Acrobatic Moves, Sisterly Habits
Posted at 10:32 am July 15, 2008 by Michelle Thompson
It seems that Zhen Zhen and Su Lin are eager to show off their acrobatic skills lately. After a morning observing Zhen Zhen, I counted three occurrences of her twirling around a tree branch, ending in a hang-dangle position before nimbly setting herself down to the ground below. This went on repeatedly for about 30 minutes as she acrobatically made her way down from the tree, grabbed a piece of bamboo, whizzed up the tree, and eventually made her way back down again. It seemed like she was stashing some bamboo up in one of her hammocks. Likewise, Su Lin has been on a roll with playful moves.
I have also noticed that in the past several days Su Lin has been taking her bamboo up the tree to snack on. I guess sisters think alike!
Watching our cub scale high-up branches isn’t the only opportunity to watch a skilled panda. While Zhen Zhen is climbing on branches far above the ground, Bai Yun (pictured above) spends most of her time below, exhibiting great skill with her feeding techniques. Watch as Bai Yun carefully picks out her preferred pieces of bamboo and tosses the less desirable pieces aside. Also notice how the pandas hold onto their bamboo. Giant pandas have a “pseudothumb,” which is actually an elongated wrist bone. It is not the same as an opposable thumb, but they use it in similar ways. Giant pandas can wedge the bamboo between their regular digits and the “pseudothumb” to aid in feeding.
Lately, I have been particularly entertained by our pandas interacting with their enrichment items. Enrichment increases the complexity of the animals’ environment, allowing them to make different choices and engage in different behaviors. The goal here is to increase the well-being of the animals. Our adult pandas are pretty good at manipulating enrichment items such as feeder puzzles to get to the tasty treats inside. If you have never seen a feeder puzzle, it is an enclosed tube, box, or ball with food inside. There are little holes that allow for the food to fall when handled a certain way.
It will be interesting to see Zhen Zhen progress as she learns. Lately, there has been some new enrichment out that has even posed a considerable challenge to Bai Yun, one I don’t think she expected. A new feeder puzzle with only one hole to let treats out has created some entertaining observations for guests as Bai Yun has had to put in more effort than usual to get at her leaf eater biscuits. It’s pretty captivating to watch her try to figure out how to maneuver her enrichment item and it has definitely kept her busy!
Be sure to stop by the Giant Panda Research Station at the San Diego Zoo or check out Panda Cam for some skillful panda moments!
Michelle Thompson is a research technician at the San Diego Zoo.
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July 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Michelle, it’s amazing all the Ideas you come up with to stimulate and amuse our favorite bears. Thank you for making happy healthy bears. It’s fun to watch Zhen Zhen,she has grown so much and is so different from her sister Su Lin. I have watched Bai with a puzzle feeder and she was determined to get her treats. Thanks again for all you do everyday for our bears
July 15th, 2008 at 11:39 am
are miss sui and zz able to observe each other in the tree branches?
July 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Love that picture of Bai. She is smiling and having a grand time!
July 15th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Just curious — is a panda’s pseudothumb similar to the dew claw in either dogs or cats? Thanks for the interesting blog entry.
Also, thanks for the beautiful tribute to Mr. Shi Shi. I understand he lived a long life for a panda and it’s wonderful knowing his genes are being carried on through his daughter, Hua Mei, and her six cubs. Are all of her babies males?
Michelle responds: Giant pandas have five aligned digits. In addition, they have the pseudothumb. The panda’s pseudothumb is an extension of the radial sesamoid bone, which is a wrist bone. Dew claws are not of this same origin.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
It’s nice to hear some more fun and light hearted stuff! I just can’ get enough of our pandas at SDZ! Such precious souls/bears they are! Can’t wait to see Zhen Zhen do acrobatic stuff like her sister, Hua Mei, and brother Mei Sheng!
July 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Thank you thank you! for the blogs on these pandas..I can’t watch them on the Panda Cam all the time and its nice knowing about these precious bears..FYI I look forward on here to read all your blogs! Thank you…and keep blogging
July 15th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Momma Bai is such a beautiful lady!!! What a wonderful picture of her here!!
How are the 1st birthday celebration preparations coming? It will be here in, what, about 2 weeks!! I can not WAIT to see this video since ZZ is my first cub!! I am all a ” twitter” with anticipation!!
Thank you for the wonderful information shared here….you are all such wonderful people to share with all of us out here!! Have a great evening!!
July 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Thanks for the new posting! I love the part in which Bai Yun spends a great deal more amount of time and efforts to get to the leaf eater biscuits. I can only imagine the challenge and fun for Bai Yun!
July 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Oh how I wish I could visit the Zoo and see the wonderful tricks these wonderful animals perform! Reading descriptions like Michelle’s and the keepers is the next best thing – when I close my eyes I can just see the pandas climbing, eating, performing their acrobatics!
Bai does look like she is really smiling….she must love her enrichment items!
July 16th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Thanks, Michelle, for this nice, newsy update on our favorie ladies. I have Miss ZZ’s birthday marked on the kitchen calendar and our family will be celebratig with a cake! Hmmm… Maybe I should be looking for some choice bamboo shoots too!
