Perplexing Pandas
Posted at 11:15 am March 27, 2007 by Suzanne HallLife at the panda research station is in a groove at the moment. Su Lin has settled in to her new space well, and moves between an off-exhibit ” classroom” enclosure and her bedrooms easily. Mei Sheng is enjoying his time off exhibit too, in part because he has opportunities to interact with his sister from the tops of trees in their adjoining classroom pens. Gao Gao is”¦ well, Gao Gao. He eats. He sleeps. Life is good for Gao Gao.
What about Bai Yun? We are anxiously awaiting any sign of an impending estrus. Thus far, we have seen little to indicate that her hormones are gearing up for a fertile period. We are not surprised by this, since early April has typically been her window for estrus. She peaked between April 8 and 11 in 2005, 2001, 1999 and 1998. That’s pretty amazing consistency. For an estrus peak in that same window this year, we would typically expect to see the start of an increase in scent marking beginning around this weekend, ten to fourteen days before breeding.
Could Bai Yun make it that easy for us? Of course not. First, we need to consider that she has had an estrus outside the April 8-11 window three times: in 1997, 2002 and 2003. In 1997, she was still a very young bear, and peaked around April 23. In 2002, she peaked at between March 26 and 28. In 2003, she bred Gao Gao on March 22. Clearly, as recently as her pregnancy with Mei Sheng there has been some variability in her fertility window.
Add to that her current age. Bai Yun is now 15 years old, and approaching the end of her reproductive life. It is unlikely that she will be able to have cubs beyond 17 or 18 years of age, if the Wolong population is any guide. Additionally, in our studies of the Wolong females we have noticed a trend towards a truncated estrus in older females. This means that we may not see signs of estrus in Bai Yun until a few days before she is ready to mate.
Finally, Bai Yun is not at a weight we have typically seen around breeding. She is lighter than usual, by several kilos. This, despite a general increase in her non-bamboo diet that began some time back, and despite the keepers’ efforts to keep her constantly supplied with the best bamboo all day. Is Bai Yun’s aging body finding a new set point? Will she opt out of estrus this year as a result of her low weight? Time will tell.
When and if estrus begins, I will let you know. This will be the first panda estrus documented in our blogs, so I will try to provide you with as much detail as I can along the way. Estrus is always a fun time in the life of the staff at the panda facility, because things change so quickly and we spend a lot of time watching the bears for clues as to how things are progressing. Unlike the weaning period or a post-birth window, there is little stress involved for us, since Gao Gao and Bai Yun have proven to us that they can handle this step on their own, with little help from us. I look forward to it, and I hope you do too.
Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.
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March 27th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I am glad to hear that Bai Yun and Gao Gao might mate this year. I was really wondering when I heard that Mei Xiang would be artifically inseminated with Gao Gao sperm. That would make Gao Gao a very busy guy! My, panda life is really exciting! Love to keep track of my pandas…what is happening in Memphis? Don’t get any reports from there. Glad to hear that Su Lin and Mei Sheng have met each other high in their trees. Thanks for all the wonderful updates. Panda websites start my day!
March 27th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Thanks, Suzanne. We keep our eyes peeled on Bai and Gao. I watch daily to see how often she goes near the water. So far I have only seen her scent mark once near the logs that she often eats beside. As for Gao, he appears to be up to his usual routine eat, sleep, eat, eat, sleep. He is just biding his time waiting for his ” lady love” to be receptive to his advances.
Glad to hear that the youngsters are enjoying their conversations. Hopefully they will get to interact in ” person” before Sheng leaves for China. It would be sad if the breeding process is delayed so long that they won’t get the chance. Especially since it will provide a new research opportunity for SDZ to see how siblings interact at any age, and especially as adolescents.
March 27th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Thanks Suzanne for this interesting and informational update! I am looking forward to learning about panda estrus. I just read in the National Zoo’s panda blog that they plan to artificially inseminate Mei Xiang with Gao Gao’s sperm. They were paired because of their low mean kinship number. Will the SDZ panda staff travel to DC to assist with the insemination? Will the SDZ staff be involved in any other aspect of the future cub’s care? This is such exciting news!
