All Is Quiet in Panda Canyon
Posted at 9:01 am May 27, 2009 by Ellie Rosenbaum
Gao Gao
Su Lin has adopted her favorite spring/summer napping spot atop the drain grate in the front corner of her enclosure, cool and quiet and essentially unviewable; but hey, she is still a National Treasure of the People’s Republic of China and free to act naturally. If that’s where she chooses to sleep, so be it! It’s only through this Wednesday, though, since as planned she’ll be switching places with her father, going into the back area for two weeks of R & R. Gao Gao, meanwhile, will be out to visit with his many fans on Thursday, May 28, until they trade spaces again.
Zhen Zhen has staked out what seems to be the preferred spot on the lair on the left, mostly facing backwards, of course. Like mother, like daughters, since Hua Mei, Su Lin, and now ZZ all nap in the same spot in the same position. Even funnier, they all seem to gradually shift into the same sleeping postures. Hmmmm: same body structure, same physical location, same approximate body size by the time we begin to see this. Could it be just a family thing or is this seen in China when unrelated pandas sequentially occupy the same space? ZZ will be out, eating, growing, and napping for the better part of the summer, so we’ll all have time to contemplate this at length.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Bai Yun is displaying a hearty appetite and slowly gaining weight, which we like to see after weaning and mating season. This does not necessarily indicate a pregnancy, however. There’s mounting evidence that pseudopregnancies occur after most full estrus seasons, whether mating has taken place or not. Behavior is less an indicator of impending birth than ultrasounds, and those will be done in the next few weeks on a more or less regular basis. We won’t necessarily be hearing about each and every one until and unless there’s something promising to report, so patience, Panda Fans, is our key word as summer commences.
All things considered, nothing exciting is actually pretty good from a panda perspective. Be sure to keep watching and following Panda Cam as Su and Gao switch places and as Bai and ZZ settle in for the rest of spring and get ready for summer.
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
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May 27th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Hi Ellie,
Thanks for the update on the pandas, so it will be father GG and his youngest ZZ so cute and I do hope BY is preggers maybe twins this time………plus cant wait to see the pandas yippee. I always wondered do they get any fruitcicles during the upcoming summer months like they do at NZ to keep them cool.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Congratulation to the first panda cub born in 2009 in Thailand!
May 27th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Thanks for the update on our wonderful panda family. I am hoping and praying that our beautiful Bai will again give birth to a cub (or two) this summer. She is getting some well deserved rest and relaxation on her own.
Thanks to all the keepers for taking such good care of our beloved pandas and to the moderators of this forum, many thanks for providing everyone a place to voice our opinions.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Zhen Zhen is having a lovely nap on top of the cave, propped up with the log as her pillow. She sure is one adorable panda adolescent. She continues to grow rather quickly, seemingly before my eyes.
I do not tire of watching slumbering pandas no matter how much I wish to see them in “action.” I get irritated when I hear disparaging remarks about how “lazy” and “uninteresting” pandas are because they sleep so much. I wonder how their critics would survive if they had to digest the bulky fiber of a bamboo diet in a carnivore digestive system? No wonder they sleep a lot. It takes a great deal of time, and digestive chemistry to process all that fiber. I am amazed that they get enough nutrients extracted in the wild (without the suppliments they get in captivity) to keep their large bodies healthy.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I’m really pushing and hoping for another boy this year. We have enough girls. (No offense to the fans of the girls) but i came on board when we were waiting for mei to be born and got to watch him grow up and had to watch him leave, and he and my son are the same age so he’s his panda too and he was our panda. Not only that but another boy would get more of that miracle working “gao juice” out there and really speed up the recovery of the panda population. So lets go momma.. bring us another boy. (yes i know it’s actually poppa that determines it, but his part is done now. )
May 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am
OH.. and kudos to thailand.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Ellie, what a nice update. Thank you. And I love the way you write.
I can’t believe how big ZZ is getting. Sometimes, I’m amazed (and perhaps it’s the camera angle) how “girlie” she’s getting. No more cubbie. All girl.
