Autumn Days
Posted at 1:32 pm October 9, 2008 by Ellie RosenbaumThe nights are getting cooler here in San Diego, and because of its location, the Giant Panda Research Station at the San Diego Zoo is coolest of all, literally and metaphorically. It’s always around ten degrees cooler here than up at the Zoo’s entrance and it stays cooler longer into the day because of the shade of the canyon walls, the trees, and the surrounding bamboo.
Perhaps it was that little nip in the air, but a few mornings ago Bai Yun and baby Zhen Zhen were up and about for a good part of the morning – not usual, especially for ZZ. They sat side by side, eating bamboo until they’d had their fill, then Bai sauntered around the exhibit, looking for the last bits of vegetable and biscuit. In time, ZZ hot on her heels, Mom happened upon an enrichment box that had been left there by the keepers. We could see that it had been stuffed with shredded paper; her level of interest in it had everyone intrigued. Were there treats inside, or a favorite scent? Bai Yun wrestled with the box, grabbing it and tearing it open, when it exploded into a rain of paper and a huge cloud of…cinnamon!!
Brown dust flew everywhere as she rubbed the scented paper all over her face, head, and body, rolling over on to the cub, much to ZZ’s unhappiness (We could hear the muffled yelps of protest from under Mom’s furry rear end!) Bai Yun’s nose was brown and her rear was brown as she and the cub reveled in the paper. It was such a generous portion of spice that it could be smelled in the viewing line, and the obvious enjoyment of the pandas was contagious; guests were grinning from ear to ear.
A bit of a chill, the scents of the fall, rolling in the leaves – uh, paper –all that was missing were the pumpkins! But heck, it’s early. Who knows what kind of treats the rest of the season will bring to the pandas in the form of (very scientifically validated) enrichment?
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
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October 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
cinnamon!!!! how funny! I wonder why this scent is so appealing to Bai. this must have been a hoot to watch! how long will the scent last? what did zz do? did she also like the cinnamon scent? what made you think of this enrichment as an enticement? or do you experiment with different scents? I know they try different scents with the polar bears. do zoos exchange different ideas and experiments and knowledge with a certain animal with each other? how much free rein does a zoo keeper have with their particular animal that they work with? anyway, this was very funny and interesting at the same time. keep up the enrichment ideas. I think the zoo visitors as well as the bears love them!!!!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Oh, I would have LOVED to seen Bai do this! I have seen Lun Lun and Yang Yang scent annoint but not any of the other US pandas. Sounds like she had a grand time. I love the smell of cinnamon too. Poor ZZ! Getting squished by mom! What a bunch of lucky guests to be able to view all the fun. I am hoping that pandas, polars and other animals get some fun enrichment & treats for Halloween!
October 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Well shoot! I missed this. I bet it was delightful to see. Thanks for sharing the experience.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I wish I had been there to see this in person. I love cinnamon too! I know I was lucky to see a play bout when I was there last month but now I want to see it all.
You really have the best job Ellie. Please keep up the good work on all the happenings with the pandas. We do think of them as family and of course we have to keep up with everything they do and experience. Please get them a pumpkin for Halloween. Maybe not – I can just imagine them breaking it open and rolling in it and turning orange. Then probably rolling in the dirt to get rid of the stickiness and then you would really have to hose them off.
Anyways, keep up the good work.
Lee
October 9th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Ellie, what a wonderful post thanks so much for sharing with us Panda Fans .. What a treat it must have been for Bai when she found that cinnammon, and for the folks in the exhibit to have seen her reaction, how cool… One can only imagine little missy’s displeasure of her Mom rolling on her…
I have had the wonderful opportunity of watching on Panda Cam some great Mom and Daughter side by side eating sessions… I can’t believe how much this little cub has grown (when I was last at the zoo she was still in the den). I’m sure all of us Panda Cam watchers are watching the little chubbie cubbie over in Atlanta as before we all know it, he’ll be having side by side eating sessions with his Momma.
Got an email this morning about the SDZ WWT Tour to China in 2009…. A trip of a lifetime… (Lee in Vancouver, how about it?? 2010? maybe???) I’m trying to convince my sister, so we’ll see…..
October 9th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Were there any pictures taken of Bai Yun’s brown nose and fur coat? I’d love to see that!
Thanks for another wonderful update, Ellie!
October 9th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Wow–what day was the cinnamon-fest?
I love cinnamon, too, and Bai Yun’s profile says she loves the smell of cloves, so maybe a pumpkin, as Lee #4 suggested, or maybe a panda-sized pumpkin pie they could eat (and roll around in) is in order.
Was any of the action caught on time-lapse, or did any of the visitors catch the action and post it somewhere? Wish I coulda been there.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Thanks Ellie. I’ve just started my day (8.05am here) with a really good laugh! The thought of Bai in a totally ‘drugged’ state (bit like our pussy cats with their catnip I expect) and squishing ZZ will make me smile for the rest of the day. Have you tried any other spices? Over here we have one called mixed spice which has a very warm and inviting aroma. You may call it something else.
Lee #4, how about a gigantically huge pumpkin hollowed out so that Bai (maybe) and ZZ (definitely) can go inside and peer out of the ‘windows’?!
October 10th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Dear Ellie,
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I wish I could watch them all the time to catch this kind of scene. Even though, as a zoo keeper in DC said: ” They don’t need to do anything and they are still adorable” , it would have been a real treat to see that!
