A Memorable Un-Birthday
Posted at 3:05 pm January 21, 2009 by Ellie Rosenbaum
Today, as promised, we celebrated all things Gao Gao. As an orphan, he has no set birthday, and it was time to showcase the boy who made the last three cubs possible. He debuted here in January 2003, so a commemorative event was long overdue.
And what a celebration it was! Our incredibly talented Forage Warehouse team out-did themselves, constructing a two-tiered, multi-layered creation. The bottom tier consisted of yams, carrots, and bamboo leaves suspended in ice, topped and glazed with another ice layer, colored and flavored with orange gelatin (sugar-free, of course). The smaller top tier was similarly constructed: ice and bamboo on the bottom and the gelatin layer on top, this time a lemon flavor. Surrounding the cake were bamboo culm “treat cups” holding applesauce and baby food, and culm “candleholders” containing yam “candles”. Topping the entire creation was an ice and bamboo-leaf star, glazed in lemon gelatin: so appropriate for the star of the day! To add to the festive air, floating ice cubes and stars were added to his pool, and the keepers decorated four treat boxes and placed them around the exhibit.
But the ultimate touch was the drizzle of honey all over the ice-cake masterpiece. The area was prepared, the cameras and guests were ready, and Gao was released, making only a slight detour before zeroing in on the honey-laced cake. In short order he had honey on his forepaws and his muzzle, orange glaze dripping off his chin, and his tongue working at record speed to catch every tasty drop! He “bearly” moved from the same spot for the next hour, then paused for a drink and proceeded to sit contentedly, facing his adoring fans and eating bamboo for the next two hours before retuning to his cake. A visitor even thoughtfully brought a gift to the keepers: a jar of 1,000 carefully folded origami cranes for him to wish on!
It was fun for all and a joy to see how beloved is our “Big Big.” There will be lots happening and changing quickly over the next several weeks, as we begin facilitating the natural separation of Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen. Gao Gao will be in our back area, but we’ll all be waiting for the possibility of another estrus and, hopefully, another mating season. We’ll try to keep everyone up to date, but keep a sharp eye on Panda Cam: you just never know whom you’ll be seeing.
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Happy 19th birthday Gao Gao! I hope you had fun with your cake and presents!
January 21st, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Thanks, Ellie, for filling in the few times I missed during the day. I am not sure who enjoyed the special treats more, Gao or his fans and keepers. He sure enjoyed the cake. You are right about the Forage staff outdoing themselves and presenting him with the perfect star for such a magnificent attraction.
He is still sitting contentedly eating from his pile of special boo in front of his special cake. I imagine he will return to it later for a late afternoon or evening lick feast of the remaining gelatin and honey that he missed earlier.
I love the picture above where he has a wonderful grin on his face. I am happy it didn’t rain today and melt the cake before he could enjoy it in his gentlemanly way. He definitely is Big Big in everyone’s heart. Now he can return to his special rear suite and bulk up on his beloved boo and dream of his cake, and presents, and his special “girl” Bai and their future rendezvous.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:47 pm
What a great Day of Gao! I just watched time-lapse video and it was sooooo awesome to see Gao enjoying his cake. I laughed out loud as I watched. AND I don’t remember a time when we had a whole day of pandaCam almost all devoted to Gao Gao. What a special treat for us! I’m thrilled we had a day to celebrate him.
His cake was really a masterpiece. Kudos go to the Forage Warehouse. I imagine they had a fun time planning and creating it for such a special animal. The way you described it, it sounds yummy!
I am still waiting with eager anticipation for him to “find” the wrapped gifts of treats. Right now he was still enjoying the bamboo. He certainly lives up to name “Panda” (bamboo eater) and I think he could rival any of the other bamboo eaters as the King.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
‘PandasLiveOn’ have some cute pics of Gao Gao with his Birthday Cake…Real Cute! Also, if you scroll down to the ‘next’ page it has a pic of Tian, Mei and Tai as a welcome from DC’s other first family to the new First Family of DC. Very sweet. Also, following that is pics of Tai playing in the snow…hilarious!
January 21st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Happy Birthday Gao Gao! You’re my favourite panda (though I love all pandas, of course) and it’s made my day to have the chance to watch you with your amazing ice cake and gifts. Thanks to the Forage Warehouse Team, Keepers and Ellie for all your hard work in looking after the beloved bears and sharing your work with us.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:21 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAO GAO!! I’m so proud of you! You are a prince and you are a handsome dad! Thank you for all you’ve done in bringing us Mei Sheng, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen and all the other cubs you will give us in the near future. You are a hero for all panda fans! Keep up the good work and keep looking handsome for us on the cam!
I LOVE YOU Gao Gao! You’re my hero!
