Romance in the Air?
Posted at 4:38 pm March 5, 2007 by Kay Ferguson
It may soon be time to reintroduce our adult pandas, Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Giant pandas are solitary by nature, living their lives alone until the brief mating season, and then the female raises the cub by herself. Bai Yun will likely come into her mating cycle soon. Females usually have one mating cycle per year and they are fertile one to three days during that time, a very narrow window of opportunity. I have watched Bai Yun increasing her food consumption, adding pounds before her estrus. When estrus is in full swing, she will pace and walk through water regularly. I go home exhausted just watching her movements during the day, knowing when I come back the next day I will watch the same actions and answer hundreds of questions from visitors asking, ” Why is she so restless?” It is just part of what I call PMS (Panda Mood Swing).
The keepers and researchers have created a very special place for adult male Gao Gao to sit and ” woo” Bai Yun: it is called the ” howdy gate.” On your next visit, look for this special place. Gao Gao will vocalize to Bai Yun and scent mark all over the howdy gate, trying to impress his female. Bai Yun will chirp and scent mark back to Gao as the ” romance” begins. When the time comes for them to mate (I call it ” panda moments” ) the Giant Panda Research Station at the San Diego Zoo will be closed to visitors.
This may not sound exciting, but it really is! With that narrow window of opportunity for the male, it can be a complete miss, but Gao is the only male so far that has mated naturally in the United States. You go, Gao!
With only eight adult pandas in the United States, our quest is for survival of the species, and cubs are just part of the biology of pandas. The Research Station is so fascinating, I hope you will visit the Panda Discovery area next door and learn about the researchers and how hard they work for all the endangered species in our world.
Kay Ferguson is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
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March 5th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Thanks, Kay. We are all getting excited about the next phase in SDZ panda land. Now that Su Lin is all settled in her own independent world, and Bai Yun is finally getting to eat uninterrupted she looks very happy. I have noticed that she paces a lot lately, probably waiting for a new fresher supply of bamboo. When she has a narrow window to pack on the pounds, she seems to be more particular about what she eats. Even though there is still a stack of bamboo to eat, she paces by the fence where the keepers are looking for more new things to eat. She also seems to be resting more soundly between eating sessions. Su Lin is doing her share of chowing down now, which she probably got from watching Bai Yun.
It is interesting to see how quickly Bai Yun’s hormones have swung back into reproductive state. For his part Gao is bulking up too in anticipation.
Will you reintroduce them only for mating, or for brief socialization prior to mating? Has Gao started paying any attention to Bai Yun yet? i.e. has he stopped munching long enough to go and chirp and scent mark? Tian has been scent marking as well as playing which is inevitable with them in the same proximity every day. I am curious to hear how the return to estrus goes for both Bai and Mei since their cubs were weaned in the same week, and one is being exposed to a male daily and the other is separated only by a fence. Even though Gao’s sperm will be used, Tian doesn’t know that so it will be interesting to see if he finally is able to attempt to naturally breed. He doesn’t have Gao to watch to see how it is done. US zoo’s don’t use ” panda porn” like they used at Wolong on Hua Mei. They claim it worked, which is interesting info since they can’t be sure whether it was the visual imaging or audio soundbytes that sent signals to the pandas that were exposed to this ” training.”
March 5th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Gao Gao is luckiest male Panda in the U. S. He is so lucky to have Bai Yun. I’m so hoping that again we have a successful mating time. I’ll be down twice this summer to see the Pandas – and San Diego, too. I hope my August visit will be the fourth baby for Bai Yun. Way to go Bai Yun and Gao Gao!!!!!
March 5th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Kay, I did not know that SDZ has a howdy gate for the pandas. I have seen the one in DC, and several times have seen photos of their bears ” meeting” at the gate. Are there cams on the gate at SDZ? I would love to see Gao Gao wooing and sweet talking his wife Bai Yun!
March 5th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Do Gao Gao and Bai Yun get to play and wrestle together besides during the ” panda moment” times? I know they can see each other, smell each other and hear each other… but can they touch each other outside of actual mating days?
March 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Never a dull moment at the Panda Research Station! I’m so looking forward to my visit on Fri. Gao was definitely ” ready for love” last year, scent marking all around the howdy door even though Bai Yun was nursing and would not go into estrus. The personalities and behaviours of these bears are fascinating!