Thank you again for all your work. I’m contemplating getting a degree just to be with those pandas now.
Faye
October 10th, 2008 at 2:05 am
I often see Bai and ZZ up early in the mornings walking around and eating bamboo, and I’m pretty certain I saw what you mentioned, they were both sat eating together – they looked really sweet!
I have also caught them up around 4am wondering about, ZZ following Bai where ever she went! So cute! 
I wish I had seen them with the cinnmon!! must have been funny and cute to watch!!
Thanks for the blog update – look forward to the next one!
Becca x
October 10th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Sounds like fun, especially for Bai, if not so much for ZZ
October 10th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Is Cinnamon Bai’s favorite scent? If not at the top of her list, it must be high because of her excited response. I love hearing how they sell anoint with favorite scents like cinnamon, tabasco, lavendar, etc. Sounds like ZZ either loved the scent too, or just enjoyed playing with the paper and the remains of the box. I think I saw her up on top of the cave a couple of days ago. Bai Yun’s body normally takes up most of it when she is sprawled out for a nap. This panda didn’t take up as much room. If it was ZZ, it is the first time I have seen one of the youngsters up there resting. I have seen her up pestering her mom many times, but not resting by herself. Since both hammocks above the cave appeared to be empty, it reinforced my guess that it really was ZZ trying out a new bed.
It looks like Su Lin and Gao have switched spots again. It must be hard keeping up the legend on both versions of the webpage. The old one didn’t agree with the new one last time I checked. The challenges of technology when life is constantly in motion.
Have a great Autumn weekend everyone. Sounds like the cooler weather is making for more active pandas, even though their food intake diminishes at this time of year.
October 10th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Hi Ellie – Wow! Your description of the cinnamon ” party†was so vivid I felt as if I was there. Little Zhen Zhen’s scary introduction to the delightful scent started off with a huge ” puff of dustâ€
How cute was that?
Ellie, will the pandas have a Halloween party this year with perhaps some clove or pumpkin scent?
Off topic: In this week’s issue of People, page 123, there’s an article entitled ” Zoo Superstars” . One of People’s celebrities is our San Diego’s talented and beautiful Janey, the female orangutan, and an ” artiste extraordinaireâ€. Adorable.
October 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Darlene #5 – Would LOVE to. Will have to be a few years after 2010 though. Sorry.
Susan #8 – Great idea. There are so many of those large pumkins grown for their seeds in Canada that after they are removed the rest of the pumpkin could be donated to the pandas. Now how much would it cost to ship 500-600 pounds of pumpkin???
Well on Monday it is Thanksgiving in Canada. So fellow Canadians please have a happy turkey day and to everyone else have a happy ” not Thanksgiving” weekend.
October 10th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Have you ever tried to find out the bears reaction to Old Bay seasoning?
October 10th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Thank you Ellie for the GREAT Cinnamon Story!!!
Now that it is a bit cooler here in the southland, it is time, I’ve decided, to put the cinnamon into the tea kettle and have the scent permeate my home. I certainly think your writing helped me make up my mind
I certainly wish I could have been at the SDZ the day Bai and Zhen got their Fall enrichment experience!
October 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Lee #14 – Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and all Canadians on Monday. We will be observing Columbus Day on Monday. Children will have a school holiday and the retail stores will have their special sales.
Lee, on the 26th of Sept. I was watching Su Lin on C27 a little after 8 AM. Su Lin was enjoying a nap, on the wooden structure, after her early morning breakfast. She was facing the camera. All of a sudden a cute little squirrel (our buddy)
ambled on the structure toward Su Lin. You can imagine my surprise as it continued to approach Su Lin. Suddenly, the squirrel must have realized — ” Oops this is a panda” — and quickly jumped down and disappeared from view. Su Lin never noticed her little visitor.
October 10th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Hi, Ellie! What Bai and ZZ had was a cinnamon bomb!! That was a cute article about mom and daughter doing their thing with a box full of paper and cinnamon! Just got on the SDZ pandacam a while ago, and I think I saw little ZZ in the hammock napping. ZZ is not as little as she used to be, is she? Growing little girl!
Speaking about growing pandas, the little cub at AZ has been growing as well. As of today’s update, he is at 1588 grams, up to 3.5 pounds! They had a very good update for today (Fri., 10/10) with a couple of good pics. One was the little panda laying down on his side. That’s the first time I have seen him do that. He’s usually on his tummy with all 4 legs and tail all tucked in underneath him. The other pic is the cub laying down beside his mom on her furry arm. Cute!! Another great article from AZ that they wrote up today is called ” Clinically Cute Cub” . This keeper was pretty funny letting every pandafan know that once you see this cub, YOU ARE HOOKED! There is a very cute pic of the cub napping on his side along with a ” you are hooked” meter! It’s a very cute article to read. Was also on the AZ pandacam and sawq the cute little panda laying down on the hay having a nice nap. A couple of other news alerts from AZ is that they will have a naming contest for the cub, and they will let us know about that real soon, and the other one is that the cub’s 100th day naming will be on Dec. 8th. We have another chance to choose a name for a baby panda cub! YEA!!! That’ll be fun for all of us!
Not much else to say. Gonna go and get back to my baseball game and the pandacams!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: Any video of this cinnamon fest? Would love to see this one on video!!
October 10th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Love the telling of the great cinnamon caper. What day did this occur? Maybe we can see it on time lapse? Thanks again for the wonderful story.