XOXOXOXOXO
January 21st, 2009 at 7:50 pm
The forage team did do a wonderful job on Gao Gao ice cake I bet to was pretty heavy how did they carry it to Gao yard?
Thank you to the camera people and all the panda keepers for making it a great day for everyone.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I was fortunate to be there for Gao’s Big Day! And how he enjoyed it. So happy that he finally had a cake and gifts and fans there for his big day.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Hau’oli La Hanau Gao Gao! (Happy Birthday in Hawaiian). Many changes were mentioned in the near future….does that mean Su Lin will be staying for awhile longer? Or leaving San Diego?
Moderator’s note: No plans have been made as yet regarding Su Lin.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Hi Ellie – Today Gao Gao truly had a beautiful celebration. His enclosure was decorated with wrapped treat boxes and a spectacular ice-cake as the centerpiece.
Gao Gao entered the exhibit and went straight to his cake. He immediately took a bite and got a mouth full of honey. He acted like he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. His tongue was going a mile a minute side-to-side trying to dislodge the honey. I so enjoyed his honey-covered face that I was giggling all the while. I said to a photographer, standing next to me “Gao Gao reminds me of Winnie-the-Pooh with honey dripping from his mouth”. Gao Gao was absolutely adorable to watch.
Gao Gao also had honey dripping from his right front paw and he spent so much time licking and cleaning his paw that it began to tire; so, he used his left paw to support his right paw – very cleaver – he didn’t want to spill a drop.
Gao Gao was so interested in his honey-glazed cake that he ignored his beautifully wrapped treat boxes that were placed around the exhibit. He was so busy that he also ignored the beautiful floating ice cubes and stars in his pool. When we left Gao Gao at about 10:30 AM, we stopped by to visit with Bai and Zhen. They were sound asleep on the cave.
Later, when we returned about 1:30 PM, we found Bai and Zhen awake sitting on the cave. Zhen was bugging Bai for a nursing session. Bai kept ignoring and turning her back to Zhen. Zhen gave up and paced around the exhibit for a few minutes. She stopped and sampled bamboo from different areas of the exhibit. I was happy to see Zhen so active. At 84 lbs., Zhen is becoming a big girl. Bai Yun came down from the cave and began to eat. Zhen tried constantly to take the bamboo out of Bai’s grasp. Bai, frustrated, got up and walked away. Now, I can clearly see that Zhen needs her “own room”.
I was happy to see Dr. Lindberg at Gao Gao’s celebration. I spoke with him about his decision to bring Gao Gao to the San Diego Zoo. Dr. Lindberg had great expectations that Gao Gao would be a wonderful asset to the San Diego Zoo. There is no doubt that Gao Gao has lived up to these expectations.
Many thanks to everyone whose love and dedication made Gao Gao’s celebration a memorable experience. It was a pleasure spending our time with such a beautiful panda.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
To our beloved pappa Gao – what a joy it was to watch you enjoying your birthday. Each panda has their own story but yours is so amazing – to think that because you were abandoned & injured as cub & then was not a candidate for release into the wild you were sent to the SDZ – after being sent to SDZ you met your panda love, Bai & gave us 3 wonderful cubs
January 21st, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Hi, guys! Big, Huge Kudos to the Forage warehouse team from me, too! The cake for Gao Gao was really pretty, cute, and loaded! Gao did his thing with it as mentioned in my last comments. While I was watching Gao dig into the cake with his usual reserved manner, I got 3 postcards done–2 for me, and one I sent by email to my pandafan buddy. I didn’t get a chance to get back on the pandacam later on because I was busy doing some things, so can anyone tell me if Gao ate up the rest of his cake and what he found in his presents? Love to know about that! Saw the great pics on the blog page and the What’s New page. Gonna get on Pandas Live On to see the other pics of Gao and his cake.
P Wong, that was a very nice listing of the pics of Gao Gao and other pandas that are on the website you mentioned. It gave me an idea of what those pics are about when I do get on that website. Thanks!
Well, gonna go and curl up. We’re having a freeze down here in Pinellas County, Florida tonite! That’s pretty rare down this way, but this state will get a freeze when the conditions are right in the winter. Thank goodness the pandas are in nice, fairly warm, sometimes sunny San Diago this time of year!
Will check back later on.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
January 21st, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Happy Un-Birthday Gao Gao!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Happy Birthday Dear Gao Gao!
Today my daughter and I went to visit SDZ . We visited him the afternoon and looked like he enjoyed his special birthday cake and the presents very much this mornning. It was very nice to see him on this special day!
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:10 am
To see the video of Tai Shan catching snowflakes search YouTube for “Tai’s Snow Day, January 17, 2008. It’s enough to make me hope it snows when I see him on Saturday.
Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Gao Gao. So sorry I missed it. I’ll have to check the time lapse.
Kudos to the “bakers.” What a fabulous cake!
Thanks to SDZ staff for giving Gao such a wonderful birthday.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:22 am
I watched solidly for around two hours, rushing in every few minutes from the washing up so I didn’t miss anything. I’ve sent myself so many postcards, poor old hubby must have spent all evening transferring them over! I’m not very good at computer stuff – great at typing, know nothing about the technical side. But I had to pat myself on the back when I saw a lovely photo of Xi Lan on the Atlanta website for downloading as wallpaper. I followed the instructions, and hey presto, my seahorses that I had were now turned into a beautiful baby panda. There’s nothing like a panda to start your day!
Going off to check the time-lapse camera now. You’re all asleep, but I’m three-quarters through my morning.
Thank you everyone who was involved in Gao Gao’s birthday, from the beautiful cake makers, Forage Warehouse to the meerkats, keepers and anyone else I’ve not mentioned. I think he was very very happy, from the look of delight on his face and he certainly enjoyed that cake.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
Ohh, if only to be there to share the memerable moment. Happy Un-Birthday to Big boy Gao Gao !
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:33 am
Pandas Live On has the great story about Gao Gao’s Celebration. They also have a neat article about “Candamonium” where people made a sculpture out of food cans and it looked like a panda. It’s really creative. My church’s youth group did a contest like that years ago and it was so much fun for them, plus all the food that is used in the structure is donated to the food pantry. What a great concept! Yet another way that pandas help people.
Love, Joy
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
Hi Everyone – There is a short video, narrated by Kathy Hawk, of yesterday’s Celebration of Gao Gao. Just goggle -“Panda party at the zoo”. There are wonderful close-ups of Gao Gao enjoying his “honey-laced”
ice-cake. Enjoy
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
Thank you P Wong, entry #82 on previous blog, for providing us with the web site for “Returning Home” and the translation. I am not surprised Gao Gao kept coming back to his human friends for food and care, he was very well taken care for up to the last minute, getting apples before his departure in the wild.
Moderator: I am a bit puzzled by the discrepancy in the dates for his release in the wild, in the video they gave April 12, 1995 as the date of his release in the wild, as in the previous blog you gave 1996.
Moderator’s note: After some research and discussion with our Panda Team, we are changing the year Gao Gao was released to the wild to 1994.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
I belong to curves which is a work out place for women. yesterday I told them I couldn’t stand around and talk forever as I had a birthday party in san diego zoo to go to at 9:00. which meant that I had to be home by 12:00 michigan time. they all laughed getting quite a kick out of it and yelled as I went out the door TO HAVE FUN AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY! I got on the panda cam just in time to see gao gao approach his cake, which was great I might add! he didn’t dissapoint anyone on his reaction to all the party favors and special things planned for him either! anything that can be eaten pleases him greatly I think! he may be small in size for a male giant panda, but great things sometimes come in small packages as we all know. hopefully, gao gao will have a long and PRODUCTIVE life ahead of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:30 am
I forgot to ask anyone who might know on my previous blog, if any news is known about the AZ panda cam? I can’t believe that we haven’t heard anything yet!!!! I think they have an obligation to get a cam up and running so that everyone everywhere can enjoy this baby while it is still tiny and doing so many new things. it’s not like they haven’t had offers of help!! I don’t understand this at all. what’s going on?
if anyone has any information, please share!
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:02 am
I watched the panda cam almost all day yesterday and so enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing Gao’s special day with those us not at the zoo. I loved watching him lick the honey off his paw. Later in the day, I saw Gao open one of his presents, pull the stuff out and then start to roll in it. He looked like a youngster. Then the cam switched to Su Lin. I would love to see a video of him opening all of this presents. When the cam went back to him, he was back eating bamboo.
I had the pleasure of seeing Gao and his son right after Su Linn was born. Last fall, I was planning another trip to San Diego for a conference. I debated about how many days to stay after the conference for sightseeing. I had not made it to Wild Animal Park on my prior trip so I was definitely going there. I wasn’t sure about San Diego Zoo. I loved my first trip but could I justify the cost to stay another day and go again. I happened to tune into the panda cam on Zhen Zhen and Su Lin’s birthday celebration. I so enjoyed watching ZZ climb all over her cake. How could I not see her in person since I was going to be in San Diego? I stayed the extra day. I had a wonderful day at both Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo watching all of the animals. When I got to the Pandas, ZZ was in a tree sleeping, which she was doing a lot back then. I kept checking back all day. She stayed up in that tree all day. I was walking a lot that day. My last trip to the pandas was at 4:15 with the exhibit closing at 4:30. ZZ was in a tree eating bamboo with Bai at the base of the tree eating. My photo of that is one of my favorite photos ever. I was so happy to see her doing something besides sleeping.