March 6th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I watched big daddy early this morning and he was pacing the yard, I don’t know if he’s in love or just looking for some Boo, but my guess was the Boo, hopefully his thoughts will turn to love and a new chapter at SDZ will begin and a whole new circle of life will begin
March 6th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Oh, I can’t wait until Bai Yun goes into estrus. I’m really hoping for twins this year. Which brings a few questions to mind.
1. If Bai has twins will you use the twin swapping method or will you help Bai like they did in Japan?
2.I remember reading in one of your blogs when Su was really young about the Japanese pandas having a fertile estrus in the fall. If no cubs are born will you try to breed in the fall?
3. If Bai has twins how will you wean them? Will you wean them as a set from their mom, or will you wean them from their mom and each other? I would imagine that weaning would be easier if they had their sibling with them.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Is that Gao Gao in the left side yard? Talk about love….mmmm…..
Will you be announcing the closure when they’re ready? I’d hate to drive down there from LA only to find that the panda canyon is closed.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Conversation with Bai Yun #2
Bai Yun:
(sings her version of song from Alan Jay Lerner’s My Fair Lady)
I could have danced all night.
I could have waltzed all night.
And still would want for more.
I would have chirped all night.
I would have paced all night.
And still would try for more.
I love your bamboo feeding prowess.
I love your handstand mark so high.
You make me feel so bright.
You make me feel so right.
I could have danced, danced, danced all night…
Tourist: I see Bai Yun’s on Cloud Nine.
Gao Gao: Oh, what a beautiful morning! (crunch)
Mei Sheng: I think Mama’s bitten by a love bug.
Su Lin: Huh? What kind of bug is that?
Tai Shan: I’m hungry. (crunch, crunch, crunch)
Mei Xiang: Shall I sing, too?
Tian Tian: My dear Mei Xiang, let’s play.
March 6th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I am watching Princess Su Lin lying flat on her back with the belly showing and legs spreading out inside the air-conditioned room. It appears that she is enjoying a nap, perhaps from a day of playing! What a sight!
March 6th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
LOL P Wong – that’s just adorable! So funny and cute… I love the different perspectives~
March 7th, 2007 at 6:56 am
Thank you, Kay. It sounds so exciting! Let’s hope that Gao Gao’ will succeed in ” wooing” Bai Yun just at the right time of her estrus. It would be too wonderful if Bai Yun would give birth to twins! Having watched several documentations on the raising of twin cubs at Wolong I guess that the competent team at SDZ would have no problems in assisting Bai Yun to bring up twins. But even one healthy cub would be lovely. I am certainly holding thumbs that everything will turn out alright. P. Wong, I loved Bai Yun’s song! I imagined Bai Yun dancing around all night like Audrey Hepburn did in ” My Fair Lady” or more like the bear Baloo in ” The Jungle Book” , hahaha!
March 7th, 2007 at 7:33 am
P.Wong, ok you make me want to put on the gown and high heels and dance, this as usual is great. Tian Tian and Mei were playing this morning and finally Mei was quite interested. I believe it’s going to be a very interesting year both here and in china. The weather has been making everyone a little crazy lately and all having started early thinking of love, and by the way Mei Sheng is too young to know about the love bug. ha ha
March 7th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I’m glad you folks enjoy the panda conversations as I had so much fun writing them. I also thank the SDZ staff for giving me opportunity to express my feelings for the pandas and putting up with my looney crazes.
To barbara #13. I am wondering if Gao Gao’s tutelage of Mei Sheng at the Howdy Gate is finally paying off. LOL
March 12th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
kay, I noticed what you said about Bai pacing and walking through the water. it’s about 12:30 pacific time and Bai is walking around and through the pool of water,so one is to guess that it’s almost that time. ah the weathers nice and thoughts have turned to love.
March 14th, 2007 at 7:27 am
You mentioned that the Giant Panda Station will be closed to visitors when Gao Gao is ‘wooing’ Bai Yun. What about the panda cam? ” aka our daily fix of panda” !
March 17th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Gao Gao – What a guy. Keep up the good work.