October 11th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Ellie, what wonderfully endearing memories all of you are collecting with this panda cub and her mother. So many wonderful stories to be written about and shared, when, sadly, little Miss ZZ must leave for China. Are the events recorded in a zookeepers diary, or an official journal, for posterity? Collections of stories like these, for just one cub growing up, or maybe a family of pandas, such as the SDZ pandas, would make wonderful books. Of course, they would need to be liberally dotted with accompanying pictures of our lovelies. And you just know there would be more adults than children reading them.
Thanks for sharing this with all of us. We are all eagerly waiting for stories like this. I can understand Bai Yun’s reaction to a burst of cinnamon aroma, as it is one of my favorite scents. i. e. cinnamon buns, cinnamon toast, home-made apple pie, hot cider with a cinnamon stick for stirring. Oh my! I just gained 5 pounds!
October 11th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I loved this – my. my, our pandas are not too spoiled are they. They are so alike but so different in their own way & so much fun to watch & read about. Am still laughing over Mei Xiang & laundry day – if you missed it (check ” laundry day at the national zoo” on you tube)
Our liitle guy in Atlanta is my 5th cub that I’ve watched grow up on panda cams – I’m still in awe of a huge giant panda mother being so gentle with her cub – we’ve seen all our panda moms here be wonderful mothers- here’s a HUGE PAW gently cradling a 3.5 lb cubbie if you’re watching the ZA cam.
A Question I know may be hard to answer – once our dear Miss Z is weaned (don’t want to think about that but it’s a fact of life) are there plans for our wonderful mating couple – Bai & Gao to mate again & have another cubbie
October 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Sun., 10/12, 5:40pm EDT; just got on the SDZ pandacam and caught ZZ on the tree branch napping! All she did was just lay there very relaxed and then she repositioned herself a little bit to get comfy again. ZZ has definitely gotten quite a bit bigger on the tree branches to where her behind kind of goes over the branch a little bit. This little girl is growing up some more and still has more growing to do yet.
Also, got on the AZ pandacam today to check on Lun and her cub. The cam was on Mei Lan eating her dinner boo for a couple of minutes, then was switched to the cub. The little guy was on a brand new batch of hay just napping away! Also saw Lun’s head poking thru the den door to look in on her baby boy. I was on the cam yesterday and last nite, and I noticed one thing about the cub. His tail has started to grow back into his body; it’s not as long as it was last week! Before long, that tail of his will be a little stubby tail! The cub was also trying to move those little legs of his and has moved around a little bit. He even did a little lunging move with his back legs! I’m guessing that both of his eyes are wide open by now! He’s also over 1600 grams, which is about 3.5 pounds. The one other piece of news from AZ that I keep forgetting to tell you all about is that the 24/7 cam viewing will keep going thru this month, all of November, and the first week of December, then they will go back to the regular hours of 10am-5pm EDT on December 8th. So, we still have plenty of time to watch this little cub grow, develop, and reach some milestones 24/7 until then!
Got on the NZ pandacams late today. Two of our favorite pandas are inside; Mei Xiang was eating her dinner boo, and Tai Shan was sprawled out on the rock work napping! Didn’t get on the cams earlier today to see if Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were having their wrestling matches, tho.
Gonna go and get back to the cams. Will check back later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 13th, 2008 at 11:26 am
#21 Maureen, I have been wondering the same thing. We have witnessed, via panda cam and in person, the successful weaning of Su Lin, Tai Shan, and Mei Lan in the past 18 months, and the successful birth of Zhen Zhen and baby boy at ZA as result. Therefore, I am hoping my logical brain will overrule my emotional side this time around and see that it will turn out great. Little ” Miss Independence” seems to be well on her way toward that successful outcome, and her ” official” weaning has not even begun. Bai Yun seems to be starting the process already by teaching her proper eating techniques, and by leaving her on her own to explore and sleep. As she has been more and more relaxed with each successive cub, Bai Yun has done a superb job of preparing her offspring for their eventual life on their own. It will be a very interesting round robin of 4 pandas in separate locations once the weaning begins. I am hopeful that Su Lin will be able to stay longer until they get the new panda ” residences” done at Bifengxia and the overcrowding situation is eased. I figure they don’t need any more ” new residents” until they get the ones already there in their own separate enclosures. Since negotiations are ongoing between SDZ and Chinese panda authorities, I am sure we will be told at the appropriate time what the future holds for Su Lin, Bai Yun, and Gao Gao.
October 13th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Ack! I’m having panda separation anxiety!
I agree–I think Bai is well on her way starting the weaning process. Over the weekend, I saw little Miss ZZ sitting in the giant pile of bamboo, just like mommy, but all by herself. I’m going to be a wreck, but they seem to be doing fine.
And don’t even talk about any more of them returning to China just yet…
I do agree that the little boy cub in Atlanta seems to have really strong back legs in comparison to ZZ at the same age. Is it just because the straw is bearing (sorry) some of his weight, or is he just unusually strong?
Has anyone run across any pictures of the cinnamon party?