Thank you for all of the cams and for the world class care of all of the precious animals at both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
Happy Birthday, Big Big Daddy Gao Gao!
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Nancy #22
I feel your frustation. We are missing some of the best moments of this little guy’s childhood. They grow up so fast!!
I, like many, volunteered to donate funds to get this cam up and running. And even suggested that if in the meantime ZA did find a sponsor, to use my donation for other needs. I am so certain we could raise enough money to pay to keep the cam running for year – and we could do it fast!!
I received no reply and was very disappointed.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Gao Gao with his cake. He is just such a special Panda. Thanks for everything you all do for these precious bears and all the animals and allowing us to be a part of it. Gao certainly deserved a special day and he really enjoyed it. I loved it when he was licking the honey from his cake.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Gao Gao is such a sweetie! Seeing the pictures and video of him when he was little makes him all the more adorable. Thank you to friends here who have posted links to those, and a big thanks to SDZ for giving Gao his special day. He certainly deserves it! That smile on his beautiful face (with the high forehead) is precious. I think he’s telling us he chose the right path–he prefers living with humans. What a life–and next on the agenda is a date with his beautiful lady.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Rose N # 19: thanks so much for sharing the link to Gao Gao’s birthday party video…it was great…!
A very precious bear certainly was so deserving of his special celebration; thank you, one and all, for giving us the joy of watching him as he ate his ‘cake’ and opened his presents!
I hope that Gao & Bai will once again give the world another beautiful, spirited cub(s) in 2009!
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I love the update and the pics! You go Big Guy!
As for the ZA cam, I’ve heard nothing. There’s nothing in their local media. I have no idea what’s doing with them.
I’ve been watching ZZ (12:45 Sacramento time). What the heck is she doing!! She’s pacing; looks like she’s trying to make her great escape. If she does get out, can someone pick her up and bring her to Sacramento?
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
What sweet pictures! He looks like he was being SOOOO very careful with his special “un-cake” Looks like he might have been doing quick analyzing how to most carefully and quickly enjoy that cake!
Happy un-birthday big fella!! What pretty big, sharp white teeth you have by the way. teehee
By the way, we’re enjoying a little reprieve from the freezer…. its 27 degrees currently.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I had forgotten to write in my previous entry, #20, that actually this was not Gao Gao first birthday cake, according to the “Returning Home” video and P Wong’s translation, in March 1995 they celebrated Gao Gao’s two year anniversary at Fengtongzhai station. It also seems that Gao Gao start climbing trees only in March 1995. I would be surprised if the keepers would have released Gao Gao in the wild before they were sure that he could climb in trees for his own protection. Now I am totally confused by the correction that he was released in the wild in 1994… Or do you think they got the year wrong in the video? Thank you.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Thank you for the awesome close-ups of Gao Gao this afternoon. The ‘Gao grin’ will brighten up even the dreariest day.
Queen Bai was amusing earlier as she was laying on her back munching away, looking very flat and spread out. It’s weird how a panda will sometimes look relatively small and compact, move, and then look very large. All part of their charm…
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I have to add…wouldn’t it be great if the exciting changes coming to the SDZ pandas this year was the addition of a playful male panda for Su Lin? My eyes keep going back to the paragraph under the panda cam, the sentence that talks about renovations and the ability to comfortably accommodate six pandas. Even if Bai were to have twins this year, there would still be room for another adult panda because one of the twins would be with Bai at all times. SDZ has had such great success with panda breeding, why not expand?
As you can see, I often resort to wishful thinking when it comes to the pandas. The more the merrier, I say! :O
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Lucky people who saw the celebration of Gao Gao’s 19th birthday!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:25 pm
To Joy & her friend – what a wonderful birthday tribute to our beloved Gao – while he had a terrible beginning as a young cub he certainly found a good life at the SDZ – he has endless bamboo, keepers who take wonderful care of him & all his PANDA FANS that love him. Plus he has his lady love, Bai & 3 magnificent cubs. While we all wish for an increase in the wild panda population it’s hard to visualize how a captive panda can be trained to be released back into the wild. What we need is to help the Chinese convince their people to better manage the known wild panda areas.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:04 pm
For those of you who missed a couple of blogs back, it was mentioned that with the new agreement, Su Lin will likely go to China in late 2009, or early 2010. Tai Shan, and Mei Lan are also expected to go in a similar time frame.
Rose N #10, thanks for sharing your first hand account of the un-birthday celebration. It was a hoot to watch on the cam, and I can just imagine how much more fun it would have been in person.
