Visit-A-Job: Meeting Su Lin
Posted at 12:55 pm April 20, 2006 by Mary Zanotelli
See Mary’s previous Weblog about the start of her Visit-A-Job at the Giant Panda Research Station.
The first duty of the day was to collect and weigh the leftover bamboo in each of the panda’s enclosures. This gives the keepers an idea of how much each animal had eaten overnight. Next was urine collection. Twice a week, the keepers collect the pandas’ urine to be analyzed for stress hormones in order to make sure the bears are healthy and happy. Kathy brought Bai Yun into a passageway and requested the behavior with a simple ” Go potty,” and the bear responded accordingly. As amazing as it was to watch a panda urinate on command, I was most excited about being within inches of the famous panda mom!
Every keeper’s (and dog owner’s) favorite task just has to be the poop patrol. Panda feces are crumbly and resemble round, skinned sweet potatos (sometimes orangish, sometimes greenish) filled with mulch. The color and consistency of the feces changes depending on whether the bears are eating more bamboo culm (stalk) or more leaves. I didn’t mind scooping; after all, this was panda poop!
With Bai Yun sequestered inside, the keeper team (including me) went to work cleaning up the previous night’s leftovers inside the exhibit area of Bai Yun and her cub, Su Lin (pictured at top and with me at left). Su Lin was awake and active, watching us from the top of her favorite tree. I was enamored with her antics as she climbed and reached and hung upside down. At one point, I thought I might have to catch her if she fell from her precarious perch! I noticed that she seemed to be scooting rump-first down the tree. Sure enough, within a few minutes, young Su Lin was out of the high branches and at eye level with us! This was such a rare occurrence that the keepers all went over to greet her and Su Lin and I were officially introduced. There I was, face-to-face with the Panda Cam’s most charismatic personality! I was overwhelmed and wondered if maybe I was just dreaming about my Visit-A-Job day. But it was all real. Up close, the cub’s fur was fluffy like cotton, and her eyes were bright and curious. Su Lin wanted to play, but there was work to do. So after a few minutes of socializing, it was back up the tree for Su Lin and back to the rake for us. I’d only been at this job for an hour, and I couldn’t imagine the day possibly getting any more exciting! Stay tuned: my next installment will be posted soon.
Mary Zanotelli is an educator at the Wild Animal Park.
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April 20th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Mary, thank you for your reports…I can almost imagine being there. I can hardly wait for more!
April 20th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Mary, your installments of Visit-A-Job with the pandas is like a cliff-hanger; I’m waiting with baited breath to find out about the next exciting adventure you had. To see Su Lin climb down the tree and be within petting distance would be a dream come true for me and so many others!
April 20th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Mary, I just loved reading your latest adventure in ” Panda Land.” I would gladly clean up after the pandas for the opportunity to meet lovely Princess Su Lin face to face!
April 20th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Thank you, Mary, for sharing your experiences with the pandas. All the information about their routine is quite interesting and welcome.
Just when I think Su Lin’s photos can’t get any cuter… Su Lin looks like a perfectly adorable little climber in the most recent picture. Her sweet ” smile” reminds me of Mei Sheng. And does she maybe have her father’s ears rather than the straight-up ones of her mother and brother?
April 20th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
WOW… how cool is that?! Face to face with little Su Lin. I don’t know what I would have done. It seems as though Su Lin understood this was a special day for you and wanted to congratulate you. I laughed out loud when you wrote about ” panda poop” – I gotta admit, I hate picking up the doggie stuff… but I certainly would feel different about the panda variety. Can’t wait for the next installment…
April 20th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Mary, thank you for the first-hand reporting of meeting the Princess and her mama. This is a very interesting series and I am really looking forward to reading some more!
April 20th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I am so jealous!! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful stories! It is clear that you are taking in the entire experience and realizing that it is a great privilege to be in the presence of such amazing animals, our panda bears.
April 20th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Eagerly awaiting your next installment….this is too wonderful to imagine! I am split between being pea green with envy and overjoyed at your wonderful experiences with the panda stars. Margot, I agree, Su does look a lot like Mei Sheng, tho with Gao Gao’s more widely spread ears. I swear she gets more lovely each passing day:)
April 21st, 2006 at 4:21 am
We are SO enjoying Mei Sheng’s new picture on the Conservation Station’s main page! He seems like such a lovely bear, and this new picture really captures that! Would it be possible to update Gao Gao’s picture? While he doesn’t get significantly different with age as Mei Sheng does, the current picture simply doesn’t do that handsome fellow justice! With an image that shows his full head and facial expression, all of the pandaholics world-wide will be able to study Su and Mei to see just which features came from which parent! Please?!
Regarding Mary’s wonderful account of her day in Panda-Land, I notice that she was struck by Gao Gao’s small size. As I ponder this, I realize that we out here have no basis for reference, as we don’t ever see him with another bear. Are there pictures available from Bai and Gao Gao’s last breeding? Methinks this might show us all what the difference is between a 220-pound bear and a 175-pound bear. Please?!
Editor’s note: You can see an image of Bai Yun and Gao Gao during a breeding session on the blog titled ” Are U.S. Zoos Getting Out of the Giant Panda Business?” dated February 28, 2006.