October 13th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
#24 Frances in NYC -think you’re right about Bai & Zhen’s weaning. It seems like our Miss Z may be ready faster than other cubs – must have been Bai dragging her out of the den to stargaze at such an early age. Funny how cubbies are so alike yet so different. Of all the cubs I’ve watched ” The Atlanta Prince” has found his back legs work much faster than other cubs – they must be stronger – as he seems to have the same ” panda butterball belly & butt” as our other cubbies. I seem to recall Lani had trouble as the nest box floor was slippery so they put strips in that Lun chewed – but looks like there is something on the den floor now
October 13th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
#24 Frances – another comment about Bai and another cub. After listening again to the Izoofari chats back in April, Kathy (one of the panda keepers) mentioned while Bai has been a wonderful mother with Miss Z but one wonders at age 17 if she can manage another active cub
October 14th, 2008 at 7:59 am
How wonderful – great description, too! Too bad there wasn’t a picture to accompany the story.
When I volunteered at Wildlife Waystation, we used to give willow branches with mentholatum on them to the lions for a similar reaction. The bears, however, were most fond of pine branches. So fun to watch. Thank you for sharing.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thank you Meerkats for the exquisite close-up of our beautiful Bai Yun. It is a perfect postcard. Where’s Zhen Zhen? I have not seen her this morning
Thanks again.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Maureen #26–I’m guessing that Bai Yun could handle another cub. Caring for the cubs she has had and the care and nutrition she has gotten at SDZ seem to have kept her fit and young at heart. We’ll all just all have to wait and see next spring. She looked so pretty and relaxed this morning, resting on her branch.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I have noticed over the years, that many ” Get to know the Pandas” pages list their favorite scents. I imagine being bears with their great sense of smell, scents are very important to pandas. It makes me wonder how keepers discover favorites! Trial and error? HHMMM. Can’t you just see Bai Yun sitting up during a training session sniffing different scents and the trainer pulls out some cinnamon…
October 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Bai and ZZ are being especially cute right now. ZZ is such a crack up leaning back, eating her boo. Acting just like Mommy. Don’t laugh, Pandaholics, but I’m going out of the country in a few days, and won’t have access to the internet, and I’m already missing all my kids! Dumb, hunh? I can’t imagine how much Baby Boy will grow in those 11 days. And I’m afraid I’ll miss something with ZZ. I honestly will miss all of our pandas. Everybody watch for me, and take care!
Moderator’s note: Safe journeys, Linda. Perhaps there will be an Internet Cafe in the area?
October 14th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Speaking of food and treats, the Smithsonian has an interesting article online about the nutritionists at the National Zoo and some of the animals’ unexpected tastes, such as the fact that apes like popcorn and elephants like ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce–which, apparently, goats are also very fond of.
They didn’t mention pandas liking cinnamon, though. I agree with L. Young #30–I’d like to be there to see the panda taste/smell tests. Please, SDZ, give Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen another cinnamon treat box–and this time, take pictures or a video for us all to see!
October 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Linda #31–I know exactly how you feel. When I went to Australia, I found myself needing to check in with the pandas, even if it was only through the blogs because of the time difference.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I’m with all of you not being able to get my panda fill everyday is awful. It’s one of the first things I check in the morning and the last thing at night at all the zoos. If I’m going away to stay at a hotel they have to have internet connections or I don’t stay there. I always take my laptop with me. lol I will be going away the 6th of December till the 14th and that’s the week they’ll be naming little cubbie in the AZ so I can’t miss that.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
#26 Maureen – I’m betting that Bai has this ‘mom’ thing down pat and another cub would be no big deal to her… been there, done that kind of thing. Besides, she has all the experience to draw on (kind of like older people mothers) to offset a bit less energy.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Linda #31, where are you going? I bet the moderator is right there could be Internet Cafe’s? I go to Costa Rica in January and had the same fear, but the little town we went to had more Internet access that I have where I live, so got to check in on all the bears daily.. ha ha, my husband got smart and bought me a laptop (early Christmas gift) for our trip this January…
Just couldn’t imagine my day without checking out these beautiful animals and reading up on the SDZ blog. It is amazing how attached we get to the little ones, that sure don’t stay little for long.
October 14th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Thanks for the best wishes in my travels. I will check on an internet Cafe. Maybe I can post something from Raiatea? But I will miss all my kids and all of my pandaholic friends.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Ooh–Linda A. #37, very exotic! Hope you find a connection–
I agree with Suzanne #35–I think Bai Yun has over the years developed her own curriculum for raising precious and precocious cubs–the next one will be giving interviews from the den: ” Well, today I rolled over a lot and slept and then mom came back…”
On another note–I see that fire season has started up again–I hope the zoo and the WAP and everybody who works there is safe.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
How sad that so many of us (myself included) are hoping that the earthquake in China may delay the return of our beloved pandas – there are too many due to return to their homeland – my dear Tai Shan, SuLin, Mei Lan, Bai. What will we do without our panda fix every day????
October 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hello panda lovers,
just want to alert you about a new youtube video of the panda princess Mei Lan. Sign on to youtube and search for ” Mei Lan, the Sun” . It was uploaded October 14. I don’t know about this video, though; Mei looks like she really wishes she had a playmate – after playing with her green ball, she stops and seems to ponder, staring for a while, then walks around, does a few somersaults, then just sits and stares again. Anyway, it’s nice to see her in action again.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 am
I’m sad today.
The Brasilian Newspaper ” Globo.com” reported:
” Mei Mei, born in Chengdu, passed away, this morning, in Japan at The Adventure World.
She was young, only 14 and has been ill since january 2008.
Her last set of twins born in december 23, 2007, are Aihin and Meihin.