March 27th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I just read some very interesting news over a National Zoo’s panda site…They are planning to inseminate Mei Xiang with Gao Gao’s sperm?! How interesting and exciting. Can you guys elaborate any? It would be interesting to let Gao Gao take a cross country trip for a little rendezvous, but I suppose thats not very practicable.
March 27th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
It would be wonderful if Bai Yun is able to have at least one more cub before she can’t have any more, but if Bai does have a cub this year, how will it affect SDZ’s contract with China? I read somewhere that the contract between SDZ and China ends next year.
March 28th, 2007 at 6:24 am
I am sure our Bai Yun will not let us down this year. I am hoping for twins!! I would love to watch how you guys would handle helping her raise two babies.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
March 28th, 2007 at 8:38 am
I have a new question for you. While watching Lun Lun all cozy curled up in her hammock for a nap, I had images flash through my mind of the enclosures at Wolong.
How do the pandas, e.g. Hua Mei so far, adapt to the less ” posh” environment when they get to China. The parent bears on loan to the US have lived there before, and likely will recall the environment when they return. However, the cubs have all lived in ” state of the art” environments to provide them every creature comfort and enrichment, and bamboo galore. Granted the bamboo is still abundant in Chinese Panda Reserves, the ” state of the art” enclosures are not there.
How do they adapt? Do they take it in stride quickly as a new enrichment presented to them, or do they take a few days/weeks to adjust? I recall reading that Hua Mei adapted quickly, but took that to mean she adjusted readily to her new diet of Chinese bamboo and supplimental cakes. I didn’t think about the close enclosures with iron bars that I have seen in photos of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian immediately preceding their journey to the US.
All US zoos have gone to great lengths to provide open habitats that mimick forested areas, with many climbing and resting structures such as caves, hollow tree trunks, ” jungle gyms” , etc. Does Wolong have anything like that in their larger enclosures? I believe that Hua Mei was given ” her own suite” upon her return to help her acclimate to the climate, food, new keepers etc. But how many of the other pandas get to live in large natural enclosures?
The AZ keeper that is in China doing research on the current breeding season mentioned that there is a shortage of ” housing” space for all the females in estrus because of the need to move the male and female pandas around for breeding. With the large number of cubs born in 2005 and 2006 the space situation will grow as they reach breeding age and need to have their own independent space 100% of the time.
How are US and China working together on this situation? It seems to me that it is wise to breed Mei Xiang and Gao Gao now while they are in optimum living conditions instead of waiting to do the same pairing when they both return to China in the next couple of years and have less room to live in. In the US, Mei Xiang will have the best environment in which to birth and raise a cub. Gao Gao is in the best place to naturally breed with Bai Yun, and she can raise her next cub(s) in the optimum surroundings. He can breed naturally with Bai Yun and within days/weeks also breed with Mei Xiang via artificial insemination. Wow! Isn’t modern reproductive science on wild animals amazing!
March 28th, 2007 at 9:27 am
To those with questions about the insemination of Mei Xiang with Gao Gao:
Gao Gao underwent electroejaculation during his routine annual physical in February. Semen was preserved and then transported to the National Zoo shortly thereafter. Gao Gao will not physically make the trip to the National Zoo during Mei Xiang’s estrus, and the San Diego Zoo will not have any hand in rearing, or ” ownership” rights to, any cub(s) born as a result. After all, Mei Xiang has proven to be a good mother who doesn’t need our help, the National Zoo staff are experienced with cub raising, and all the bears in question are owned by the same ministry in China.
As in 2005, I anticipate our theriogenologist Dr. Barbara Durrant will assist in the insemination remotely, providing advice and guidance as needed to the capable National Zoo staff. Dr. Durrant was responsible for the collection of the semen from Gao Gao.