July 16th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Thanks Michelle, for a great entertaining update on ” the girls.” It is wonderful to hear of their similarities and differences. I would love to see Bai Yun trying to figure out how to get her biscuits out of the new feeder. I love to watch the differences in the way that the three pandas at NZP work with the gourd to get their treats out. Tai and Tian tend to bang it with their heads or push it around. Mei, before she got her pregnancy lethary, would hold it up over her belly area and shake it and turn it around to get the food to fall out. She seemd to be more genteel and ” daintier” about it, where as the males just used brute means to force it out. Quite amusing. I haven’t seen Mei Sheng or Gao Gao using a puzzle feeder, so I don’t know if their is a difference in the male behavior versus female at SDZ or not. I know Yang Yang is much more clumsy and boisterous about his ” toys” and enrichment items than Lun Lun is. Mei Lan tends to be more like her father than her mother.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Bonanza day for me at the NZ webcams today! Usually tune in too late & can’t see many animals. Today giant pandas, sloth bears, clouded leopard, tiger, Asian small-clawed otter – all snoozing at 2:00pm DC time. Also the black-footed ferret & her kit, who is growing like a weed! He is getting his markings and looking cuter by the day. Wish I could see the cheetahs one of these times. They are also elusive at our local zoos.
Fellow pandaholics – are the pregnancy watches just driving you crazy with anticipation? Like others, I was sure last week Mei Xiang was about to deliver. Come on girls, feed our cubbie addiction.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Ditto, Sharon #12, at 3:15 PM EDT. I have never seen a bear of any species as close up as the Sloth bear is to the glass at NZP this afternoon. It is lying spread eagle – tummy up on the rocks with its tail end up against the glass. The children visiting the zoo are delighted. It raises its head every so often, probably in response to the voices of the visitors, and then leans back and resumes napping. What an incredible treat to their fans. Normally these bears are either asleep, eating from their ” termite mound” feeder, or roaming around the exhibit in search of food. I have seen Tai Shan about two feet away from the glass, lying face down on his favorite manhole grid but even then he was not as close as this sloth bear.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It is hard to see the pandas on the cam. The area is too dark. I use to watch the panda cam practically non-stop with Hua Mei and Su Lin. The lighting in the area was clear. Now, it’s too dark. Why is that?
Thanks, Nancy
Moderator’s note: The picture differs day to day with the amount of daylight and the angle of the different
cameras.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
#12 – oh, I am so excited about the possibility of the new cubbie at the NZ!!! I keep checking to see where things stand…sure can not wait. I do wish the NZ had more video link like SDZ…maybe they will when/if the new cubbie is born..??
Keep us all posted out here in panda land!! THANKS everyone!!
July 16th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
It seems like just a short while ago we were waiting for Bai to give us a cub…now we are enjoying the fruits of Bai Yun’s labor and waiting for hopefully 2 more cubs. After the disaster in China a new cub is a joyous occasion, wherever it may be. I fear for the species not knowing what the conditions in the wilds of China are. It seems that Mei Xiang is exhibiting the same sort of behavior(s) that Bai did, remember how she just gazed at the cams?…she stares into space, I sure wonder what is going on there! It is nerve wracking so it must be moreso for the staff…sometimes she is rooting in the straw or cuddling her toy, next thing she is munching away acting fairly normal! We will all be on pins and needles til the baby or babies come or do not come…what delicious anticipation!!
July 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I love this article about the panda sisters! They are such pretty, entertaining little ladies. Bai Yun has done a great job of raising them. I was wondering if Zhen Zhen, with all her climbing skills, has ever fallen out of the trees? If I remember right, Su did only once.
When ZZ is older, will it be possible at all for her to interact with big sis Su Lin?
Thank you for all you do for this wonderful panda family, and for the sweet tribute to Shi Shi.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
To Francie #16 and all panda cam watchers,
Hope many of you got to watch Mei Xiang this morning (7/16) between 10 and 10:45 east coast time! First she was in the main indoor area lying on her back on the rocks. She roused herself and headed into her den where she curled up into a ball between her sleeping platform and the wall. Suddenly she sat up and began tearing up bamboo and looked as if she was eating some of the leaves. Then she lay down on her back with her right rear leg propped up on the wall. I was certain that today would be ‘the day’.! Next she rolled over and after resting her head on the sleeping platform, Mei decided to climb up onto the platform where she made herself comfortable by lying on her stomach and hanging her front paws and her head way over the edge. Remember Bai Yun doing the head-over before she gave birth to Zhen? Maybe soon!
Also there is a panda book which was released in the Chinese edition and given to children in China this week. It was originally relesed in March/April 2008 in the United Kingdom. Written for children (ages 4-12) and their parents, it details the Panda Research Station. I went to Amazon to see if it was available; no luck. HOWEVER
The SDZ Shop Online does have this book!!!