Did anyone catch Bai and Zhen this afternoon. It looked like Bai was asleep on the cave, and Zhen was munching away in the distance. It is possible that it was the other way around, but the panda asleep on the cave looked big like Bai, and the panda in the distance looked smaller like Zhen. It made me realize that she must now rely on bamboo for sustanance, and Bai is making sure she does but cutting off her nursing supply line.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I tried posting yesterday but unfortunately I kept getting an error message.
I just wanted to say that the title of this posting is just perfect and I think that another very special bear (the one of very little brain but very big heart!) would very much approve of this great UNBIRTHDAY celebration.
Thank you, SDZ, for giving our dear fellow such a wonderful day.
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Happy Celebration Day, Gao Gao! Way to go and blessings to you and your loved ones always, including Bai Yun, Mei Sheng, Su Lin, ZZ and future cubs…..!!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 am
Nancy #22 and Joan #25 I feel the same. I also volunteered to donate for the AZ Panda Cam and have had no response. I can hardly believe this resource is just gone and that we are missing out on the daily activities of Lun Lun and Xi Lan – and Mei Lan too. It also seems strange that there is so little communication from AZ towards its worldwide fan base. I think I’ll send another email asking them why that is and suggesting that better communication could really help to solve their problems.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:30 am
Okay – I tried again. Here is my latest email to AZ. The subject line is PLEASE READ:
I wrote some time ago with suggestions about donations towards the pandacam but received no response. AZ has a huge fan base of panda lovers around the world. Many of us are on different blogs – I am on the SDZ Panda blog which allows us to talk about all things Panda. So many of us are distressed about the loss of the PandaCam at AZ and have offered to donate and fundraise for the Cam – many of us have received no response to our offers. The SDZ has such a good policy of interaction with its fans through the blog – the moderator responds to questions as well as allowing us to discuss pandas from other zoos. I am wondering why AZ does not do something similar or at least respond to our offers of donations? It seems such a shame not to take advantage of the massive support and help you would undoubtedly receive if you were to improve your public relations, not just with large corporations but with people around the world who are passionate about pandas and feel they have a personal relationship with them. Your pandas have become a part of our lives through the Panda Cam. We miss them terribly. We want to see Xi Lan growing up in real time. We want to help get the Panda Cam back and be able to communicate with staff at AZ so that we can ask our questions and offer our help and be assured of a response. We want to make the world a better place for pandas. Monika
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
Monika (#39) I too, emailed AZ and volunteered to donate to the panda cam and received no response. I am going to suggest using caution in how you approach you next email with them. I also miss the cam and the opportunity to watch Xi grow and to see the other pandas as well. In this economic climate, they could be having great difficulty in finding a sponsor for the cam. I had read that they had a sponsor lined up but nothing has happened since so maybe it fell through. It might also very well be that due to the economic downturn, that they have had to let staff go and are operating short-handed. We really don’t know what kind of struggles they are facing there. We have become accustomed to having our cam and watching our beloved pandas but the reality of it is – it just might be a thing of the past at AZ. Having said that, I would like to thank SDZ for continuing to provide us pandaholics with our daily fix of panda cam. I would also like to say THANK YOU for the “send a postcard” option that no other zoo has. It enables us to send snapshots to ourselves and to others of special panda moments so that we may enjoy them time and again. So, hats off to SDZ! They really spoil us!
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Nancy #22 and Joan #25 and Monika #39, based on the verbage ZA has used, they are strapped for funds at the moment and don’t have a lot of human resources to write much. They appear to be putting their emphasis with their remaining resources into their new MySpace page. I am frustrated because I can’t find much in terms of “new” info, photos, videos, etc. that they said last week would be appearing there. It is sad, but in these really tough economic times I can better understand their situation. I know they want to provide more info, but don’t have enough people to do it.
I am thankful that SDZ continues to be well attended, and therefore well funded, so they can continue to provide zoo followers the premiere support we have become accustomed to. I am afraid more zoos will become victims of the world-wide catastrophic financial situation. We must be thankful for and enjoy whatever the zoos can provide for Free, especially since they are not getting any financial support from us to provide it, unless we are making direct contributions through our attendance in person, or via financial contributions.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Monika, #39, it’s almost like we’re being ignored by AZ. I got a respose to one of my emails (and only one), with the auto-reply of exactly what is on their website, saying not to delete them, blah, blah. I have never heard back from any of the media people in Atlanta, and there’s no mention in the media that I can find about the cam. Although there are several “chatrooms” that I saw (I don’t ‘chat” – I just stumbled across them) all lamenting the loss of the camera. We’re not the only ones who are talking about it. I keep hitting the ZA website — thinking it might be a sales tool to whomever is considering sponsoring them, knowing how many hits a day they get.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Margaret #42, how right you are about limited resources. New Yorks Gov. Announced that they will cut funding to Zoos and aquariums to save money. How sad that these are considered non essential. The education value alone is going to be lost. There aren”t may things left that alot of people can afford and cutting these budgets is not the answer. What is going to happen to the animals are any other zoos going to be able to take them. Think what this could mean to endangered species.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I found an exciting reference to the ongoing efforts by Oakland’s zoo to procure a pair of pandas. In a January 2, 2009 article in the Contra Costa Times, mention was made that Oakland’s giant panda exhibit is “near completion.” The Oakland city councilman, Mr. Henry Chang, who worked so tirelessly to bring pandas to Oakland, recently retired from the city council and the article outlined his efforts over the years as a councilman. I do hope the zoo’s efforts will yield pandas this year. I keep hoping (wishful thinking again!) that one of the three U.S.-born pandas who are likely to return to China this year might be considered for placement in Oakland if their plan comes to fruition.