April 21st, 2006 at 4:47 am
I have a serious case of panda envy! Congratulations on your win, and thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us. I’m fascinated with the ” behind the scenes” activities. Impressive the ” go potty” command. I could sure use that with my menagerie!
April 21st, 2006 at 5:23 am
Oh my gosh – I laughed out loud (thanks for that) – ” go potty, panda poop” – giggle, giggle!!!! And to think that Bai Yun responds to the same words my dog Slyder does – ” go potty” . Thanks for the update Mary, you’re the envy of EVERYONE!!!! If it were me, I think I would have played with Su and left the raking to the others:o) Can’t wait for the next installment.
April 21st, 2006 at 5:26 am
How do I get in on this lottery???
So jealous!
April 21st, 2006 at 7:41 am
What a special day for you, poop and all! How fun to be greeted by Su Lin. She is such a sweetie. I look forward to your next installment. Thanks for sharing with us.
April 21st, 2006 at 8:33 am
It sounds so exciting to be able to go and see Su Lin up close. Wow! How neat is that. Although some aspects might not be pleasant, the rewards of seeing our panda up close are worth it all. Thanks for the reports.
April 21st, 2006 at 10:15 am
Mary, that was so great that Su Lin knew that it was a special day and showed you how great her acrobatics routine is and then came down for a personal introduction to you. That little girl has a heck of a lot of class and character. Thank you for sharing your experience with all of us and we wait with great anticipation for the next instalment. You could be writing a book about this!
April 21st, 2006 at 11:31 am
Now I’m even more envious – what a GREAT picture Mary – you lucky dog!!!! Blow that one up to an 8 x 10 and hang it proudly on your wall and tell everyone that you are one of the very few that’s had her picture taken with one of the world’s biggest celebrities. Those ego maniac Hollywood types have nothing on our little Su and her cousin Tai.
Congratulations!!!!
April 21st, 2006 at 12:40 pm
I’m absolutely speachless with emotion! Thank you so much for sharing your most unique experiences of your day with the pandas. Go Potty on command? wow – their training goes farther than I’d ever imagined. Way cool. waaaaaaay cool! Cannot wait for more!
April 21st, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Along with everyone else I get so excited to read about these adventures with Su Lin. I only wish I was able to see more of her on the Panda Cam. Fortunately I am able to satisfy my ‘panda’ needs by watching Tai Shan and his mom. Have even seen her knock him off the low-lying tree branches and then wrestling with him. Was especially thrilled to watch him nurse for about 10 minutes the other day. What a treat!
April 21st, 2006 at 3:40 pm
This afternoon, it looked like Su Lin tried to carry some bamboo up a tree, but it kept slipping from her hands. Did anyone see if she got the bamboo where she wanted?
April 21st, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Mary… thanks for sharing your experiences…. WOW, every panda lover’s dream has come true for you!
April 22nd, 2006 at 9:44 am
Hi Mary,
This is Tai Shan from DC. Actually I tried to contact my cousin Su but she didn’t answer my e-mail. Please send her this message. Su, you look adorable and you are so loved by people all over the world. How do I know? Well, many visitors who came to visit me always say that you are very sweet and not so precocious like me. Yes, I overheard them when I was resting up on my favorite tree. Your brother and I have been exchanging e-mail for a while and he’s crazy about his sister. I’d love to write more but my momma said not too spend too much time on the keyboard, it’s not good for my paws.. Thanks, Mary.
Love,
Tai
April 22nd, 2006 at 11:16 am
Mary, Thank you giving us the poop (so to speak), providing answers to all those bathroom questions we have, but about which we are embarrassed to ask. And in a way we all understand, too. I have enjoyed your contribution as much as I have enjoyed any.
April 22nd, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Thanks to the editor for directing me toward the February photo of Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Gao Gao may be small in stature, but between his ability to breed naturally and his handstand marking, he’s one magnificent bear in my book! Except for ear placement, Mei Sheng seems to be very much his double!
April 24th, 2006 at 5:09 am
Extremely interesting! Now I am wondering if you could publish a list of the commands our bears are taught in their training sessions. I had no idea they would go potty on command. What a lot of patience their trainers must have to get this accomplished. And what smart bears these must be! Kudos to all. Marlene
April 24th, 2006 at 6:08 am
7:00 a.m. (PST) this morning. Panda Cam on location C9 – panda eating bamboo. Where is C9 located? And which panda is this?
April 25th, 2006 at 4:30 am
” Go potty” , huh? It sort of loses something in translation, as here in England to ‘go potty’ means to get really mad and throw a hissy fit – I can’t imagine supercool Bai Yun doing that!!
I’m so enjoying reading your account of your special day, Mary, and WHAT a photo to have, with Su Lin!
Just a ‘footnote’ – I keep seeing bamboo shoes on sale, how bizarre is that? They are made of very finely woven bamboo and I’m told they’re this season’s hottest fashion. And we’re not talking sandals here, they are smart, high-heeled shoes. I had wonderful visions of women walking down the street with hordes of pandas following in their wake, trying to sniff their feet… but no, I’m not going to buy them because I don’t want to be complicit in the deforestation of Panda Home. Bamboo belongs on the menu, not the shoe rack!
April 26th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Bamboo shoes – that’s one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard! But I do like the image of being followed by pandas wanting to eat my shoes!! Very funny – wonder if that shoe craze will hit the US. Thanks again for the update, Mary…