Moderator’s note: To see all the panda books offered by the San Diego Zoo’s online store, visit http://www.shopzoo.com/panda-shop-panda-books-c-27_60.html
July 16th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I too have been watching Mei Xiang in anticipation of a new cub. She has been backing herself into that corner exactly the way she did when she gave birth to Tai (when he ” shot” out). I had the pleasure, a few weeks ago, of seeing Bai Yun, Zhen Zhen, Su Lin (for the second time) and Mr. Gao, Gao in San Diego. My first viewing early in the day, Su Lin was hiding near the howdy door and Zhen was sitting with her mom like a big girl eating bamboo. Of course I had to go back later in the afternoon and Zhen was sleeping in the front tree. She was so close I could have reached out and touched her. It was perfect. Mr. Gao Gao (I was lucky enough to get a back stage ” peek” ) was sleeping all sprawled out and comfy. I am going back again in September and hope that I can have more magical moments with the SD panda family.
July 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Hi, you all! Just been on the pandacam today and a couple of days ago. Saw Bai eating her bamboo, and I did watch her on how she shreds it to get to her favorite parts of the boo. She’s also a very good eating machine on the female side! But, I think Gao is still the eating champ at SDZ! I saw little miss ZZ on a tree branch snoozing a couple of days ago on the cam. Still can’t catch her when I do get on the cam because she’s always hiding in the trees snoozing! I’ll keep on trying, tho!
Just read P Wong’s latest conversation, this time with Shi Shi. That one was really cute and adorable! Almost made me cry when I read it, but God gave Shi Shi a new body that is without pain, can see and smell, and he’s as happy as a panda can be! P Wong, you outdid yourself again! LOVED IT!!
Also read from wolongnews’s comment that the second Wolong panda has given birth to a cub! YEA!!! One more to add to the Wolong population! That’s great news. Wolongnews, keep us updated about the Wolong momma pandas when you get them, ok? We need all of good news about the new cubs in China that we can get! Thanks!!
To those of you that have been doing the pregnancy watch thru the NZ pandacam, I am doing the same thing EVERY DAY AND NITE! Believe you me, I am getting excited, too! There are 2 new updates on the NZ panda page and pregnancy watch page from July 14 and 13 respectively with a new chart on the July 13 update. Mei Xiang is spending more time in den 3 sleeping, and she’s been shredding bamboo in the den for nest making. The keepers have been bringing in fresh hay into the den to make it more comfy. They are also trying to get Mei Xiang into her training cage for ultrasound checks, but nothing doing despite her favorite treats and scents! She’s just was not budging! Lethargy rules!! Mei Xiang is starting to show maternal behaviors lately as well. They are now on 24/7 watch that started this week, so when we all get on the NZ pandacam, someone in the cam room will be operating it all day and all nite. Last nite, they had pandacam 1 focused on the den with Mei Xiang sleeping in there. My guess is as good as yours, but I think that Mei Xiang could be pregnant! Won’t really know for sure until the last week of July comes around, tho. I’m hoping and praying! Also, on the NZ website was a short message thanking everyone for donating thru their link for the Panda Relief Fund. It ended yesterday, July 15, and they had raised about $75,000 for the relief and rebuilding efforts for Wolong. They had over 800 donors thru that link, and that was a really great effort on their part! Thanks, NZ!!
Gonna go! Trying to keep this from getting too long!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hi! I’m back again with another panda pregnancy update from Atlanta Zoo. They also have a new update from July 14 on their panda update page with a new chart on Lun Lun’s hormone levels. She’s pretty much matching Mei Xiang’s hormone levels after I compared the 2 charts even tho Lun had her 2 AI procedures about a month after Mei Xiang’s. The AZ panda keepers are also on a 24/7 pregnancy watch as well, and they feel that they can expect a possible cub in early August. Lun has been spending alot of time indoors in the A/C mostly sleeping and not moving around much. I’m sure that they are also trying to do ultrasound checks on her as well. I’m excited about Lun’s chances of having a new baby panda, and I think that she might be pregnant! Will have to wait and see, tho.
On the NZ ferret cam, the baby ferret is a boy, and momma Georgia is doing a great job taking care of him. This little guy is still pretty active and keeping his mom very busy keeping him close, and he has grown alot the last 4 weeks! Last nite, I watched this baby ferret eventually find the opening to the nest box and literally climbed his way out of it! His eyes haven’t opened up all the way yet, but he eventually found the way out! Momma came back in the box, didn’t see baby, went back out to retrieve him and brought him back inside. She really works hard to keep her baby very close to her! He has his black markings on the legs, tail, face, and a brushing of black on his back. Just waiting for his eyes to fully open up. That’s when momma ferret will really be getting busy keeping up with him! He’s doing the crawling stage now, but once he starts walking, have fun Georgia! No name for the baby ferret yet, tho.
I read a couple of comments about the wild pandas in China. I am with all of you that are very concerned about the wild panda population over there. Just hoping that we get some news about that situation real soon. Praying for some good news on that front!
Well, gonna go! Will be checking the pandacam again before it gets too dark, and will also keep checking in on Mei Xiang on the NZ pandacam. I’m hoping that Atlanta Zoo will be able to get their pandacam back on 24 hour schedule real soon. We have to see how Lun Lun is doing, too!