There are several resons we can’t send Gao Gao directly to the National Zoo for a natural mating. First, we prioritize Bai Yun, our own female who will likely experience an estrus and is the other half of our San Diego proven breeding pair. We wouldn’t want Gao Gao to be out of town when Bai Yun is ready to mate. Second, travel is very stressful for the bears, and we wouldn’t want to impose such a stressful trip on Gao Gao for such a short duration visit. Finally, there is a myriad of red tape and logistical hurdles to overcome before such a trip could be attempted, and it could be very difficult to pull off. Collecting semen for an artificial insemination, and transporting the semen, is much easier on both the bear and staff.
Good luck, Mei Xiang!
March 28th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Elle, yesterday the Washington Post had a very funny and informative story on Gao Gao’s contribution arriving in DC. I believe if you go to their site, you can find it. Exciting times for panda breeding!
March 28th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Regarding the NZ’s blog: Way to go Mr. Gao!!!!!
Question: I don’t see much of Su but I see Tai all the time. He still looks like a little cub! Just wondering, if he were in the wild, how he would survive all by himself (with no keepers, no enrichments, no indoor bedroom)? Would a cub his age know enough to defend himself in the wild? Also, a panda his age won’t be mating for a few years, so in the forest of China, what would he do all day? Just wander?
March 28th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
I was under the impression only ” fresh” sperm was used when artificially inseminating a panda. If that is not the case, why is it that Mei Sheng and Su Lin have to return to China so soon. Could not Mei Sheng’s sperm be shipped to China when needed? I understand there is quite a bit of cost invovled, but in the spirit of conservation, would it not be possible to work something out with China. I understand Miss Bai is on loan, but after 10 years there is no doubt she has become an important member of the San Diego Zoo family, AND the San Diego community.
March 28th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Suzanne,
What an interesting and informative posting. There is always so much to learn about our panda friends.
Please excuse me if this has been covered before, but I don’t recall seeing this discussion: When will Su Lin be out on exhibit again? We will be over there in May and I’m wondering if we’ll be able to see her (and hopefully Mei will still be there?)
Thanks for any information!
March 29th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Thank you, Suzanne, for the wonderful and detailed update on Bai Yun, Gao Gao as well as ” our” little Su Lin. It must be fun to watch her ” chatting” to her brother high up in the tree. It sounds exciting that Bai Yun might come into estrus soon, I keep my fingers crossed. However, considering her age and well-being I feel that it is most important that she stays healthy and if she has more cubs, well, the better.
I was devastated to learn of Yan Yan’s death at the Berlin Zoo. But on the other hand glad that she seems to have died peacefully instead of having had to suffer from an incurable illness. Interesting to read that her mate
Bao Bao was apparently unaffected by her death. It shows again that one should never compare our human emotions with those of our animal friends’ ones.
March 29th, 2007 at 5:11 am
#7 I, too, have often wondered about the marked differences between how the pandas are housed in the US and in China. I was thinking about how (lucky) the pandas must feel when they get picked to go to the US and live in such wonderful, beautiful spaces. And it appears to be such a huge change to go back to China and their more ‘cramped’ facilities. And with the abundance of cubs maturing over there, and that I also read something about shortage of housing for the growing panda population in China (I previously mentioned in one of my blogs), that maybe we could ‘keep’ some of these pandas we have over here, indefinitely. That would be so wonderful. This would be a great solution to their housing problem! Of course, there’s all the red tape and financial aspect of it, but it’s fun to dream about the possibillity of pandas maybe in ALL of the zoos in the US.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Beth #11,
The young bears go home at the required times as a result of our agreement with China.
Noreen #12,
The youngsters will not be on exhibit again until after Bai Yun has an estrus. Beyond that statement, I cannot guarantee you which animals you might see in May. It depends on many, many factors: Bai Yun’s post-estrus status, her choice of locations for birthing, needs of staff, bear attitudes, etc. I can say that prior to his departure for China, Mei Sheng will have a period on exhibit so that patrons have a chance to ” say goodbye” … but I can’t even tell you when that is!