#37 Margaret…I did see Bai asleep on the cave. It looked like she was positioned for a massage. And while I do know that the loan “leases” of Su Lin, Tai Shan and Mei Lan all expire this year, as I’ve mentioned here in previous blogs, I also noticed that the moderator mentioned in comment #9 of this post that no plans have been made for Su Lin yet. I also often notice that the panda page of this site clearly states that SDZ’s giant panda area has been expanded and can accommodate six bears. Things do change sometimes (that’s why Su Lin’s return to China this year or next has been categorized as “likely” rather than “definitely”) so there’s no harm in wishful thinking.
Also, that was such an interesting observation on your part in one of the last couple of blogs about whether Gao’s smaller stature might be due to being abandoned and deprived of vital nutrition as a result. I have wondered the same thing myself.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
If only the world could be as peace-full and worry-less as Zhen Zhen is asleep on her favorite branch in full view of her admirers and fans strolling past in the viewing area. Nothing seems to bother her. Sleep well sweet princess your time for new adventures is just around the corner.
I get very excited when I think about the prospects of Su Lin and Zhen Zhen meeting at the howdy gate. I hope they will have that opportunity to get to know each other up close like Su Lin and Mei Sheng did in 2007. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy the chance to communicate and see another young panda up close. I remember the acrobatic moves he did to show off for his young sister.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Nancy, Joan, and Monika: I am also among the many who have been “bugging” ZA with questions and offers about funding. I am also a member of ZA, but have received no direct replies. I can’t help but believe that they would rather we spend our resources to come to Atlanta in person, and spend our money there. My personal opinion is that this is all controlled by upper echelon, of which someone once suggested should take a salary cut and fund the panda cam. If that is the case, the panda keepers and staff probably have no control over the situation. So I quit emailing. If they do not bring the cam back, I don’t think I’ll renew my membership. I will also let them know why. (Wish SDZ bosses would give ZA a clue.) We all really miss our lovely pandas there.
But happier times are at SDZ this week, and it has been fun celebrating Pappa Gao’s life. It is also fun reading all of your responses to watching the happy family at SDZ.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Isn’t it fun watching SuperGao eat? Of all of the US pandas that I’ve watched, I think Gao safely holds the bamboo eating endurance record. He gets up for a sip now and then, returning again to his bamboo pile. I’m always fascinated by the way pandas can drink without really disturbing the surface of the water they’re drinking from. I look closely for a ripple effect but nope, nothing. Maybe it just doesn’t show up well on cams.
Regarding the ZA panda cam, I read an article in the AJC slightly more than 2 weeks ago regarding the pandas at ZA and it mentioned that the zoo was seeking sponsorship of the cam and would know one way or another within 2 weeks. Two weeks has elapsed. I do try to give the benefit of the doubt. A tiny part of me, however, wonders if the new marketing/fundraising presence at the zoo (a former fundraising guru of some sort from NYC whose current title at the zoo escapes me) determined that the cam is an impediment to paid zoo attendance and decided to shutter the cam. I’m not sure that the cam is primarily viewed by people who live in close proximity to Atlanta and choose to stay at home and watch the cam rather than attend the zoo, but maybe that’s what the folks there are thinking. Much was made of providing lots of pics and short videos to keep Xi Lan’s fans up to speed on his progress in lieu of the cam but…hmm. At any rate, I did some research into one organization that I thought might be able to help with a lump sum donation. I passed that info along but apparently it didn’t pan out. (The organization gives out multi-million dollar donations, so $60,000 yearly sounded like a drop in the bucket! LOL) As my mom used to say, we shall see…
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I dream of all the US born pandas staying here and breeding, and bringing new pandas into the world. There is more room for them here, especially while they try to rebuild Wolong. Unfortunately Tai Shan and Su Lin are cousins, and Mei Lan “belongs” to a different political entity in China than Tai does. So, per previous inquiries they can’t be paired. So, it would require bringing mates in from China. I too wish that one of the three of them could go to Oakland, Toronto, or any of the other North American organizations that are working to get some pandas for their location. Several have been reported to be close to an agreement over the past two years, but nothing official has been announced yet. I think the earthquake reshuffled the priorities, understandably, and the hold up getting the two that just went to Taiwan actually there may have played a part in the decision process as well.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Margaret, #49, Mei Lan and Tai are cousins also. Mei Xiang and Lun Lun are half sisters, having one parent in common–I think it is the father. But I too share the dream of keeping our offspring here in the U.S., perhaps in other zoos. They could bring over a mate for him/her from China. I can’t help but believe (because I want to) that with the situation in China until the Reserve is rebuilt, perhaps we can keep our juveniles a bit longer.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Zhen has grown so much the last few months. What is her current weight?