Love to all the pandas,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 16th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I have to say — that is one happy bear in that picture!! I’m so happy that the girls are enjoying their summer vacation — but then again — everyday is a vacation for these lucky bears. What a smile!
July 16th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Heartwarming shots of Bai & Miss Z this afternoon. They were facing each other as they munched on bamboo. Zhen seems to be doing a good job of eating her pile now. First time I’ve seen her in days.
The Mei Xiang pregnancy watch is getting to me – noticed that there is more light in her den now – I guess so observers can see more of her behavior. The cams will be turned off if a birth is immenent or occurs so Mei can have some privacy.
On another note – sometime back the SDZ sent 2 lion cubs to the Grand Rapids zoo (John Ball zoo). I promised I’d check on them. Well, today I got to the zoo & headed off for the new multi-million $$ lion exhibit. It took them a while to get used to the exhibit but are now right at home – how they have grown – they are both magnificent animals. So thank you SD for the lion cubs & as we have a handsome male hopefully we’ll have our own cubs here.
Moderator’s note: Thank you for the update on our young lionesses, Maureen!
July 16th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I haven’t seen Bai Yun play with the puzzle feeder, but she really seemed to be having a good time with a wooden(?) cube a few weeks ago. Was that the enrichment item you mentioned in the blog?
I agree with lynda #7–can’t wait for Miss ZZ’s birthday celebration. Do Bai Yun and Gao Gao get birthday treats on their birthdays too?
Helen #4–I’m pretty sure some of Hua Mei’s cubs are male. I think the last set of twins was one male one female–someone correct me if I’m wrong. Not sure about her earlier cubs.
And Michelle, since you mentioned Bai Yun’s feeding technique–I noticed in the clips of the ” Olympic” pandas that they pretty much chomped right through the bamboo stalks rather than stripping them down like the SDZ pandas do. Is it a different kind of bamboo? Do they not know about the other technique because they didn’t have enough of a chance to observe adult pandas eating?
Still have fingers crossed for more cubs. More pandas=more fun!
July 17th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Hi Moderator,
How long will you be keeping the earthquake relief site up? I find it easy to donate on the site each month and since I live in Canada you won’t take a cheque from me. I will be visiting in early September so if the site is down will there be somewhere I can give cash? The pandas and people will be needing funds for a long time so I’m willing to help when I can. People in BC have sent builders and lumber to the area and are building wooden houses as they withstood the quake better than cement buildings.
Moderator’s note: Thank you for your contributions to the Wolong Panda Center Earthquake Relief fund, Lee. The Web site page for contributions will be available until December.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Helen#4 if my facts are correct, Hua Mei has 5 males and 1 female cub to date. Nothing heard about if she is pregnant this year or not. Poor Mei Xaing in DC looks so uncomfortable,she seems so ready each time i see her
July 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
To those of you who have had the opportunity to watch Mei Xiang this afternoon, she sure is acting like she is pregnant and in labor. She lies on her back in the thick bedding cradling her Kong toy, and suddenly gets up and bends over and looks at her hind end like something is going on. She gets almost curled up against the wall. Then she stands up and leans against the wall and pushes against the door of her den and kind of mouths it. It is as if she goes through contractions and they ease up a bit. If this is a pseudopregnancy, it sure is realistic. It appears to me to be very different from her pseudopregnancy last year. It seems cruel to me that her body would go through these gyrations if there is not a real cub(s) on its way into world. For her sake, I hope it is 2.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
NZP just sent an email newsletter in which they said, ” We would like to thank everyone who responded to our call for help for the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve in the wake of China’s devastating earthquake in May. In just six weeks, more than 900 donors contributed more than $90,000! Your generosity amazed us and exceeded our expectations.”
Great job and great news for Wolong and Panda conservation in China.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I think I may have posted this before — but it really surprises me — that a panda — as big as they are — can go through so much agony giving birth to something the size of a stick of butter. Everytime one of these amazing animals gives birth — I feel so bad for them — because they do seem to be so uncomfortable — but I really can’t figure out why — especially when you compare the size of a human baby / human vs. a panda / stick of butter. Does anyone know why?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Hi, you all! Just got on the NZ website panda page, and on the pandacam was Mei Xiang sleeping away in her den on top of her bed of bamboo with her big arm over her face! On the China earthquake page, there’s an update from July 16 about the Panda Relief Fund that NZ just ended. They had over 900 donors that have donated over $90,000! WOW!!! Wolong will surely benefit from that large amount of money! To all of the people in the DC and surrounding areas, you were awesome–Thanks!
Got on the SDZ cam just a few minutes ago, and I have finally caught little ZZ up a tree, and I do mean way up a tree! SNOOZING!!!!!!! Rolled up in a nice furry ball on a large branch! I’m so happy that I was able to catch her in the late afternoon on the cam, because it is so hard to catch this little girl at any time of the day on the cam! I also love that pic of Bai with her stool on her lap! She does look like that she smiling and having fun!