March 29th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Once again thank you foryour update suzanne, I think it is fantastic that the zoos are working together with mating time. I am hoping that bai gets one more cub in maybe twins that she will be able to carry to full term/ she comes from a strong gene pool. And I think it is great that the pandas have captured national attention because it helps with the conservation efforts and hopefully funding that must be needed at times. I wish all the best of luck during this season and hopefully we will see some new cubs this summer.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Thanks, Lisa Anderson, for your comment about Gao Gao and the Washington Post. He’s compared to Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas! It’s a good thing Gao Gao doesn’t have an agent–he’d be negotiating for extra bamboo because of his superstar status. He certainly is the Panda Daddy par excellence.
Thanks again to everyone at SDZ for taking the time from their busy schedules to patiently answer all our questions about the beautiful bears.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Thanks, Suzanne, for the update, and details re: GaoGao and Mei Xiang. Reproductive science is amazing. Is this one of the first times preserved sperm has been used for artificial insemination, or is that what they do in Wolong and Chengdu for the larger numbers of estrus females they have to breed in a short period of time. I can’t imagine that they anesthetize multiple males over a few weeks each spring every time they need to inseminate an estrus female. It makes sense that the US zoos do that with their resident breeding pairs because they only have two bears to deal with at a time. But when you have a dozen or more that gets very unwieldy. Especially when there aren’t enough spaces for the breeding bears to stay during the attempted natural mating process.
We are all hoping for the best for Mei Xiang this year since she is only 8-9 and Bai Yun has already done her share of cub producing and raising. If Bai Yun goes into estrus and is able to produce and rear another cub(s) that is all the better for the Panda population.
Would China consider sending one of their adolescent cubs to the US when we send the US born genetically valuable cubs to them? This would help the space problem and help to mix up the gene pool. It would also allow more cubs to be raised in pristine conditions.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:54 am
GaoGao is living up to his Chinese video star name. He was a video star in China as a youngster after he was rescued as a very young cub. I was surprised that they allowed such a locally popular legend come to the US to live for a few years. I wonder where his celebrity will take him upon his return to China in a couple of years when his loan is ” up.”
March 29th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for the information on our ’studmuffinman’ Gao Gao’s sperm, Suzanne. I am so very excited for Mei Xiang and wish both zoos the best of luck with their upcoming breeding endeveors this year! Gao Gao is surely a favorite for me and my hope is to actually meet him someday before he has to go ‘home’! But if that is not to be, at least hopefully I’ll be able to see a cub of his on NZ soil during one of my yearly treks south to visit my black and white lovelies!
March 29th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Margaret #18,
Usually, bears in Wolong have been AI’d with fresh sperm (ie, straight from the donor). Frankly, this is the best way to go with an AI, as the preservation process invariably results in the loss of some sperm. To do an AI, they do anesthetize their males and females.
However, in recent years Wolong has used more and more frozen semen in order to increase genetic diversity options. Since our technological expertise has increased over the years, so too has our ability to reduce sperm loss during the freezing process. Unfortunately, since nearly all females succeed in natural mating there, the AI donors rarely claim parentage of resulting cubs, particualy if one of Bai Yun’s relatives get into the act on the natural mating side. Pan Pan, Bai Yun’s father, was a champion breeder in part because his sperm outcompeted any others in the genital tract. He had more of it, it swam faster and therefore succeeded more often.
March 30th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Thanks, Suzanne. It sounds like the clock has begun ticking in DC. Mei Xiang’s estrogens have started up so they are now in close watch for the next week for the telltale drop to know exact timing. I guess Tian Tian’s courting days are now over, as she is now separated this afternoon at least and is indoors. This way they can keep her away from her adoring public and allow her more peace and quiet. She appeared to be somewhat restless so she may be wanting more bamboo, or more time out in the Spring sunshine.
How are Bai Yun’s hormones coming along? It will be very exciting if they come into estrus in the same week, and the cub watch begins at the same time. Due to their individual body physiology and chemistry, they could still produce cub(s) weeks apart. The development process for panda cubs is the most mysterious and curious aspect of panda reproduction to me. Because of the pseudo-preganancy issues, and delayed implantation of the fetus, it is a long patient waiting process.
