching Panda Cam the very first look at the new cub! I will never forget that moment: Monday, July 30, at 9:10 p.m.
I noticed Bai Yun re-positioning a lot, then all of a sudden she stood up and walked out of the den, leaving the cub flailing about and squawking. I was so excited but had to do my best to contain myself in order to do my job and gather as much information as possible. First, note the time; second, work the camera to get a good look at the cub; and finally, try to figure out where Bai Yun left, why, and what time she returned. Somehow I was able to accomplish all that while being in absolute amazement of what I was witnessing. I had been hearing the tiny cub off and on, but now I was able to see it and, more importantly, see that it was doing well. Of course, Bai Yun has been a mother five times before, but I wasn’t there for those cubs; this was my first time seeing her with a newborn, watching her enormous paws and mouth so carefully embrace this 4-ounce being, and it was unforgettable.
Since that unveiling of her cub, I have had several more opportunities to see it, as well as witness her gentle care, yet every time feels like the first. While it has been a great couple of weeks sitting in front of monitors, logging hours of observations, and being part of a new life, it is time to get back to my regular schedule of more physically demanding work wherever the department needs me. I get to work in the sun again with all the other amazing animals I have missed. Being a relief keeper is a tough job, but as they say, somebody has to do it. I’m happy that somebody is me!
Jennifer Chapman is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
So jealous! Thanks for your comments, I can only imagine how excited you must have been monitoring the camera and catching the first glimpse of cubbie on the floor of the den! Those of us addicted to pandas, watching the panda cam, were enthralled with the wee one. So boisterous, and energetic! And Bai as ever the perfect, wonderful, caring mom.
Our sympathies go out to you Jennifer for being given one of the most horrendous jobs at the San Diego Zoo.
I am sooooo jealous!!!
What a great job Jennifer
And thanks for that priceless pic, it puts a real perspective on just how tiny and frail those precious little wee ones truly are.
Jennifer: Sounds like an absolutely awesome experience despite all of your anxieties beforehand. What a special privilege you had — all of us panda fans out here are completely green with envy!!!
I can imagine how exciting it was to see the cub. (just caught a rare glimpse of it on mama’s chest and that was pretty exciting.) Thank you for your sacrifices to keep watch of the precious Pandas.
What a lucky person you are!!! I take it you didn’t have any trouble staying awake!
You have experiences not many people have… I bet the talk around your dinner table can be very interesting… Thank you for your blog.
Lucky Lucky you Jennifer. How exciting and probably nervewrecking to be on watch. Thank you for that article. Well written and heartfelt.
Really loved seeing the little one this morning. So cute laying in Momma’s arms. Boy the nails on the little one are so long already! Thanks for all you do for these wonderful animals.
What a nice post, Jennifer. As you say, someone has to do it! Thanks for a great narrative about a baby and his/her incredible Mom!
Thank You for sharing your wonderful experience monitoring Bai Yun & her newborn!
You’re a better panda watcher than I would have been, Jennifer. I would have forgotten to note the times or work the camera, I would have been crying and laughing and cheering all at the same time seeing the precious little one for the first time! Even though this is my sixth time watching the extraordinary Bai Yun mother a cub, the experience never fails to lose its fascination, wonderment, and awe that such a large bear could be so unfailingly gentle with such a tiny being. Bai is the simply the best panda mom ever.
Jennifer, you’re the lucky one, what I wouldn’t give to have your job, I’d do it for free just to be close to the Pandas. What a job.
Just a question…I notice Momma seems to be going on her back more than the last time…is that due to the heat in San Diego? I know it is horribly hot here in Phoenix
Panda Team responds: The den temperature seems to stay constant at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23.8 degrees Celsius). Nice and comfortable. There are some crevices in the den through which air can escape, and a fan is installed at the top of the den to pull air in from the adjacent bedroom. The bedroom itself has air conditioning, so cool air is available to circulate into the den.
I loved your blog Jennifer. I also volunteered to cover any shift they couldn’t fill but no one took me up on the offer. I have watched all the cubs grow on the cam and I still get goose pimples watching. Thank you for getting good close-ups of the cub when Bai let her fans see it.
Oh, what a priviledge
How exciting to be the only one there watching Bai and her latest cub 
Now we need someone to tell all the panda watchers that Bai is not more tired than in the past so she not lost or misplaced the cub, rolled on the cub (some camera shots may seem like Bai is on the cub), leaving the den more (or less frequently) …and there are no huge bugs in the den crawling over our cub
To those of us who have been lucky enough to see the cub …wow
Great glimpse into your job Jennifer. I bet there are thousands of Aunties and Unkies out here that would do it for free, after paying to be trained at the Panda Facillity for as long as possible. Most able bodied Pandaholics would be so delighted to be in your shoes. We may seem like odd folks~but then there was the group of ladies who volunteered as a group to go to China to work, but mainly to see their beloved Tai Shan~~and convinced the folks there that they were supposed to work with him. I just loved their story appearring in this blog a couple of years ago. Thank you for the great work these last 2 weeks~many of us late nighters had lots to enjoy thanks to folks like you.