Along with the SDZ having a link to make donations for the Earthquake Relief Fund, Atlanta Zoo and Memphis Zoo also have links to their donation sites for people in those areas to continue making donations for Wolong and the pandas. They don’t know how much longer they will be keeping their donation drives going, but you all in the Atlanta and Memphis areas keep on donating for Wolong. I keep checking those websites to get updates on how much they have raised so far, but they haven’t told us anything yet. Hope it is a whole lot of money coming in from everybody!! Keep it up!
Gonna go. Will keep checking all of the pandacams, especially the cams with Mei Xiang and Lun Lun. At least I can check on Mei Xiang all nite long if I want to on the NZ pandacam.
Love to all of the pandas,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 17th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
#24 and 26 — Thanks so much for your responses to my question about Hua Mei’s babies. If she has had 5 males and 1 female, then obviously Mr. Shi Shi’s genes are very important to be passed on through male pandas. What better tribute could there be to Mr. Shi Shi than for his daughter to pass his male panda genes to his grandsons?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
am watching Bai (in a hammock??) eating bamboo while Miss Z is on the ground busy with her pile of bamboo. Too cute.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Watching Miss ZZ now up in her checkerboard hammock with the most gigantic branch of bamboo that she is twirling around and Bai Yun is below contentedly dining away. Ahhhh.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Does anyone know how long a panda’s labor lasts? How can we tell if Ms. Mei is about to deliver? I know NZ will turn off the camera if/when she gives birth, but watching her the last couple of days is killing me. She looks so uncomfortable. And I agree, Margaret #27, let’s hope it’s two! Hopefully, she’s not as uncomfortable as she appears.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Just got the latest letter from Suzanne at Pandas International about the current assessment of the damage done by the earthquakes and current arrangements for the pandas. Much of it is a duplicate of information we’ve seen before, but there are 2 great pictures of a panda cub in a car. Apparently ” instead of waiting for cages and trucks, a cub got to ride in the front seat of a van to safety. ” I just checked the web site and don’t see these pictures yet, but would expect them to be there soon. Also has some cute pictures of the cubs hugging (or clinging to) the keepers. The pandas are very lucky to have such caring people in their lives.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:39 am
The NZP birth watch roller coaster continues: ” July 17
Mei Xiang’s urinary progestin concentrations have increased slightly over the past two days. Although we are still on the tail end of the luteal phase and the secondary rise, the slight increase indicates that this year’s reproductive cycle is not over yet. As more samples become available, we will conduct additional analyses.”
The weight goes on. For poor Mei Xiang I hope it isn’t too long a wait. At times she seems very uncomfortable and restless and the next minute she is blissfully sleeping. That happened last year too as I recall, but it seems much more pronounced positioning in the den this year.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Ying Ying gives birth to cub 7/13/08. Labor was difficult due to her ” senior” age (her first cub was born 1998). She is female Yang Yang’s mother and Fu Long’s maternal grandmother.
www(dot)pandaclub(dot)net(slash)%5Cview_e.jsp?tipid=1216195954083
July 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am
As ” wolongnews” said in the previous blog, a female panda at Ya’an near Wolong gave birth to a cub on July 13. She is the mother of Yang Yang in Vienna Zoo who gave birth to Fu Long in August of last year.
She might be older than Bai Yun. If you are interested, please read the story about her birth published in:
www(dot)pandaclub(dot)net(dash)view_e.jsp?tipid=1216195954083
July 18th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Thanks, P Wong #37 and banya #38 for the happy news. And thanks again, P Wong, for your lovely conversation with Shi Shi.
July 18th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Hello fellow panda fans. Another cub in Wolong – yay!!! I haven’t been able to catch much of our Miss ZZ lately – she just loves the high and lofty places. I’ll just have to keep trying.
I agree with those of you who have recently observed Mei Xiang – the poor girl just can’t seem to find a comfortable position. I, too, hope and pray we will soon know if she’s going to gift us with another cub (or two – won’t that be great??!!).
By the way, for those of you who have not seen much of Mei Lan lately, go to youtube dot com and search for the following:
Wild Child Mei Lan – July 14, 2008 – Part 1
Wild Child Mei Lan – July 14, 2008 – Part 2
Wild Child Mei Lan – July 14, 2008 – Part 3
(another quick way to find these clips is to just type ‘panda mei lan’ and sort by date added).
Mei is in her glory – playing with her toys and tumbling into the hammock, chasing her ball, nibbling on boo and whatever else she could think of doing! At the end of part three, she’s so exhausted, she literally drops to sleep in the hammock with all the mess she created around her!! I don’t know what was in her breakfast that day, but watching her is pure joy!!
July 18th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Hi! Congrats to Ying Ying on the birth of her cub at Bifengxia! YEA!!! That makes 2 momma pandas with cubs now, right? Hoping that more Wolong momma pandas will be able to have cubs. Suzanne Braden mentioned in one of her updates that no one really knows how much this May 12 earthquake has affected the females that are possibly pregnant. Only time will tell.