During her life, she had 10 offsprings”
Rest in peace dear Mei Mei ( wonderful mother, who raised many set of twins by herself)
Moderator’s note: We are attempting to verify this information.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Panda Fans:
Don’t miss the priceless photo of the debut of a pair of one-month-old panda cubs – one male, one female -at Adventure World in Shirahama, Japan. The female panda ” appears to be having a bad hair day. Very, very cute. Just Goggle, Los Angeles Times Pandas Debut – then select the first article.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Darlene, #31, I’m going to the South Pacific. I’ll be on a small ship BUT I FOUND OUT THEY DO HAVE INTERNET ACCESS!!!!!!! Now, if it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, I’ll be in good shape. (My laptop has been FORBIDDEN by my guy — he knew I would be working while on vacation if I did.) It still won’t be the same as wandering downstairs in the morning, turning on the computer, and peaking at our kids starting at 6:00 am until bed time. OH, THE WITHDRAWALS! Everyone take care, and watch for me?
October 15th, 2008 at 9:18 am
So cute and funny this story! I wish I was there because I smilled too while imagining the girls….
Thanks!!!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I love watching the Panda’s dailey,however… Since the new system has been put into place it seems viewing has become very limited and notr as sharp and clear as old system. Where’s Zhen been?
Bring back orig. viewing along with the various zoom in shots, They were the BEST !!
October 15th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I’m in complete agreement with Frances #38 – Please let’s keep everyone of the San Diego area, including WAP, SDZ, and human residents in our thoughts and prayers as it appears fire is once again becoming a threat.
Be safe, everyone.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I’m hoping the Fall fire season will be very short for everyone this year. Last month I saw that the fire last year did come right on to the Wild Animal Park grounds and can imagine the worry and concern that everyone had. The smoke must have caused quite a bit of panic for the animals also since in the wild they would run away from it and here they couldn’t.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
It’s noon here on the West Coast, and Mei Lan is playing with a ball. Oh, my, how I’ve missed seeing her while ” Brother” is stealing the spotlight. She is so silly. Absolutely adorable.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Hi, Pandafans! Been reading some recent comments from a few of you, and it looks like there are some very nice, specially exotic trips that will be taken by some of you! Have fun, bon voyage, and I do hope that you will find some great wifi connections so that you all can give us your trip moments! Will be looking for your comments in the days to come! Got on the AZ pandacam, and saw a butterball of a cute cub laying down just sleeping away while Lun is out doing her own me time thing. The keepers have opened up a 3rd room for Lun to go to, they are back to her training when she is out of the den, and have weighed her today. Lun is between 223 and 230 pounds, and they will continue to monitor her weight and the amount of bamboo and biscuits that she’ll need for continued milk production for her baby. The cub is now at 1820 grams, which is around 4 pounds! He’s also getting much more fuzzier, too! CUTE!!!
I have also been watching the news about the huge Merak wildfire in the LA county area that got started due to those nasty Santa Ana winds. Remind you of last October?? From what I was getting from the news, this fire is pretty much staying in the LA County area, but was only 5% contained. There were other wildfires in that area, but they are much farther along in containment. I sure do hope that San Diego County does not experience the same problem that you all did last year.
Also got on the SDZ cam and it was on Bai’s cam, but didn’t see neither Bai or ZZ. Will check back on the cam later to try to see them.
Well, gonna go and get my clothes out of the laundry room. Will be back a little bit later on with some news from Pandas International that I received in my email.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hello All! I am a regular lurker and enjoy reading all the info re panda biology as well as the retelling of panda antics at all the zoos. I do thank everyone for posting where to find the videos, etc. Does anyone know why LCNessie is suspended from youtube? Her videos are a hoot, er, bleat! The music plus video always calms me down after a hard day. Are her videos posted somewhere else?
October 15th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I just read very exciting news from Pandas International. It seems that one of Hua Mei’s cubs is finally going to go to Taiwan. It has been 3 long years waiting for the political climate to permit the final preparations to take place. Just think about what an international sensation Hua Mei has continued to be. She was the first panda cub born in the Western Hemisphere since 1991, and now one of her first cubs is going to be one of the first two pandas to go to Taiwan. That is also a great legacy for the late Shi Shi and Bai Yun as well.
” Pandas going to Taiwan ” soon,†perhaps November
Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan were selected to go to Taiwan about 3 years ago, but had not gone due to difficulties in finalizing the arrangements. They were both at Wolong when the earthquake hit and were missing for a short period, but were rescued. They are currently at Bifengxia waiting to travel to Taiwan.
They are scheduled to go to Taipei’s Mucha Zoo probably in November. ” Tuan Yuan” means ” reunion” in Chinese. Taipei’s city government says it has invested about 250 million Taiwan dollars ($8 million US) to build a panda house.”
October 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
#41 Elisa in Sao Paulo – I went on Google and saw that Japan Today published the same story about Mei Mei having passed away. How sad – she was younger than Bai Yun. There are several videos on youtube of her and her last set of twins Aihin and Meihin. It was great fun to watch them. Apparently Mei Mei had not been well since January of this year and I’ve noticed that the videos uploaded on youtube recently were all from 2007. The news article also indicated that an autopsy would be performed to confirm the cause of death. Rest in peace, Mei Mei. Thank you for all the cubs you have given to the world.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
#40 pandafan – thanks for the info @ MeiLan’s video – she is as goofy and fun loving like her Daddy Yang
#50 Ellen – oh dear, I checked & all my favorite videos of Lani, Lun Lun, Daddy Yang with (previous trainer )Jay & many of Tai are no longer available. I get the impression it may have something to do with LC Nessie & her possible unauthorized use of music for her videos – copyrite infringement I guess.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:05 am
This morning, I read the heartbreaking article about the death of Mei Mei, the prolific female panda from Adventure World in Shirahama, Japan. What a very sad coincidence.