I have been watching Bai Yun perform her amazing contortions to keep her baby comfortable and fed and I think she – once again – deserves at least One Gold Medal for her wonderful performance in the ‘baby den’!
Go Bai Yun!
Loved your post, Jennifer. Great description of your time spent on “the mission”. Now back to all the other animals in your care. Thank you for sharing!
Wow, what a touching story. I can only imagine how you felt, definately lots of anxiety. There had to be some happy tears in there too. You did a great job, and if they didn’t believe in you, they would have never chose you. How lucky you are and how exciting to be able to tell that story.
Jennifer, I loved your blog and, think you were great at containing your excitement & composure to even be able to do your job! I bet that fear never entered your mind before the action started
I suppose it just takes a lot of experience to do it all. Keep up the good work.
I just happened to click on the PandaCam right as Bai Yun walked away. It was so thrilling to get such an extended look at the cub, and see the shadow of his coloring start to take shape.
I was wondering if the sex of the cub is known, yet?
Moderator’s note: Not yet. it may be determined during the cub’s first exam, which has not yet been scheduled.
Thank you Jennifer. Is Bai Yun’s “breaks” consistent with rearing of her past newborns? Is she taking more breaks, fewer breaks, sleeping more, etc.?
Panda Team responds: Panda cubs are demanding charges in the first few weeks of life. This is normal. Bai Yun is doing a stellar job, and we have no concerns that what we are seeing in the den is outside the boundaries of normal for Bai Yun or cub.
Thank you Jennifer for this heartwarming post. San Diego Zoo is truly blessed to have excellent staff like yourself who are so passionate and caring about all the zoo’s animals.
Jennifer, you’re keeping the hours we value the most! You have (had) lots of friends out here. When I can’t sleep I log on the pandacam and many times see your camera zooming in & out for the best shot. thanks! I also think how important it is for you to be there in case anything goes wrong. As the days go on, there are more and more great,longer shots of baby & Bai, I can’t imagine how it must have been for you there. I hope you continue to enjoy your job for a long time!
First let me thank Bai Yun for my most excellent birthday present. This new little one and I share the same special day. But this leads me to my question… if the new cub was born on Sunday, July 29th how could the 30th have been Saturday. Don’t get me wrong… at my age I don’t mind going backward but this can’t be right. Please tell us again which day Bai left the cub for the first time.
Thanks
Moderator’s note: Thanks for the catch! It was on Monday, July 30, and the change has been made in Jennifer’s post.
thrilling, amazing, exciting, jennifer…you are part of the
history going on at SDZoo!
thanks for sharing!
So interesting. The pictures of the cub that you captured on Bai’s first outing were perfect. Good job, well done.
Just saw the little one and could see some black and white coming in. Also, some little critter walked right past Bai Yun – mouse? Guess he wanted to see the baby too!
Thanks for all the updates – the panda team rocks!!
I am so jealous too! What a great job you have. Saw the cubbie this morning in Bai’s arms and it looks content. Hope all is well.
Thank you SDZ for all of the wonderful updates on his/her progress.
Sandra~many of us late nighters have seen your “mouse”. I thought it was a giant cockroach wandering over Bai’s fur, some (who are in a better position to know the creature) say it is a moth…..but I paid atention and discovered for myself that it was near the camera lense, not our Pandas~confirmed I think by a nannykeeper manning the joy stick for watching the Pandas. It was intersting to find that most of us thought it was something creepy and quite large~and glad to find out it is a moth and not in the den. I finally figured it out when it was walking across Bai’s midsection at a high rate of speed~and realized that seeing it on the Pandas was an optical illusion. Perhaps it is using it’s experience to get ready for it’s first on camera audition for a bug movie.
What a great opportunity and job to have, Jennifer! I’m SO envious! I just love watching this wonderful Mama Panda and her little one …… she is amazing and inspiring, to say the least!
I can see the markings more clearly every day! When does the staff get their first chance to do all the weighing, etc. of the new cub?
Panda Team responds: We’d like to wait until Bai Yun is away from the den consistently for at least 10 minutes at a stretch before we attempt an exam.
Congrats and so happy to have people like you watching over the lovely animals at night. What a miracle it all is. A lovely shot now of baby on Bai’s chest, both asleep, until the wee one started moving about. She snuggled it up in her arms, but had the cub well positioned so when it started to kick its feet it hit her chin and woke her up for care! Smart Mommy!!