About Pandas International, got my email newsletter from them on 7/17/2008. Suzanne Braden wrote this update with pictures, and it had a lot to say. I’m going to mention some of the things that she wrote about to all of you that have not gotten PI email newsletters. PI’s website does not have this newest update up yet. So, here goes!
This is an update report by Suzanne Braden on the status of Wolong Reserve, the pandas, the staff, and where things are standing as of now. China’s earthquake toll: nearly 70,000 people dead, approximately 375,000 injured, about 20,000 still missing (I’m guessing those are people that couldn’t be accounted for in the remote mountain areas of the quake zone that rescuers have not been able to get to yet), millions of people homeless, and no doubt millions of dollars in destruction and damage in Sichuan Province alone. The exact toll on the residents living in the quake zone is incalculable and won’t be known for years. Even tho the people have lost so much as far as family losses, homes gone, possessions lost, they are very thankful to be alive and are working to rebuild their lives, cities, homes.
The toll on the Wolong pandas has been huge from the stats that Suzanne gave. Before the quake, there were 63 pandas at Wolong Reserve. We already know about Mao Mao’s death and Xiao Xiao still missing. Eighteen panda pens destroyed, 14 severely damaged. Wolong Reserve still faces severe secondary geological disasters due to landslides and mud rock flows occuring frequently because of the rainy season, and that poses serious threats to the pandas’ safety. The very strong quake has sheared off large sections of the surrounding mountains which makes them unstable and highly susceptable to more landslides from more heavy rains. Pandas have been moved to other reserves and facilities in safer locations. They are being sent to new homes at Bifengxia in Ya’an, Chegndu Panda Center, and facilities in eastern Fujian Province and southern Guangdong Province. At Bifengxia, 40 pandas were sent there that’s set up with 16 temporary pens and a kindergarten for the baby pandas with 20 more pens under construction that will be ready by mid October. Eight pandas are at Beijing Zoo for the Olympics. Three 2 year old female pandas were sent to Yunnan Wild Animals Park in Kunming, Yunnan Province, for about 2 years. Five 3 year old pandas were sent to Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, for about 3 years. Several other pandas were sent to Fuzhou panda research center and Panyu Zoo in Guangdong Province. Seven 1 year old pandas still remain at Wolong with temporary enclosures built in the town of Wolong; a much safer area for them and the staff. Female panda pregnancies are still a concern. It’s not known just how many wild pandas have died in the quake. One unconfirmed report said that at least 15 bodies of wild pandas have been found. 80% of Sichuan’s panda habitat suffered damage from the quake. Much of the bamboo is buried; slides maybe blocking the pandas’ migration paths.
PI will stay in contact with Wolong staff to assess their progress and needs. Now that the large majority of the pandas have been moved to safer areas, planning and rebuilding can get started.
Hope that gives all of you a sense of what Suzanne Braden has seen and the info she has gathered during her stay in China. The next newsletter will have an account from one of the Wolong staff members of their experiences when the earthquake hit. That one will be a very interesting read to say the least!
Gonna go. Keep praying for China and the pandas there!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 18th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Hi again! My BAD for misspelling Chengdu!! Got the n & g backwards and forgot to change that when I proofread it. Anyway, I did get on the NZ pandacam earlier tonite, and Mei Xiang was on her platform in her den on her back sleeping. I’m going to go back there again in a little while to check on her again before going to bed. And, I got on the SDZ pandacam to check on Bai and ZZ, and there was no one in camera view! They are probably around their yard somewhere. Also checked the Atlanta Zoo panda page, and nothing new about Lun Lun right now. The wait for baby panda cubs is a little bit excruciating, isn’t it? Cat (#35), I saw those 2 cute pics of the one panda that got lucky enough to ride in the front seat of the van! That was too cute! Those pics should bring a lot of smiles because that was so special. You are right about these keepers and staff of Wolong Reserve; they do care a whole lot for their pandas! The other pics on the PI newsletter were a mix of happy and sad, tho. They just remind all of us of what these people and the pandas have had to go thru over the past 2 months since the quake.
Well, gonna quit and go to bed. Will check all the pandacams tomorrow, especially the NZ cam. Unfortunately, the AZ cam is offline until Monday. Memphis Zoo has their cam on 24/7, but with Ya Ya not expecting to be in season, I just check their cam every once in awhile. Le Le, MZ’s male panda, will be ten years old this month. I’ll also check the SDZ cam and hopefully see little Miss ZZ being her cute little self!
Good nite, everybody!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Michelle, thank you for your lively report on the pandas. Zhen Zhen seems to be a little ” daredevil” considering her escapades. Great to know that they are all feeling well and fit. P. Wong, thank you for pointing out the website regarding Xing Xing giving birth. Quite interesting that she is Yang Yang’s mother and Fu Long’s granny.
It shows ” we” are all a big panda family. Your lovely poem brought tears to my eyes. Your poems are always great, but this one in particular was really capturing.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Saturday pandacam highlights: Mr. Gao Gao sleeping like a baby, Bai Yun and ZZ nursing, Miss ZZ playing with her natural enrichment items–a pinecone and a branch–and just having the BEST time. Thanks, meerkats!