Moderator’s note: As of January 26, Zhen weighs 86 pounds (39 kilograms).
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
What a beautiful picture of Miss ZZ napping on her branch–oh stretchhhhhh. So cute.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I just watched the video of SDZ’s celebration of Gao Gao with keeper Kathy Hawk, and it was great! I especially love the part in which Kathy says Gao Gao would probably finish the special treats all by himself! =)
Just love that bear Gao Gao! May there be many more years of fun with Gao Gao to come!
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Margaret #49: Unfortunately, none of the U. S. pandas can mate because they are all inner-related, either through the mother or father. Is Gao Gao related to the U. S. females also? Someone enlighten me. He seems to be the only wild-born here.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
It’s very difficult for any of us to know the real story behind the AZ panda cam, but it saddens me that we are being deprived of watching Xi Lan at the most adorable stage of his life. To me, it would be more feasible to keep the cam up and running for the next 6 months, at least, so we can watch his daily antics! Remembering Mei Lan with her yellow car and blue ball, brings back happy memories of a precious cub growing up…! I love watching all of the cubs, as they all have distinct personalities; XI Lan is no exception, and I miss seeing him on the cam. Let’s hope that a resolution comes soon, and that Xi and Lun will be back…!
I’m hopeful that there will be new cubs in the late spring in both Washington, DC & Memphis…!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Thank you for the fabulous close up of Su Lin resting on the climbing structure on Sat 1/24 at 11:30 AM. It is the closest I have seen her in many months. She is one beautiful girl and got good looks and personality from both of her parents. She looks a lot like Bai Yun, and has a docile personality like Gao Gao. She doesn’t seem to have the constant energy streek that Mei Sheng and Zhen Zhen have. She seems more laid back to me.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Dianne in Texas, #47, I too was member of ZA. I let my membership elapse until the next time I will be in Atlanta and can visit the zoo in person. I am more likely to renew if I have access to seeing their pandas all year long. The interesting thing is that having access to a panda cam makes me want to visit in person more, not less. It is because of the panda cams that I build an attachment to the animals I am watching and want to see them live. Viewing videos and still photos just doesn’t cut it the same way. I hope they “see the light” in many ways, including financial, and are able to share their precious pandas with the world. That way they are more likely to get out of town visitors to come and spend money in greater Atlanta economy.
January 24th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Gao Gao’s birthday party was fantastic. Wish I could have been there in person, but did get to see him the previous week. He is such a sweetie.
On another subject, I too would like to see the ZA camera back on the air. But it is a big expense, especially for bandwidth. I’m sure ZA is doing everything they can to get back on the air, but these things can take time. We need to be patient. I am grateful for each camera that broadcasts live on the internet. Since ZA has gone dark, I realize how precious the cams are. SDZ inspired the love of pandas in me when Hua Mei was just a tiny little thing and I’ve watched all of our US pandas ever since. It’s a privilege. Thanks to you, SDZ, and the other zoos who allow us a peek in on their precious black and whites and who take such wonderful care of them
January 24th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I hope the SDZ blog moderator will delete the remarks bashing the Atlanta Zoo over their lack of a webcam. This blog is not the proper forum for you to bash the zoo and in any event, in today’s economy, anyone should be able to understand that the care of the animals should come first and anything else second. Stop whining and stop bashing the Zoo, you’re doing nothing to endear yourself to any zoo with your attitude.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Regarding my earlier comment about not seeing a panda make a ripple in the water while drinking, Miss ZZ just showed me that I wasn’t watching closely enough! I could see ripples in the water when she took a drink. Pandas do seem like dainty drinkers, though.
