As you all know, yesterday was Mei Sheng’s 2nd birthday, and boy, did he have a wonderful day! There were presents filled with treats and spectacular ice cakes filled with apples and other goodies. He had a blast busting open the gift boxes and attacking his enormous ice cakes. While I was watching Bai Yun and cub on one monitor, I was also watching Mei Sheng on another monitor gnawing on his birthday cake. Sometimes, I still can’t believe that they pay me for this?!?
(more…)

So many of you have commented that you are really enjoying the opportunity to view the daily activities of Bai Yun and her cub via the Panda Cam. I thought you might like to know a bit more about the camera set up we have here to monitor den activities, and how we use those images in research.
|inline

As our volunteer Jenny mentioned, when we are doing our mother-infant observations, we are collecting behavioral data that is based on a very extensive ethogram. An ethogram is a common tool used in studying animal behavior. It lists all of the various behaviors that an animal will exhibit, along with a corresponding code which is used to represent that behavior. For instance, the behavior “feeds on bamboo” has the code “1a” in our ethogram. So when Bai Yun feeds on bamboo we simply score the code “1a” on our data sheet as opposed to writing out the behavior. We record every behavior that the panda displays, along with other information such as location, substrate, and proximity to one another.
(more…)

Many of you are aware that we have a dedicated corps of volunteers who assist us in collecting data on the pandas. I thought you might like to hear from one of those volunteers, who can offer you insight into their responsibilities as a member of our Giant Panda Team. Jenny Draper offered to contribute to the blog on behalf of the group.
|inline

It is the day before Mei Sheng’s 2nd birthday. Sitting here watching Bai Yun and her new cub, it is easy to think back a couple of years and remember the excitement of Mei Sheng’s birth and first weeks of life. Mei Sheng came into the world with a loud squawk, but he quickly quieted down. Throughout his first weeks, our research team and animal care staff commented on how quiet he was… as long as Bai Yun was in the den with him! Bai left the den frequently during his first weeks and Mei Sheng would squawk loudly while she was gone, and quiet down quickly on her return.
|inline

It may seem to many of you that Bai Yun is spending all of her time in the den. Certainly, so many of our loyal Panda Cam viewers have yet to see the cub alone! In fact, Bai Yun has been making quite a habit of leaving the den, and we can expect her to make more and longer trips as time goes by.
(more…)

Many of you may have noticed that at about 7:30 this morning Bai Yun left the den. This has been a fairly regular event for her over the past week but this time our veterinary and animal care staffs were waiting in the wings. When Bai Yun had moved out to her sunroom, the cub was gently removed from the den for its first exam. Our veterinarians moved quickly to make an assessment of the cub’s health and body condition.
|inline

We’ve all grown accustomed to watching Bai Yun hunkered down in her cozy den. From work done by field researchers we know that the dimensions of her favorite den here at the San Diego Zoo are quite comparable to dens that pandas use in the wild. Now, take a moment to think about a tree with a hollowed-out base that would be big enough to accommodate a 250-pound (113-kilogram) bear and her growing cub for a couple months. A tree that size is going to be quite old and uncommon even in the most pristine of forests. Thanks to field researchers we know that when choosing a tree den there are other characteristics that a panda female may look for, such as elevation. Occasionally they may even find a rock cave to give birth in. But by and large, the dens they choose are in the base of large, old trees.
|inline

Here on the panda blog and elsewhere one of the most frequent questions we get is, ” How’s Hua Mei doing?” Hua Mei, of course, is our firstborn panda here at San Diego, now returned to China where she experienced a double dose of motherhood last year (twins boys!). As Suzanne mentioned in a recent blog entry, we also have hopes that she is again an expectant mother.
|inline

I think that it is safe to say that any descriptions of our cub which compare its appearance to that of a ‘rat’ are a thing of the past. Black ears, eye-patches, legs, and shoulders are coming into clear view. There is still remnant white newborn fuzz covering the cub’s body, but the characteristic panda coloring is heralding the pelage that will soon grow in.
|inline