July 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Hey, panda watchers! National Zoo’s panda pregnancy update page has 3 updates with new charts that are pretty important to read and look at from July 13, 15, 17. You’ll find these updates about Mei Xiang’s hormone levels pretty interesting. I also got on the NZ pandacam to check on Mei Xiang, and she was sound asleep at the entrance to the den doorway. Looked in on Tai Shan, too; he was sound asleep in a very funny position. Still waiting for Mei Xiang to let us know something, and this should be coming in the next week or so if not sooner.
Got on the SDZ pandacam, and for a couple of minutes, I didn’t see a panda anywhere. Then, I saw this green foliage moving and realized that this was a large stack of bamboo, and who was holding on to that stack? Bai Yun!! She was waving that stack of boo and looked like she was buried under it! Didn’t see little ZZ, tho. Probably up a tree again sleeping!
NZ’s baby ferret is really thriving and growing! It looks like that his eyes have finally opened up and his ears have popped open. His black markings are alot more pronounced now. He’s also trying to use those little legs to walk around on in his den. He was 4 weeks old yesterday (Friday, July 18), will be a month old tomorrow (Sunday, July 20). It’s really awesome to see this little baby ferret grow as fast as he has, and the amount of growth he has gained over the last 4 weeks is just phenomenal! This little guy has grown from the size of a baby panda at birth to almost a third of his mom’s size in that amount of time! Momma Georgia has really done a great job getting this little ferret thru his first month with no problems. Still no name for him yet.
Well, gonna go and check on the pandacams again, especially Mei Xiang’s cam. Have to keep checking on her every chance I get because I’ll never know what she will do tonite or during the next week! Going a little nuts waiting for a possible baby panda from both Mei Xiang and Lun Lun!!
Nite!!!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 20th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Has Zhen been trained, or encouraged, to stay up in the tree while her caretakers clean her area?
July 20th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Help needed for the baby watch at NZ please. Does anyone know how the camera numbers at NZ work…I have never been able to figure out just who is who except for Mei when she is in her den. Chari # 45 — I figured you would be the one to know since you keep us all so well informed on what’s going on at all the zoos. Anyone else know about this ????
Nobody at SDZ seems to be around today, hiding in trees probably. Guess that means another check in an hour or so.
Donna from Port Richey
July 20th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Hello panda lovers. Just looked in on Mei Xiang at 8:10 p.m. DC time. Man, she sure looked like she was cradling a cub. But then she moved one of her hind legs and it looked to me like she was eating something or drinking out of a bowl. But she’s been that way for a long time. All this waiting is driving me crazy!! I think all of us so want to see a cub that we’re starting to imagine things – at least I am. oh, she’s sitting up and scratching now. She looks like she can’t wait either, poor girl! Now she’s licking her you-know-what and has wedged herself between the platform and the wall with her feet braced against it. Now, more scratching. Now she’s turned towards the other wall and appears to be pushing against it. More licking. Turns back to the other wall and bends over. Oh well, now she’s got some bamboo and is merrily chomping away, but still with her feet braced against the wall. Now she’s lying on her side, now she’s up again. She’s still nibbling at the boo, but she seems to be doing it just to have something to do. Oh rats!! I have to go!! That cub just has to come soon!!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:23 am
Just poked in to have a look at our beauties. Too bad that the pandacams are not clearer and only appear to be in black and white (those are panda colors you know, and it makes it hard to tell the bears from the bushes, lol). Even the bedrooms are dark. The NZcam is clear as a bell. Can’t you get a photography guru to ” tweek” them a bit?
July 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Hi folks,
Another wolong panda mom ‘Xing Long’(?) has given birth to a pair of twins! Five cubs so far this year from Wolong reserves.
www(dot)chinanews(dot)com(dot)cn/sh/news/2008/07-21/1318970(dot)shtml
btw, the following link has lots of update on wolong pandas/cubs etc.
http://lookpanda(dot)blog(dot)sohu(dot)com/
July 21st, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Here’s an English version of the new birth of twins: www(dot)shanghaidaily(dot)com(slash)article(slash)?id=367707&type=National
Mother is Long Xin, younger sister of Yuan Yuan who is slated to go to Taiwan later this year. Long Xin was also taken to Ya’an like Guo Guo. She is 8 years old.
Hopefully we’ll have good news from NZ and AZ soon, too.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
The NZwebsite has a little paragraph advising panda fans that they will turn off the Mei Xiang’s den cam if they believe birth might be imminent. Don’t know if that’s the case, or ifthey just decided to give Tai Shan some extra attention while they do another exam on Mama. The suspense is killing me! As they say: stay tuned, folks.
More wolong babies! YAY!
July 21st, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Donna, #47, I believe Mei is on Camera 1. I’ve checked all times of the day and night, and she seems to be on #1 whenever I check in on her. Hope this is helpful. Now, I wish we could only be helpful to her, and ” wish” the baby or two be born soon!