Yesterday, Elisa #41 wrote about Mei Mei’s passing. Then, ironically, #42 my blog followed in which I mentioned the photo of twin cubs born in Japan in the Los Angeles newspaper.
If I’m not mistaken, the twins shown in the above-mentioned photo in the LA Times, are the cubs born to Mei Mei’s daughter born in 2000, Rauhin, who gave birth to twin cubs at the park this past September.
Rest in peace Mei Mei, your children and grandchildren are helping to insure the survival of the panda species. God Bless.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Hello Maureen! I wonder, then, if she could resubmit them without the soundtrack? The captions themselves were always funny!! I sure hope that she isnt being sued…
October 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
# 52 Pandafun – Unfortunately, I have been reading another articles that Mei Mei has gone!
Thank you for the video information.
Tha twin’s videos are amazing but not funny anymore, because they are so young and have just lost their mom.
Poor babies!
Dear Bai Yun, stay healthy, ok!
October 16th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Yang Yang at Zoo Atlanta is fond of Tabasco sauce. I believe a few years ago, a company in Louisiana sent a case of tabasco sauce to Yang Yang c/o Zoo Atlanta. There was a photo of Yang with a ” Blue Nose” after indulging in his present. Lun Lun is doing a great job caring for Bright Future as the young lad is thriving, gaining weight, and soon his eyes will be fully open so that he can see his world. I’m hoping to make my ” Panda Pilgrimage” to Zoo Atlanta in February to see Yang, Lun, Mei, and the young lad.
Tony De
Clearwater FL
October 16th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Hi, you all! Got on the SDZ cam at around 2pm EDT, and saw Su Lin being very active for once! She was climbing a tree trying to get a toy that was tied up on a high branch up the tree with her. She was doing all sorts of acrobatics just working that toy up the tree! No success, tho; she dropped the line! Then, she climbed down off of that tree, ran around and climbed the tree closer to the cam. At 3 years old, she is still a very avid, adept tree climber! That was fun to watch! Also got on the AZ pandacam, and there was Mr. Butterball laying there napping, then Lun comes in and lays down right beside him with her chin just above the cub. CUTE, as usual! The cub weighs an amazing 1891 grams=4.2 pounds, which is over a 70 gram weight increase! Momma’s milk is doing the job, you all!
Margaret (#51), I also got my Pandas International email newsletter this week. I read about the 2 pandas that are headed to Taiwan hopefully in November. Taipei has waited a long time for this to happen. The other news from PI was just as interesting. They had a statement about the milk scare in China. PI buys Esbilac formula that is made right here in the USA, and they ship that formula straight to the Wolong/Bifengxia reserve in China. Petag, the manufacturer of Esbilac, have their products tested at Minnesota Valley Testing Labs, an independent lab who has certified Esbilac free of melamine. This formula is very safe for the pandas to drink. Wolong/Bifengxia will be holding a special ceremony on 10/24/2008 to recognize and say thank you to the entire panda community for their help after the May earthquake, and will also have the 100th day naming of Guo Guo’s twin cubs on the same day. PI will have a short video of the event soon, and will also have some bracelets available for us to buy from them as part of their fundraiser. PI feels that they should be thanking the Wolong/Bifengxia panda staff and volunteers for their hard work in saving the pandas on the day of the quake and making sure that they are in safe locations. Sherri Lummis, PI’s representative in China, will give Certificates of Appreciation and bracelets for all of the staff and volunteers, calling them heroes in a time of crisis and urgency.
PI also has a current cub count of all of the panda cubs that were born in 2008. China: Wolong/Bifengxia, Chengdu, and Shaanxi had a total of 30 cubs born this summer with a good number of twins in that number. Atlanta, USA: Lun Lun’s new cub born on 8/30/2008. Japan: Momma panda, Rauhin, gave birth to twin cubs at Adventure World where she has lived all of her life. This facility in Japan has had 10 cubs born there in less than 2 years. Unfortunately, a 3 day old panda cub that was born at a zoo in Kobe, Japan, died back in September; a huge loss.
There are some pics of some of the pandas at the Beijing Zoo. All 8 pandas have attracted over 1 million visitors there since June 5, most of those being repeat visitors who just can’t get enough of seeing the pandas! The names of the pandas at Beijing Zoo are: Males–Tao Tao, Lang Lang, Huan Huan, Fuwa; females–Cui Cui, Duo Duo, Mei Xin, Feng Xi. These pandas were born at Wolong Reserve in 2006. They are scheduled to go back to Wolong/Bifengxia in November, but we’ll have to see if that happens given the situation of space available there.
Well, this is all the news from PI for this month. I just gave a summary of what the newsletter has written for everyone to get an idea of what’s been happening with them, and hopefully PI will have this newsletter available on their website in the next week or so for everyone to read.
Gonna go and get back on the pandacams! Will check back later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Hi, Pandaholics,
If you want cry a little bit, I suggest 3 videos in Japanese ( subtitles in English).
It doens’t matter, the emotion is the same!
The videos are about the farewell time, when the twins Ryuhin and Shuhin went to China.