We all look forward to more frequent updates from SDZ and NZP in the coming weeks as the breeding process comes to its pinnacle.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Margaret, I have heard that there is a film of Gao Gao, but have no clue how to get a copy. If anyone has info on this, I would greatly appreciate it! I would LOVE to have a film of my wonderful hunky panda daddy!
Kathy, I agree that keeping some of the bears here would help both us in the US, and China, with their overcrowded living spaces for the pandas. I know that the US has an agreement to send the bears back at a future date, but is there anyway this could be worked out that they could stay here longer? Not that I am begging…….well ok, yeah I am, LOL!
April 1st, 2007 at 9:20 am
I would love to have a current photo of Su Lin on the Panda Cam page. To me, our princess looks a lot like beautiful Hua Mei !
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Linda, I agree with you about Su Lin’s photo. I would just like to ask the panda peeps if they would please ask the elephant peeps to provide us with more pictures and info on Samba and Mabu” s new baby. I cannot find any information on this web site on how the little guy is doing.
April 3rd, 2007 at 7:19 am
Hi…I am fairly new to the Panda cam and am curious… just exactly where is the ” Howdy Door” located? I see the Pandas every once in awhile, wandering over towards the back of one of the exhibit areas, but can’t tell from the cam if there is a door over there connected to another exhibit area. This is fun to watch from North Carolina…Thanks for all the information you provide us.
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:01 am
The howdy door is located near the front of the exhibits, close to the public queue. Currently, the howdy remains closed each day because Bai Yun is not yet exhibiting signs of estrus. Once she is in early estrus, we will open the door for periods of time to allow the bears to interact.
So far, we have seen some mild swelling of Bai Yun’s vulva, which can occur as much as a month prior to estrus. Her hormones remain ” flat” , and no behavioral signs have been observed. Stay tuned though, since we expect her to progress through estrus quickly once the ball is rolling.
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:15 am
1:09 pm Ohio time…thanks for the view of Su Lin! I miss her, and am glad she has settled down. It is so good to see BOTH cubs (Tai & Su) have adjusted to the weaning; I think we ‘pandaholics’ maybe had a rougher time =-( Anyhow, what a comfortable and relaxed cub the Atlanta baby is! Just watching her sleep with her all-together hanging out is too funny. There is too much to keep track of, with three females possibly breeding. (I won’t be able to get ANY work done.)
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:29 am
Some of you have asked about the location and proximity of the off-exhibit or classroom areas for Su Lin and Mei Sheng. On Sunday, my 4-year-old wanted to ride the Skyfari twice–so I was able to get a good bird’s eye view of the Giant Panda Research Station. We were even able to see beautiful Bai Yun taking a drink from her pond!
The exhibit areas for Bai Yun and Gao Gao are on one side of the research building. The off-exhibit areas are on the opposite side of the research building, next to an area with a gift shop and eatery. From above, you can see the long shoots that connect all the areas to the building.
The off-exhibit areas are quite large–larger than the exhibit areas. Su Lin’s area appears to be toward the back with a big beautiful leafy tree and a giant climbing structure. The leaves are somewhat dense, so it was not possible to see if she was resting in her tree. It looks like a wonderful garden oasis for our little girl. Mei Sheng’s area is just as large and has two large lovely poplar trees that have not yet leafed out. It also has a nice big climbing structure. The two areas have a wall between them, but you can see that the trees are certainly close enough for interaction between brother and sister. Now that I know where to look, I realize that you can see the trees from several areas around the zoo, including a walkway coming down from Gorilla Tropics. I have not spotted the young bears from above, but will be on the lookout now!
Heidi (#26) — On another recent visit we asked about the ” Howdy door.” It is located toward the front of the exhibit areas, near the visitor walkway. When panda cam 4 turns away from the cave toward the wall, it is in the right-hand corner. We were told it would not be opened until Bai shows more signs of impending estrus. At the time, they estimated three weeks, which is about now. I see Bai is traversing water this morning. Very exciting!
