Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to participate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp. See her previous blog, My International Polar Bear Adventure Begins.

Hello, (finally!) from Churchill, Manitoba-

Today we flew as a group to Churchill. For some this was incredibly exciting as it was their first plane ride of the whole trip (namely the students from Manitoba), and for some it was their first plane ride in which they didn’t lose their luggage, miss a connection, or didn’t have to fly solo. So it was a good flight!
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Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to participate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp.

Greetings from Canada! Everyone is finally here, and Polar Bear Leadership Camp has officially begun. The jitters about meeting everyone are long gone, and although conversations were halting and unsure at first, we now talk about everything from politics to sports at a mile a minute”, or 1.609 kilometers a minute, now that we are in Canada!
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Well, we knew it would happen: Oshana’s daughters Bakari and Abena, the first cubs to be born at the Wild Animal Park’s Lion Camp, will soon be traveling to their new home at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We have all been privileged to watch as the sisters grew from helpless cubs to the confident young females they are today. We will miss them, but this move will enable them to start their own pride when they are old enough. As carriers of an unrepresented bloodline, it is very important that they start families of their own. The girls will stay together and eventually be introduced to a male. Last week, both lions had their pre-shipment exam and passed their physical with flying colors; Bakari (pictured with her father, Izu) now weighs 177 pounds (80 kilograms), and Abena (pictured below) weighs a solid 212 (96 kilograms).
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The latest session of Zoo InternQuest has officially begun! The interns have started exploring careers and conservation efforts at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and have put together their personal profiles for all to enjoy. Have a look by clicking on the Zoo Interquest link to the right!

Last week, giant panda Bai Yun was content to continue through the denning phase as expected, resting quietly outside the den from time to time, enjoying longer feeding bouts and leaving the cub behind to catch up on sleep in the den while she was gone. Over the weekend, however, she began taking the cub out for longer excursions. Once they went all the way to her garden room, though only for a few brief minutes. On Sunday night, a brief excursion became an overnight camp out, as Bai Yun and cub slept under the stars in the sunroom.
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An unseasonably early and rare rainstorm had been predicted for San Diego last week, and we waited eagerly for it to arrive at the Giant Panda Research Station. Pandas, especially youngsters, seem to come alive in the rain, romping and climbing with what appears to be great glee as if the rain was a special treat provided just for them. Throughout Friday morning, I encouraged guests to return to the area should the showers begin and the bears begin to play in it.
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Greetings again from St. Bees Island, Australia. It’s raining less often and the temperature is going up, so spring is definitely here. This signals the start of a busy season for the koalas, not to mention the researchers.
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As you may recall, Mom the Pallas’ cat at the San Diego Zoo is prone to mood swings and holds a grudge when something doesn’t go her way (see blog, Slimmin’ Down for Summer). She has actually been doing very well the past several months. She’s shifting on and off exhibit well, her appetite is good, and there’s even been evidence of some interaction with her enrichment…not because I see it, but with what’s been left of it the next day! So I thought I’d take advantage of this time to try and work some crate training with her.
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Fall is coming, and change is in the air at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station. Last week the weather changed again, and we have had delightfully cool mornings followed by moderate daytime temperatures for several days. The new bus route past the panda facility has proved to be pretty uneventful for the bears (see blog, A New Day in Panda Canyon), as after a few days out Mei Sheng and Su Lin don’t even blink when the buses pass by. Mei Sheng is being prepped for his departure to China, scheduled to occur sometime next month. But the biggest changes are visible right there on the Panda Cam.
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Studying animal bioacoustics and unraveling the meaning of calls doesn’t come as first nature to us. We are primarily visual animals and as such perceive our world, first and foremost, in terms of what we see around us. Many other species utilize other senses much more readily. If we are to truly understand the sensory ecology of another species we really need to imagine ourselves in their world.
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