You tube ” goodbye, twin pandas 1, 2 and 3.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
That is very sad about Mei Mei–but Elisa #56–she is the new cubs’ grandmother, not their mother.
Have the Meerkats all gone on vacation? I’m missing Bai and ZZ and Gao Gao today.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Thanks, Elisa #59–for the tip about the videos of mei Mei’s twins going to China. Very sad, indeed.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Bye everybody! I’ll miss seeing my kids’ sweet faces all day! Serious withdrawals going on here. I’ll check in if I can. I’ll miss reading the blogs and the chats with everyone. Take care!
October 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Oh my Elisa #59 thank you for sharing that video on tubetube with us. You are right about the tears I had many as I watch them. And it’s even sader to think that it was their mother who passed away. But I’m sure they are safe in China but for the zookeepers and panda lovers in Japan it’s like losing a family member.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
# 60 – It was a sad, sad day when Mei mei twins went back to China but I thought it was great that Japan let their people know when the cubs were leaving – there were hundreds that gathered to say ” goodbye” to their pandas (instead of MeiSheng sneaking out in the middle of the night ) It’s always sad when we lose a panda – epecially one who was relatively young. Am I mistaken or is Meimei the wonderful mother that raised her twins by herself without any help from the panda nusery.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Awww that would have been SO cute to see little ZZ trying to shake the cinnamon off her! Both bears probably did BIIIIGGGG sneezes!
Did you folks know Lun Lun likes cinnamon too? Wonder if its a female bear favorite scent ?!?! I can’t wait til our little man at Zoo Atlanta gets up and around. Aparantly his mom’s milk is definately agreeing with him. I’m also wondering if Lun Lun will be less worried about him climbing around than she was with Mei Lan…. teehee
October 18th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I am so bummed that lcnessie’s videos have been removed from youtube. The one with Big Daddy Yang was my all-time favorite – I watched it almost every day because it put me in such a good mood. Looked to see if there was a way I could request their return (perhaps without the music) but couldn’t find anything.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Hi, you all! Looked in on the SDZ cam yesterday and saw Bai on her stump napping and ZZ on her tree branch just above her mom napping. Nice to see them both on the cam after missing them off and on. Got on the AZ cam today, and there was Lun and her little boy all snuggled up together napping. Been watching the cam the last few days, and the cub has been by himself alot more while his mom is out having her me time. He is getting fuzzier, cuter, and starting to move around some more. He’s really trying to get those 4 legs going under him, but he’s still in that scooting stage. Before long, it’s crawling, walking, and running! Their updates have been informative over the weekend as well with some cute pics of Lun and cub. The cub is now over 4.5 pounds! Little butterball keeps on growing. The picture of the cub today shows that his eyes are now fully opened up! Oh boy!! Now, he’s seeing his new world, his mom, the keepers, and he’ll start getting that curiosity bug very soon once those legs get going. One of the keepers was holding him, and you can see how much that cub has grown in the last few weeks; he’s bigger than the keeper’s hands! Oh yeah, the cub is 50 days old as of yesterday (Sun.).
To all of you SDSU fans, I feel very sad for you! New Mexico beat them 70-7 on Saturday!! WOW!!! Sure hope that they can have a much better game next Saturday. I am on CLOUD 9 today after my home town baseball team got into the World Series last nite!
Heard on the news that the firefighters have finally got the Merak fire under full containment in LA County. That is great news. Unfortunately, your weather forecast calls for another round on those Santa Ana winds to kick back up sometime this week, which means new red flag warnings will be out again. Hopefully, there will be no new wildfires cropping up the next time these winds kick up.
Gotta go; have an eye appointment to get to. Will check in later after my eyes get back to normal from the dilation I’ll be getting today!
See ya,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 20th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
#66 marcia519 –
Had you seen ” Multi-tasking Yang Yang” ? I realize it’s no substitute for Big Daddy Yang, but this might help relieve you of some of your doldrums.
October 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
ZZ is looking like such a big girl these days–it’s almost impossible to remember that last year at this time she wasn’t much bigger than our little Atlanta boy is now! I wish I’d seen the cinnamon fun day
–maybe there’ll be more one of these days!
#66 marcia519: Me, too–bummed, that is! I could not believe that with all the total cr*p on youtube they would banish LCNessie! I’m so sad that all those wonderful vids of Mei Lan’s babyhood are gone
October 20th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Hello panda lovers,
Video alert – there is a very interesting 10 minute clip on youtube with lots of giant panda history and information around their habitat. This was just uploaded yesterday Oct 19. Call up youtube dot com and search for:
[around_china eco_harmony] Giant Pandas
Also, some new pictures of the Panda Prince of Atlanta on the AZ website. His eyes are fully open now – a new chapter in his life when he will begin to note his surroundings and scoot around even more!!
Haven’t seen much of the SDZ zoomer recently – she’s definitely taken after her sister Su as far as her preference for the ‘high and lofty’ places.
October 21st, 2008 at 10:35 am
Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I’m still puzzled about lcnessie’s videos on youtube. If, as someone suggested, they were removed due to copyright issues with the music, there are other videos still on there that have popular music accompanying them. So why are they still there?
#69 Mary from SF…it is good to know that someone else out there empathizes with me about the loss of all those videos.
#68 P Wong….I watched the video you recommended. WHOA!!! I will never look at Big Daddy Yang in quite the same way again. I would say he is very comfortable in his own skin!