#49 Margaret…I learned here a few weeks ago that Mei Lan and Tai are cousins, too! I had not known that Mei Xiang and Lun Lun are half-sisters, sharing a father. It would be neat to see who fathered Mei and Lun, wouldn’t it? Both have such fluffy, round faces that I wonder if they take after their shared father. It will be interesting to see where the current “graduating class” of pandas wind up and whether any of the prospective zoos that are vying for pandas will enjoy the fruits of their efforts (including Edinburgh, Scotland). It would be a shame if Oakland’s efforts are denied after having taken the steps to actually build a panda house.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Too cute for words. If you missed Bai and Zhen on 1/24/09 at 14:44, you’ve got to check the time lapse and see it for yourself. They were sleeping up on top of the cave and log, then Bai sat up and looked at sleeping Zhen as if to say, “Zhen do you want a drink?” Reluctantly Zhen rolled over and started to scratch and looked like she was attempting to get Bai to play. But, no nursing for her, so Bai just walked over her and down to the ground. Guess bamboo was calling, and her “baby” didn’t want a drink just then. It so reminds me of when Su Lin was getting ready for separation. The cubs seem to sense the change in the air and start spending more time around their mother. But, alas, nature always prevails, and “mom” knows that the time is coming for the not-so-little panda cub to go off on their own and start their destiny. It is bittersweet that is for sure. I treasure these price-less glimpses into their lives, especially when I luck out and catch them live and can send a postcard to myself to treasure forever.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
It’s Saturday and Bai and ZZ in early afternoon SDZ time they were enjoying some boo together. I check in a couple hours later and Miss ZZ is bugging her mom. I think Bai was not in the mood for a play bout but the devil lol was, she chase her mother all around but finally gave up and took a nap on her branch.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Hello panda lovers! Video alert: there are several new clips of Xi Lan and Lun Lun posted over this weekend – very cute ones!! Go to youtube and search for “xi lan and lun lun” then sort by date added.
There is also a video about the AI done on Mei Xiang at NZ. Search for “giant panda artificial” and sort by date added as well.
Our princess ZZ was on her branch fast asleep this afternoon – how she can move around and change position on just that Y-shaped branch without taking a tumble is beyond me. Sometimes you wonder if she’s glued on to that branch somehow. Now, she and mama Bai are enjoying a bamboo snack on the ground. Nice to see them together – the time will come soon when those together times will be no longer – sigh!!
January 25th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I see Miss ZZ is naping as the evening rolls around and momma having her evening meal. Here is a neat video on pandasliveon that shows the life of Mei Sheng from begining to now many of the pictures were from the SDZ it so nice.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Hi, it’s me again!! Super high video alert!!!! New clip on youtube called “Thinking of you, Mei Sheng” just uploaded today, Sunday, January 25. It’s a nostalgic compilation of Mei Sheng from birth to the present. Enjoy!!
January 26th, 2009 at 8:47 am
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR THE YEAR OF THE OX but it’s always the year of the pandas.
I hope they are all partying today with many treats.
I was just on youtube and there is 5 new short videos of AJ just added yesterday. Just type in Xi Lan panda and then sort by date he is getting so big 18 pounds already. All of our young pandas are growing so fast into beautiful adults pandas.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Mary Ann in FTL: I’m sorry you felt we were bashing Zoo Atlanta. That was not the case. We all understand the economics end of the problem. I do wish they would at least respond to the generous offers to help with the funding. If I were able I would personally visit Atlanta to see all the zoo, not just the Pandas, but I cannot currently do that. We are extremely grateful to San Diego Zoo for allowing us to air our grievances on their blog site, just as you did, and we all appreciate the gigantic efforts of all the zoos to ensure the survival of Giant Pandas. I apologize to anyone who felt I was bashing Zoo Atlanta.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
#67 Diane – not to worry!! Those of us, who are faithful bloggers and donators to “our Panda zoos”, are very aware of the spirit in which we talk about how much we miss our ZA cam and how much we would love to help out financially.
The genuine need to want to help comes straight from our hearts and connects all Panda lovers in a non-judgmental manner.
January 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Thank you, Joan #68.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
will anyone who saw the “Big Big” boy eat his cake tell me about it? I totally missed it! I was at Disneyland!
January 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
#70 Princess Zhen Zhen – To view a cute video of Gao Gao’s Celebration Day, just Goggle “panda party at the zoo” and click on the first item shown.
Also, you can read blog #10 above, about Gao’s special day.
January 29th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Hehe.. that’s so funny… I’ve never seen a panda eat cake.. It’s the first time ever since I’m 13 years old. And never been to a zoo until I was 10ish.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Happy Birthday to my favorite male panda Gao Gao and all future success in his next mating endeavor with Bai. Will be there in Feb/March and it is always a good sign seeing the two of them in the howdy door ready to mate. Glad to see that the SD cams are working well and I can check all my favorites while I’m online working.