A Most Exciting Morning!
Posted at 12:28 pm January 23, 2007 by Ellie RosenbaumJanuary 22 was the day that Bai Yun and little Su Lin were given the ability to move freely through both exhibits at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station viewing area through a door at the rear of the center wall. I rushed anxiously down to find Su Lin sleeping in one of her favorite arboreal perches and Bai munching bamboo in the right-hand enclosure. Research observers reported that she had eaten earlier, looked at the door, and gone up her tree to sleep.
But in true Su Lin fashion, after a short nap and consideration of the situation, this smart, thoughtful bear wandered though the doorway inspecting, sniffing, investigating and reinspecting with great deliberation. Once on the other side, though, while the sniffing and inspecting continued, there was much to explore and it quickly became a great adventure. Smelling here, climbing there, sometimes with Bai Yun present, other times alone, she’s already shown us a branch that needs to be cut as this small, flexible bear examined every inch of the new area, both horizontal and vertical. At one point, she tried to go back to the left side but Bai Yun grabbed her gently and pulled her into the ” new” area.
Bai returned to ” her” side to sleep, but the excited little bear was energized and ready to play, nudging, rolling on, and even scent-marking on her napping mother. Eventually, Bai relented and there was more interaction and feeding on bamboo in the right-hand enclosure.
These will be exciting times at the Station as Su Lin learns her way around and continues to mature and separate from her mother. Since it is ultimately Bai Yun who will indicate that it’s time for this to happen, we encourage you to log in or stop by in person, since we don’t know how long this last ” together” phase will last. Just remember – quiet voices and share the experience with your fellow visitors, no matter how numerous they are. It is truly a wondrous thing to see!
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
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January 23rd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I watched a little of the play yesterday and today. I like that Bai pulled Su back into the new area before returning to the old area. Almost as if she’s remembering weaning and telling Su that she has to stay in the new place.
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Thanks for the update, Ellie,
Is it difficult to get Bai Yun to go to the right enclosure? Does she lead Su Lin in there or does Su Lin initiate her exploration on her own? Will Bai Yun at some time try to stop Su Lin from going back to the left enclosure ” her” space and that will signal that the process is complete? Have you noticed Su Lin or Bai Yun wanting to nurse or ” cuddle” any more during this process than they would in the original enclosure? I know that when Tai Shan first was released into the new exhibit space at NZ he nursed more and stayed closer to his mother for comfort. As he has become more comfortable in the new space, he is not needing her presence quite as much. I was interested in their latest blog that they have begun introducing Mei Xiang and TianTian while Mei Sheng is still having contact with his mother. Have BaiYun and GaoGao had any physical contact in a space while Bai Yun still can have contact with Su Lin? I wonder what Su Lin’s reaction would be? All this enrichment is quite a lot for a young cub to take in and enjoy. She must be very excited and maybe slightly apprehensive and confused at the same time. It is hard for humans not to anthropomorphize this process, since we are not naturally built to have to separate from our young so quickly and at such an ” early” age.
January 23rd, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Ellie, do Bai and Su have 24 hour access to both exhibit areas? Do they tend to go back and forth? Does Bai seem to prefer ” her” exhibit over the new one? If so, how long does she stay before she decides it is time to go back? Does Su naturally seem to want to stay or does she just try to follow Bai from one to the other? I was just watching the videos from the past 4 days, and I observed one, possibly two wrestling/cuddling sessions a day. Only twice did it appear that Su might have been nursing. Since it is natural for a cub to want to nurse for reassurance, is this more nursing that Su was doing before they were introduced to the new space? It is hard to tell from high speed motion who is instigating the movement from one exhibit to the other.
January 23rd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Bai Yun and Su Lin appear to keep circling a small pond. Su Lin stops often to look more closely, or possibly take a drink(?) It is hard to tell in the shadows. Is there any significance to this pond? Did the boys tend to hang out there and scent marked it more? Bai Yun seems to be in constant motion, unlike in ” her” space. She keeps walking around and around like she is looking for someone or something. Since the scents have not changed since yesterday, is she still trying to figure out where the boys are? Su Lin stops and looks at the tree like she wants to climb, but then goes off following her mother around the exhibit. I have not noticed her following Bai Yun around their exhibit this much for months. Are they checking it out, so they don’t stop to rest or eat? Or are they anxious about the new space and new scents?
January 23rd, 2007 at 10:06 pm
I am so thankful. I just was able to watch a ” Midnight Snack” (East Coast Time) with Bai Yun and Su Lin sitting next to each other munching away. I am a little sad as I realize this might be one of the last times I am able to catch them together. Thank you for operating the PandaCAM 24/7 and for allowing me the opportunity to share in this precious moment of their lives.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:18 am
I suspect that access to a new territory that smells of other bears would arouse some protective instincts in Bai Yun, and that Su Lin would want to return to her mother from time to time for reassurance that the area is safe for them. Bai would want to patrol the space to ensure that no other bears are around to threaten her or her cub. Once they have scent marked the new territory and have assured themselves that no new marks from other bears are appearing, they should settle down and return to their former relationship – that of a mother bear and her cub on the edge of weaning.
January 24th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Margaret,
Bai Yun is plenty bold in exploring the new spaces we offer. She is not timid about new spaces. Su Lin followed her mother often into the area, but Bai Yun did not appear concerned about the space or about her cub’s presence in the space. Bai Yun has spent a good deal of time in this exhibit in the past, and she is quite comfortable with the facility as a whole. Su Lin is a different story; hence, our desire to allow for this acclimation process while she still has momma to cling to.
Pamela,
Since wild panda home ranges usually overlap, the bears frequently encounter the scent of other bears in their surrounds. I don’t think panda dams are too concerned about the presence of other bears in their habitat as far as cub safety goes… usually they don’t want to see much competition for resources like bamboo or den sites. Panda cubs are at risk of injury or death from leopards, but not really from other pandas. The act of marking the area serves to deposit scent that conveys messages about the status of the bear who is marking, and usually will indicate the area used by the marker, but the bears do not defend territories as exclusive spaces. In this way they are unlike canines.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Thanks, Suzanne. After a more action packed day of wandering around yesterday, Bai and Su appear to be more comfortable today. They are sitting quietly, many feet apart, calmly eating their bamboo. They are not even facing each other so they don’t seem at all anxious. Su Lin appeared to feel more free to climb around the exhibit today.