October 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
There is a heart-string tugging short video on youtube called ” Su Lin calls for her brother” posted 1/20/08. Geez, I miss that guy!
October 21st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Hi, you all! Got on all 4 zoos’ pandacams today! SDZ pandacam: saw the back of Bai sleeping on her stump (or was it ZZ?). Then just got on it again this afternoon and watched Miss Su eating her boo then it switched to Bai eating her boo. Didn’t see little Miss ZZ yet. NZ pandacam: Got on the cam this morning and finally got the chance to watch Mei Xiang and Tian Tian having one of their wrestling matches! They were chasing each other, throwing down, rolling over, slapping each other, all of those wrestling moves that you would see on WWE! That was fun to watch! Then, got back on the cams again and Mei was back in her indoor enclosure napping, and Tai Shan was also back inside napping. Tai was doing his early morning walk abouts around his outdoor yard this morning. AZ pandacam: Little Butterball cub is doing good! Was napping when I checked in on him this morning, and this afternoon, his mom is napping with him. The cub is getting very close to the 5 pound mark. MZ pandacam: Saw either Ya Ya or Le Le inside eating boo. First chance I’ve seen one of them on their cam in awhile. They only have the one pandacam going right now (24/7). Still no new updates about either one of them, especially Ya Ya. Still waiting on whether Ya will go into estrus before the end of 2008. My guess is that she will probably skip this whole year and wait until 2009!
Read one of the comments about Rauhin’s twin cubs going to China. Hopefully, they will be at either Wolong or Chegndu, and I feel that’s the best situation for them. They will get the best care and love at either one of the reserves when they get there. Fortunately, they are just old enough to make that long trip of about 10 hours to China from Japan. I’m sure that the panda keepers went with them to make sure they made the trip for them as comfy as possible.
I’m sad to hear that lcnessie’s youtube videos were removed. They were great vids of the pandas that she videoed for us to watch and enjoy. I was going to go back to youtube to watch some of them again, but since they are not there anymore, ugh!! We’ll just have to watch those vids that are still on youtube to enjoy watching pandas and their funny stuff. Haven’t checked the latest vids yet, but I will get to them. I hear that they are pretty good! P Wong, we’re looking for a new conversation between pandas and tourists real soon.
Well, gonna go. Will check back in later on.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 21st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Thanks, pandafan #70–that’s a very interesting video and a great look into the work of the wild panda researchers.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Hey! It’s early morning here in Pinellas County, Florida (12:20am EDT), and I just got done watching the first World Series game ever held in St. Pete! My team lost tonite, but it was only game one.
Thought I would give you panda baby lovers a few measurements of Lun’s cub at AZ that was written up on the update for Oct. 22. These are the numbers from the vet check of the cub on Mon. afternoon, 10/20:
Nose to tail: 41 centimeters=16 inches
Tail: 7 cm.=3 in.
Neck: 23 cm.=9 in.
Chest: 34 cm.=13 in.
Stomach: 38.5 cm.=15 in.
Nose: 3 cm.=1 in.
Went thru the online conversions website to convert centimeters to inches. The cub also weighed in at 2210 grams, which is very close to 5 pounds. This little boy is growing really fast for all of us to keep up with. A little over a month ago, we couldn’t even see him because he was sooooooo tiny and covered up by his mom, Lun. Now when you see him on the pandacam, he’s bigger, plumpier, fuzzier, and cuter! You can see him very well on the cam whether he’s by himself or snuggling up to his mom. Mom can’t hide him anymore!
Well, gonna go for now. Got to get to bed. Will check in later.
Nite Nite to all the pandas!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Hey! Just a quick note to you all! Lun’s cub at AZ is now at 5 POUNDS exactly! Getting bigger! Seen on the AZ pandacam a couple of times today, and he’s being a very good little boy napping away! His mom comes in to check on him or lie down to rest. Once, she was laying in the den with him, but mom and cub were about a foot away from each other. Looks like Lun is very comfy with sleeping in her own space in the den while her cub has his own space. Oh yeah, did I mention that both of the cub’s eyes are wide open now? He’s seeing his surroundings now!
Well, gonna go. Gonna check the pandacams again. See you later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 25th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Well, checked 2 sets of pandacams just now. I got on the AZ cam and saw Little Mr. Pudgy being a good boy and napping while his mom is out. He is now definitely over 5 pounds! He gained over 90 grams in the last 24 hours! That’s the biggest weight gain this cub has had so far!
I also looked in on the SDZ pandacam and I got a nice surprise! I saw Bai and ZZ sitting side by side eating their boo! WOW!!! I’ve been reading some of your earlier comments about Bai and ZZ eating together, and now I saw it for myself! Enjoyed it!!
This morning, I had another lovely surprise that you don’t see too often here in Florida. I was waiting at my bus stop to go somewhere, and around the corner on the next street, I saw 2 of the prettiest male peacocks around! They just strutted around the corner for a minute, then I followed them to the street corner, and there were 2 female peacocks with them! What a sight to see and behold!! I don’t know where they came from and don’t know whether they were domestic farm animals or wild, but I just enjoyed watching them until my bus came up. Don’t care what people say about these birds, but I think they are the most beautiful birds around!
Well, gonna go for now. Have a baseball game to watch tonite!
See ya!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
November 5th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
ah, cinnamon.I would love to see that!
February 16th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Well no one can beat you in writing posts. I really love your posts every time.