WooooHoooooo Thailand. Where was that news posted?
Moderator’s note: Lee in Vancouver mentions it in her comment (#162) on the previous panda post.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Ellie, thank you for the panda updates. All our hope is on Bai now, I wish very hard that she can give us an American baby this year.
#2, Michelle, Thailand has a baby…got to check this out
May 27th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I guess that’s why they call it the Lazy Days of Summer!
Cam28 on Bai right now. Did anyone see Xi Lan exploring in the pool of water yesterday? It was so precious., maybe someone uploaded it to youtube. I’ll check.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Thank you moderator for the credit. I will give away my secret though. I registered with Google Alerts a couple of years ago for the word “pandas”. I’m not sure how it all works but each morning I receive an email from them and anything with the word “pandas” in it gets sent to me. It could be from TV or newspaper or book, etc. They are also from any where in the world. It does include sports teams with that name but I just delete them right away.
So now everyone now knows that I don’t have an inside track, just great alerts.
I am happy for Lin Hui though as I spent quite a bit of time with her and Chuang Chuang last year and have had my fingers crossed since I heard that they had performed AI on her.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
It is interesting that Xi Lan the panda cub in Atlanta also likes to nap on the metal grate in the moat in his outdoor habitat.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Thanks Moderator, and thanks Lee for the heads up google alert. What a great idea.
And I’ve decided all pandas love grates. Don’t know why. Mei Xiang pulled one into her birthing den last year.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
#10 Lee -
Thank you for the panda tidbit about Google Alerts. I did not know about that service. I just signed up too.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
All is well in Panda Canyon. Welcome back to Gao Gao, although I’ll miss watching Su Lin splashing like a toddler in her pool.
Speaking of panda pools, I have a question. Why are the pools drained in the evening? Is it for panda safety, as they’re mostly unsupervised at night? Or does it perhaps just help to keep their overnight boo fresher from lying in the moist pool area? Some other reason?
I’ve often wondered. Thanks to whoever can answer!
May 27th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Glad things are all nice and quiet in Panda Canyon…
It is funny how some of the bears tend to gravitate to the “grates”, I have seen Xi Lan sleeping on the grate a number of times now.. Must be something cool coming up from under him.
Thanks (neighbour) Lee in Vancouver, I have just signed up to Google Alerts… Isn’t it neat how we can all learn so much from each other about our favorite topic “the panda”….
TONYMO, I agree I’ll be hoping for another boy for Bai this year, as it’d be amazing to spread the genes of Bai and Gao. What an awesome couple they are.. And what they have done for the future of the Panda is truly amazing. Of course, they have some of the best keepers in the world….
May 27th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Lee #10 – How wonderful! The birth was very unexpected. The keepers had no idea that Lin Hui was pregnant. There’s a short video of Lin Hui holding her infant cub. Just goggle surprise panda cub born at zoo in Thailand – Science – msnbc(.) com. Also, on the same page, there are multiple videos under the head “Animal Tracks” that are very interesting.
Lee, I guess you will be visiting Thailand in the near future.
By the way, I also use Goggle Alerts, however, I didn’t check my mail until later in the morning. Ruth Renz, a SDZ blogger, who moved to Vienna, mentioned this wonderful site a couple of years ago.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Thanks for the update – and for the really cute picture of our man Gao Gao in mid-munch.
I’m so excited over the new panda baby in Thailand. What a great surprise for them!
May 27th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Fonsia #14,
The pools are not drained at night. They are drained each day as the keepers clean the area and refilled before the bears re-enter the area.
They are also drained in an area with a young cub to protect the cub from potential drowning hazards.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
#9 – JudyK, I also saw Xi Lan and the pool yesterday as well, it seems that he was going after the metal plate at the bottom, not quite a grate but I guess close enough to get him interested in that. Someone should look into the attraction of the grates on giant pandas…
#4 – Margaret, I had to laugh when I read your entry because I watched Oprah yesterday and there was a section on having people eating 11 pounds of raw fruits and vegetables per day for 10 days, as a kind of cleansing program, and they had a big basket with the 11 pounds on the show, just to give people an idea of the amount it represents. I was wondering how long and hard it would be to eat all that, but I guess that’s what the pandas are doing on a daily basis. The pandas in the zoos are lucky, they get all sort of goodies beside the bamboo which they probably don’t find in the wild.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:08 am
More news on the baby at the Chiang Mai Zoo. Mom and baby are fine. She hasn’t let it go yet and snuggled it under her chin all night long. Experts from China are on the way to help out.