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Lisa, many thanks for your very detailed description of the off-exhibit areas, and where to look on panda cam for the howdy-gate. After reading, I feel like I am right there. Although I have not been to the zoo in 20 years, I can somewhat picture the locations you mentioned in my mind’s eye from being on the Skyfari.
It is so wonderful that Mei Sheng and Su Lin have the opportunity to interact in the tree tops, even if they don’t get the chance in person. I don’t recall any writings about Hua Mei and Mei Sheng having similar interactions in the trees, although they were both at SDZ at the same age as Sheng and Su are now. I wonder why they didn’t see each other in the trees, unless Hua Mei wasn’t as much of a climber at this age as Sheng is???
I would love to hear their ” conversation.” Is it possible to capture any of their dialog, or are they too high up and therefore far away from a microphone? It is truely a rare opportunity to have two adolescent bears in such close proximity in captivity, while still maintaining their complete independence. From what I have read, and seen, this doesn’t happen at the Panda Research stations in China. Either the adolescents are part of a group of their peers, or they are in independent enclosures on their own. I have not heard of multiple age bears interacting like this anywhere else in the world. If anyone knows of similar situations, please share them. It appears to be providing a ton of research opportunity for interaction of siblings.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Suzanne
The NZ is saying that if and when Mei has an estrus (or not) she will be allowed to interact with Tai again for a little while. Will this be the case with Bai and Su? Or Mei Sheng? Has he seen his mother at all? I am glad to hear he is enjoying seeing his little sister. Does Gao ever see his children or interact with them?
Sorry for so many questions but I am new to the blogs and am trying to understand as much as I can.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Margaret #30,
Actually, Hua Mei was born in 1999 and Mei Sheng in 2003. Mei sheng was just a babe-in-arms when Hua Mei returned to China.
Ellen #31,
it is unlikely that Su Lin and Bai Yun will ever have much opportunity to interact again. Our philosophy is to mimic the wild situation as much as possible. In the wild, evidence suggests pandas do not usually associate with their young once weaning has occurred. The bears are exposed to each other via scent in the tunnels that they use to move from yard to yard, and this exposure mimics the way pandas would encounter scent in their wild environs, running across the paths of bears that had been there before them. Our tunnels even have a few ” scent posts” areas where Gao Gao, in particular, likes to leave scent marks behind.
April 4th, 2007 at 11:52 am
My husband and I visited the zoo in December when we were out there for a vacation. The highlight of my zoo visit was the pandas. I was rather disappointed when I learned that Mei Sheng was off exhibit as my students and I watched him grow up on panda cam, and I really wanted to get a picture of him. BUT I enjoyed getting to observe Bai Yun and Su Lin as well as take pictures. Bai Yun even posed for us. I really wanted to jump in the enclosure and give her a big hug. What a beautiful creature.
It will be very sad when Mei Sheng has to go to China as he is the first baby we had the privilege to observe, and we at Mannford Middle School are partial to him. Don’t get me wrong, we have also observed Su Lin’s progress and are almost as fond of her as we are of Mei Sheng. It will also be sad when she has to go as well.
When will Bai Yun and Gao Gao have to return to China? Hopefully never.
You all are doing a wonderful job with these creatures. Keep up the good work.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Wow! I finally got to see Princess Su Lin climbing ” her” tree in her new home. She walks around like she is the proud owner of her new ” teen pad.” She quickly climbs up for her view of the area, and pauses for a look for who else might be around. ” Hey big brother, are you in?” I am waiting to see if he answers from his perch or his ground floor ” patio.”
Do they bleat at each other only when they are in the trees, or if one of them is up and one is on the ground? Can they hear clearly what the other is ” saying” from such great distances?
April 4th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
To all of us who have wondered about the practice of China separating the cubs from their mothers at 6 months vs leaving them with their mothers to raise until they are 1 1/2 yr.old like our U.S. zoos have done, there is an interesting article about it at the Atlanta zoo website. They comment that is still early in the study but they are seeing some behavioral difference. It always makes me cringe when I read how young those litttle cubs are but at least they are with playmates their own age and not confined all by themselves. Our US cubs are very lucky that they are allowed to mimic Mother nature’s ways!