I have been a bit confused trying to watch the web cam. When I click to the page there is a mark in the middle of the cam portion~two vertical bars in a circle usually accosiated with a pause function. When clicked on I get the triangular symbol, with one point towards the right, in a circle again, usually associated with “start”. Sometimes when clicked on it shows a circular spinning thing made up of almost paralllel bars~ obviously not exactly parallel, and it starts spinning, then disappears. Unless Bai is moving or breathing deeply it is hard to tell what happens. Sometimes I do not feel like I need to click anything and other times I am not sure so I just keep ckicking. I feel a little stupid, but when clicked the picture obviously is affected because it does not exactly line up with what was there before, or Bai is not in the same position. When you have time could you please help out a confused old Grammmie?
Moderator’s note: Sometimes it takes the Panda Cam view a bit longer to load than at other times, depending upon many factors, including viewership. Once it finishes loading, the view changes to the “live” view. Hope this helps.
It is sooo mesmerizing You are sooo lucky to be so near
Thank you for the wonderful update. I could almost feel the excitement you must have felt the first time Bai left. I’m not sure I’d be able to anything except sit and stare at that beautiful little stick of butter. Thank you again, and pet one of the other animals for me!
Thank you Jennifer for the wonderful description of your job. Well, as James Bond would say “Mission accomplished”! However, I can somehow picture you attending to quite a few tasks at the same time and being quite excited to carry out everything correctly. Thank goodness that we women have got multitasking abilities! It must have been a wonderful experience for you being so close to Bai Yun and the cubbie. I agree with my fellow bloggers that we are all very jealous! Thank you for taking such good care of the pandas during your “mission”.
We have been able to see more and more of the wee one lately. This is as exciting as her other cubs, but even more so since now we have a miracle baby.
she just layed down and iam waitting to get a glimpse of the cub but it seems that shes holding it pretty tight and not letting it go
I wish I have the job that you have. Watching the moniter, hear the Bai Yun and panda cub sound. I’d been watching web cam since panda cub born. In the office, I couldnt watching it, but right after I got home. I turn my computer on and see how Bai Yun and panda cub doing until I went to bed.
Thanks for responding to my earlier post from today ……..
I love seeing the baby … she/he is really getting to resemble the sweet little panda that she is, and I am so thrilled when BY walks away for a few. I also think it’s so cute to watch her trying to do some housekeeping, and hold my breath at times hoping she doesn’t accidentally step on the little one.
This is fantastic … the cam, the blog, all of it!
Thanks, Jennifer, for your view. What a great opportunity! I love the Panda Cam. I load it as soon as I turn on my laptop. I also have it loaded on my iPad for the times I’m away from the laptop. Though I’m kind of sad I cannot get the app loaded on my Android smartphone.
I’ve gotten many opportunities to see the cubbie and shared those moments with my family
I also caught Bai Yun yesterday stripping bamboo while the cubbie was rolling by her feet.
Bai Yun is doing a great job caring for the little one. It’s amazing how she keeps the little one under her chin while she tries for panda naps.
Moderator’s note: Our app can be downloaded on the Andriod smartphone: visit http://sandiegozoo.org/app/ and click on the Android link.
I do have the app loaded on my smartphone. When I click on “Watch the Panda LiveCam”, nothing happens.
Ohh so at least I know am not the only panda stalker in the world now lol…. Have spent lots of time watching during my last 2 week holiday, well watched less after Yun Zi became a grown up… and from next week I’ll only be able to watch evenings but I have months to look forward to with new cubby growing…..
Pandacams are the best thing since sliced bread
Would love so much hugging one for a minute
I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t trade places with you, Jennifer!
Bai Yun is a terrific mother and I adore watching her with her Baby. I’ve watched Bai Yun with her babies before, and she is just the sweetest!
I have been a devoted “Pandaphile” since the first time I ever saw a panda picture more than half a century before there was an internet and live webcam feeds. Our zoos have started quite a trend with live webcams, and I’m ever so grateful we can sit on the other end of our computers and be enthralled right with you…! (I’ve sent the link to everyone I know, including to people overseas.) I know Baby can’t regulate body temperature right now, so I’m ever so grateful for those few glimpses of the little sweetheart and contented to watch the lovely Bai Yun cuddle her Baby.
When school starts soon, I hope children get a chance to tune in to the pandacam in classrooms. In a very few weeks Baby Panda will be big enough to be visible more often and it would be interesting for most children to watch the baby grow right before their eyes. By then Baby will be 100 days old, the sex of Baby will be known, and perhaps students can vote on a name as a group activity in the classroom.
Thanks to zoos and webcams, I now make a regular “trip” around the internet and watch zoo live webcams of various animals and wildlife live webcams (from hatching to fledgling: eagles, peregrine falcons, puffins, ospreys).
But a Baby Panda? Oh, my! All that fuzzy sweetness makes one want to reach out and pet it…!
Wow, Jennifer, what a great experience you had! And to be the first to see the baby. I would have killed (figuratively, of course) to have had your job at that point. Thanks for a wonderful report and here’s hoping that you won’t find normalcy too dull!
Intersting store, thanks Jennifer. I would love to be in your shoes. Mama Bai is so sweet and gentle. The little one ceratinly has been putting on some weight, that round belly, so cute.