The staff didn’t know she was pregnant as for the last couple of weeks Lin Hui wouldn’t let anyone near her to do an ultrasound. She also didn’t show any signs of being pregnant. That is all according to the BBC world news report that I got on my morning Google Alert – pandas.
Hopefully this is just the first of many babies to be born this year.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Lee (#20) what a cute mental image I got after reading your update. Snuggled under momma’s chin all night. Who can blame momma? Something that precious should be held onto tightly. Thanks for letting us all know.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:11 am
OMG, it’s 10:00 Pacific, and at ZA, there is a panda going CRAZY. I can’t tell if it’s Yang or Mei Lan. I think it’s Yang because of the size. But whomever it is, it’s making me laugh out loud.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:12 am
It’s a girl!
May 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am
#22 Linda A. I saw that too, from the size of the panda and the face, similar to Lun Lun, I concluded it must have been Mei Lan. She really had a blast somersaulting all over the place with the set of yellow and red balls. She was really fun to watch.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:12 am
This morning — late morning — there is a very funny scene of Gao Gao — totally crashed out on his back — hind legs under the tree stump — with what looks like a burlap sack/bed next to him. He just looks so relaxed — not a care in the world — or like he’s had to much to drink and has fallen down and can’t get up. What a character — just love big daddy!
May 28th, 2009 at 11:12 am
It seems that the reports about Lin Hui’s cub are conflicting, yesterday I read some articles in which they wrote that Lin Hui wouldn’t let go of her cub but then the weight of the cub was given, 200 gram (8 ounces) and a picture of the cub in human hands was accompanying the article. This morning I read that it is a girl…
May 28th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Well, I have also been receiving “Google alerts” on Panda’s for about a year now, Lee (#20), but I missed that one! Thanks for posting the update. Sometimes I get in a hurry and skip over things (who doesn’t) and I missed something really good this time! I am assuming that Michelle’s update (#23) is also regarding the newborn Panda cub. Congrats to Lin Hui and the staff at Chiang Mai Zoo!!
May 28th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
According to “Pandas Live On” website, the visiting Chinese officials who arrived at the zoo in Thailand were noting that Lin Hui’s behavior was leading them to believe she may yet have another cub. The report said that they should know something within the next 50 hours. Interesting…
May 28th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
#18 Suzanne – Uh…everytime I’m at the exhibit, I see last keeper to clean the yard to always drain the pool during the last cleaning at the end of the day. A pile of bamboo is usually placed in the drained pool, where pandas prefer to sit and munch through the night.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Our local ABC station in the n.y. n.j. area showed the Thai zoo and a grainy video of the new baby, they say it’s a girl. They also showed in the video a panda in a cage being showed a video of a mating couple. Pandasliveon also showed a picture of the baby, it’s looks very healthy and also a few pictures of the mother. they also have a video of MEI SHENG, yes our boy being VERY frisky got a good laugh out of it. It’s been tax time for me and this is eally been the first time i’m getting caught up thanks to all the bloggers.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Danielle #26 – it’s all because of the time change. Chiang Mai is 18 hours ahead of Vancouver time and another 3 hours ahead of your time. We are reading newspaper articles that were written either yesterday or today THEIR TIME. It really screws up our heads. The baby was born Wednesday 10 a.m. Thailand time so that is really going on 3 days ago as it is tomorrow already in Thailand. Did that help you are is it muddier than before?
May 28th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Alas, I didn’t mean to start a dispute about the panda pools!
Camera angles can be deceptive, but it looks to me that in the front exhibits at least, there are piles of bamboo in what appears to be the pools at night.