July 21st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hi, Donna (#47)! Linda A. is right about which cam Mei Xiang is on at NZ. She’s on pandacam one, and I just checked in on her a few minutes ago. She looks like she’s in her den sleeping. I looked on her earlier today, and she was in her den sleeping on her bamboo nest. I agree with you, Linda, and everybody else! Gotta keep wishing and praying for Mei Xiang to give us some kind of sign of a birth real soon. Lun Lun is another one that we’re waiting on as well! NZ also has written 2 new updates on their panda pages–July 19 and 20. One of them is on the pregnancy update page with a new chart. AZ has a new update about Lun Lun today–July 21. At both zoos, everybody is watching both bears on 24/7 watch, getting urine samples to determine hormone levels (especially progestines), trying to get ultrasounds on them (ultrasound done on Lun today, nothing yet), other things. Still a wait and see deal here!!
Before getting on the comment page, I just noticed a new article about Guo Guo giving birth to her baby panda twins. Then, I just saw a comment by wolongnews about Xing Long giving birth to twins! Then, Ying Ying also had a baby panda cub. Oh yeah!! Five Wolong babies so far! It looks like that earthquake has not affected these 3 momma pandas having their babies! But, the jury is still out on the other Wolong female pandas that had AI procedures done earlier this year, and whether they will have babies or not. Keep your fingers crossed and pray real hard, pandafans!
I got on youtube last nite and watched that 3 part video of wild child Mei Lan! That was soooooo funny!! She was like a maniac with that smaller ball and running, climbing, and rolling all over the place! The third video was when she finally wore herself out and was sound asleep with her head on the big huge ball that was sandwiched between the bottom log and the hammock. That was sooo cute! I also watched a couple of other Mei Lan vids on youtube that were also cute and funny.
Well, gonna go and check the SDZ pandacam again. Got on there a little bit ago on Su Lin’s cam, and she was not there! Will also keep on checking NZ pandacam often on Mei Xiang. Will also call NZ about why they plan on not letting all of us pandafans watch Mei Xiang’s birth of her cub if and when that does happen. I’m very curious to know the reasons for that myself!
Now, I’m going to go and read that new article about Guo Guo. See you later!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
We might want to consider the age of some of the viewers when pondering why they NZ will turn off the cams if/when they expect a birth. While I for one would LOVE to catch the birth live, I’m sure when it happens they’ll run it for us as soon as they know all is well. As much as we love these animals they are still just that..animals and therefor unpredictable in these types of circumstances. If Mei Xiang decides to (heaven forbid) reject the baby or some other possibility, that does not need to be seen by #1 youngsters, or #2 someone that could use it against the zoo or any organization that has captive wild animals. PETA would love to post stuff like that all over the internet. I’m sure none of this is going to happen as she took such phenominal care of Tai, but you just never know. We need to trust that they’ll do the best they can to keep us informed and up to date and do what’s best for the pandas we love and the zoo itself.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
#55 Dawn in Michigan – I wholeheartedly agree with your viewpoint. We just need to be patient and considerate of the zoo’s rationale behind their decisions. It can’t be an easy task to plan and manage such great but sometimes complex events. I think one of the posters on this blog was wondering if NZ was prepared to handle twins – a very good question; I would think that they are, given that it is a very real possibility. Oh man, wouldn’t that be just amazing??!!!
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 pm
More photos of Long Xin giving birth 7/21/2008 found here:
www(dot)pandaclub(dot)net(slash)%5Cview.jsp?tipid=1216771359696
Rough translation of excerpts:
Long Xin was agitated 8 pm previous evening. She moved around in pen and chewed on wood fence material till 1:12 am when she had contractions and increased straining. At 2:32 am she broke water and first cub was born 2:56 am. At 4:17 am, Long Xin broke water again and second cub was born about a minute later. The second was much smaller than the first. Long Xin picked up her second cub and then immediately put it back on the ground as she chose to hold the bigger first cub. In order to preserve life of second cub, staff immediately removed second cub for human assisted nurturing. Upon physical exam, second cub weighed 111.4 grams and is male gender. Physical condition is good.
Long Xin was born August 18, 2000 and was Lei Lei’s first child and Yuan Yuan’s older sister. Long Xin gave birth to one cub 2005, twins in 2006, twins in 2007. She is 8 years old and was pregnant 4 consecutive years giving birth to 7 cubs.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
A few minutes ago, I noticed one of the keepers trying his hardest to coax little Zhen out of the in-door den area with all his might, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Reason I’m asking is I also noticed a big spot on her right side … was she injured, or was he trying to do a routine exam ? Was this an isolated dirt spot?
Hope she is okay !!
July 29th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Thank you Bobbie #18 for the info on the book ” Watch Me Grow” . I had seen it in the articles, but could not locate it either. Thank you, Moderator, for the link to the SDZ online bookstore. Duh! Shoulda’ looked there FIRST. I not only found it, but also Shi Shi’s book ” The Panda Who Would Not Eat” . I also purchased it as a memory to Shi Shi.
All these new panda babies, how wonderful! They take our minds away from the tragedies and remind us that the species will go forward.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Hi, I would like to know how Mei Sheng is doing. I miss him so much. Time has gone by quickly, and it is almost going to be a year he is gone. Thanks.