I’ve never had any doubt that the care our animals get here is the BEST! GREAT JOB! I think we are in for a VERY exciting year!
April 5th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Gao Gao – you studmuffin! I just reaad on the NZ website that you may become a Daddy again, this time with Mei Xiang! Good luck to you and both zoos! We can now wait from news from Memphis, NZ and hopefully SDZ besides watching Mei Lan in Atlanta! It keeps getting better and better every year!!!
What an incredible job these researchers are doing!!!
April 5th, 2007 at 10:40 am
I would be very surprised if DC allowed Tai and Mei Xiang together again. Wouldn’t that be a big setback, and make it harder (especially for Tai), in the long run? He seemed very down after seperating from Mei Xiang…..although I can see them allowing Mei and Tian together after her AI procedure. Da big guy just seems so lonely without his ladylove!
I am really looking forward to Bai Yun and Gao Gao’s getting together when the time is right. I have never had the pleasure of seeing them interact, and am wondering if they are all business, or are there some playful moments involved?
April 5th, 2007 at 10:51 am
The deed has been done, and the first ” mating” of GaoGao for 2007 has taken place with the frozen semen at the NZP in Washington DC. Per their website, Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated yesterday evening and this morning. Now they wait and watch. Panda reproductive science is such a complex process that they may have to wait 3-6 months to know ” for sure.”
So, fellow pandaholics, the beat goes on, and on, and on. Now all eyes turn to Bai Yun, and her estrus cycle. Shortly we will all be glued to Memphis as Ya Ya should be nearing delivery in the next month or so. I have not read about any ultrasound results there, so I don’t know that they have yet be able to confirm a pregnancy or not. I know they are very optimistic and excited about the prognosis.
It sure never gets dull in USA Panda World. Always a cub milestone to watch, or breeding to be done, or birth to occur. Spring is sure in the air! They also inseminated a female elephant over the weekend, so the NZP vets have been busy. I imagine that SDZ and WAP vets are busy too, with births occuring every couple of weeks, and the loss of precious lion cub Mandisa.
Makes working even harder. This East Coast – West Coast timing is a challenge for working people. But it is worth every spare minute to get updated on the new members of the ” conservation core.”
April 5th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
In going back through some of the blogs from the latest updates, I noted that the Berlin Zoo’s panda had passed away unexpectedly. I was curious as to why, even though she was 22 yrs old. They attribute it to constipation, and had not known she was. This seems so unreal, that there wouldn’t be any signs of distress. I know their food must be very ‘bulky’ as it is so fibrous. Maybe she didn’t chew it enough. How often does something like this happen to pandas? Something to take note of and watch out for in our zoos here?? The article said that zoo visitors were alarmed that she wasn’t moving for so long, and informed the keepers. Such a sad thing. On another note, the polar bear cub at Berlin certainly is charming. I wonder when he will realize that his ‘food source’ provider IS his food source later in life! It will be interesting to see how this will play out.
April 6th, 2007 at 6:48 am
Kathy #39, I read that the keeper who is ” living” with the polar bear cub in his exhibit, and feeding him around the clock, said that the cub ” will let me know when he no longer needs my help.” I take that to mean that somehow he will indicate that he can eat on his own, and can then be fed without direct contact similar to the way all other polar bears are fed. Like you, I wonder at what age the natural predator instinct ” kicks in.”
It will be very interesting to see how this develops. If condors chicks can be ” taught” to fend for themselves, and so do wolves, then it seems reasonable that this cub will also. What I wonder is if he will ever be able to be around other polar bears and learn how to use his instincts to hunt his prey. If not, other than artifical insemination, how will he ever be able to successfully court and breed? His may always have to be a somewhat pampered life in captivity without ever being directly exposed to any other polar bears. Sad, but possible.
He is very cute, and seems to be thriving. I wonder how close his exhibit space is to his mother. If she can smell him, which she might be able to do, I wonder what she is thinking?