Now I’m even more confused. Are they drained at night? And if so, why?
I’m just curious.
And super congratulations to the new mom and cub in Thailand! That is so exciting. How wonderful that the people there will be able to see their new cub grow up. Sure hope there will be a panda cam!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Fonsia (#32) – perhaps the pools are drained to prevent episodes of midnight skinny dipping…??
May 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
There is a youtube video up of Lin Hui and her tiny cub! It’s called “Raw Video:Thai Zoo Surprised by Panda Birth”
The cub certainly looks active! Also has shots of Dad watching some panda porn earlier in the year. He certainly looked interested, but apparently they still had to use AI.
Amazing and wonderful.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Thanks everyone for the heads up on the video of the new cubbie. Can’t watch to see it.
Danielle #28, another cubbie for Lin Hui? What’s the normal length of time between births?
(And Danielle, regarding #24 comment, I thought the face was Mei Lan’s but sometimes she/he appeared to be rather large. Mei has such a distinct shaped face. Whomever it was — they were having a GREAT time.)
I love how excited we all are about a panda’s birth. If we could just spread the word of how precious these animals (and other endangered species) are, think what could be done. Of course, if everyone shared our feelings on animals, we’d probably live in a much happier world.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Oh boy!! or girl, I should say! We have another cub to watch on the other side of the world! Congratulations to Lin Hui and the baby panda princess of Chiang Mai!! And maybe another sibling to come?? If this keeps up, us panda lovers will not be getting any sleep. As #31 Lee in Vancouver said, Thailand is about 18 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time; that would put it at 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. This means that as our Western Hemisphere pandas are just getting to sleep, the ones in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand are just starting their morning, and we could watch pandas all day!! And I wouldn’t be surprised if these zoos install panda cams when their cubs arrive. I think I’ll retire!
#22 Linda and #24 Danielle – I missed all the action at ZA that you’re talking about. I hope someone captured it and posts it so I can have my laugh too. I did catch Xi Lan on youtube last night gingerly inching himself down to his pool and exploring. I have a feeling he’ll be back in there often especially as summer passes. He and Lun have had some great play/fighting sessions recently as well. Just go to youtube and search for Xi Lan.
I am itching to plan my next visit to SDZ especially with all the new things to experience like the Elephant Odyssey. And to see all the new offspring born this year. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy all the great posts on this blog.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Hi, me again. I forgot to encourage all bloggers to visit the Pandas International site and contribute to the bamboo re-planting in the earthquake zone by buying their t-shirts. I decided to get a bamboo shirt which has a large silk-screened panda on the lower left corner and the word “Endangered” running lengthwise along the side. The black shirts are beautiful and the bamboo fabric feels wonderful.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I get excited about all zoo babies. I really appreciate the zoo websites and cams, and of course the blogs.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Sayuri #29 is correct on the pool draining. Since the panda exhibit is my second home, the last keeper drains the pools (at least in the main exhibit) before placing out the dinner menu of fresh bamboo. I have photos going back to 1999 and the dinner bamboo is always enjoyed by the pandas while sitting in a drained pool.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Re: Fonsia’s question about draining the pools in the evening (#14 and #32) and Suzanne’s reply (#18)….I’m with Sayuri (#29) on this issue. Every time I’ve been to the Zoo, the pools are filled at breakfast, drained and refilled at lunch, but drained and left empty for the last feeding of the day. The bears typically sit in their empty pool and eat their dinner there. I’ve always assumed they like the back support! I have seen this many, many times, but I can’t answer your question as to why it is done that way.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Hello panda lovers! Video alert on new cub in Thailand. These are both on youtube. the first one is simply titled Panda, uploaded on May 28 by dmanaha. This one shows the mother in labor and then the birth. The other one is called Baby Panda @ Chiang Mai Zoo, uploaded by wbbangkok also on May 28. That cub can squeak and she’s hard to please. Poor Lin Hui seems at a loss as to how to get the little one to calm down. She’ll figure it out, I’m sure. Such a thrill to see this new baby coming into the world.
May 29th, 2009 at 5:26 am
From what I read in several Thai papers yesterday, the zoo is going to remove the cub from it’s mother to raise it in the nursery. That’s why I can’t get excited about their cubs…it’s like a factory environment with too much human intervention – I prefer our way where we allow the mother to raise it’s own cubs. No doubt that’s why Bai’s offspring are so successful at breeding…they know they are bears and not humans.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:30 am
#35 – Linda A. Today’s panda update on the ZA website confirms that it was Mei Lan who went crazy about the set of balls that they call “ping pearls”. It turns out to be a popular toy with at least three members of the ZA panda family.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Thanks for this great update! What is it with pandas and grates? Seems like they all gravitate to them and it’s the cutest thing!
May 29th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Sure hope that Bai Yun gets twins this year and both survive! She has been such a good mommy! Thanks for the update!
May 29th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Look at that face C6. ZZ you are beautiful.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Thank you Meerkats for the wonderful close-ups of Zhen Zhen this morning around 11:50 AM PT. Zhen climbed high up in the tree above the cave. Something caught her attention on the ground. While sitting on the branch, Zhen turned her body side to side while looking straight down. Zhen was staring down for minutes at a time. I wonder what she was looking at? Then the camera switched to Su Lin’s exhibit for a while and at 12:22 PM the camera switched back and focused on a great full-face close-up of beautiful Zhen Zhen. Perhaps one of the keepers entered the exhibit and caught Zhen’s attention? Does anyone else, who was watching Zhen Zhen late this morning, have a reason for her curious behavior?
May 29th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Zhen Zhen sleeping up in a tree, resting on a branch, she looks so big now…what are you dreaming about ZZ? I wish I could just hug her to pieces before she gets any bigger! Are ZZ and her sister ever going to see each other? I would love to see their reactions! Oh bother……
May 29th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I don’t know who is who anymore. All three girls look alike. Gao Gao, with his old man chin hair, I can spot a mile away.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
#43 Danielle – Tai Shan at NZ also gets to play with Pings Pearls. He has a blast with them – just like Mei Lan and Xi had. Youtube has videos of Tai playing with them.
May 30th, 2009 at 10:25 am
What wonderful news for all of the ‘pandaholics’.Still sad about Mei Xiang at NZ…maybe she has a surprise for us like Thailand! Oh, well…hope for next year. Tian Tian’s mom, Yong Ba injured her foot in January and, because of doing a lot of scratching, the doctors felt because of her advanced age they should move her to Bifengxia. Her same doctors will accompany her. She can be kept cooler there in an air conditioned enclosure. Good luck to Yong Ba!
May 30th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for fixing the infra red or whatever it is that allows us to see the pandas after dark–there’s Miss ZZ sleeping on top of the cave. She was having a wonderful time earlier in the evening waving and crawling in and eating her bamboo. Just like kat W #48, I wonder what she’s dreaming about now…
May 31st, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Hi! Just got on the SDZ pandacam today (Sun., 5/31), and saw Miss ZZ sleeping with her rump stuck between a rock and a log! These pandas love to sleep in the craziest positions and places, don’t they? How ZZ got into that spot is beyond me! She’s still a very cute little lady, tho.
Thailand’s momma panda beat the China and US mother pandas! Congrats to Thailand Zoo on the birth of the panda cub! Got my email newsletter from Pandas International, and they did mention about the panda cub birth in Thailand. So did Pandas On Live website. Also from the newsletter, the groundbreaking for the new Wolong Panda Center was celebrated this month, so now the real hard work begins to get this new facility built so that the Wolong pandas can come home soon! They also said that at least 9 female pandas have mated this spring in China. So, we will be waiting for these mother pandas to give birth this summer. Hua Mei was on the list of the momma pandas that have mated! There was alot of other news on the newsletter, but one of the most important items was that PI wants all of us to vote for and nominate Suzanne Braden, Director of Pandas International, for Animal Planet’s Hero of the Year! You need to get on the Animal Planet website, hit the link to Hero of the Year, and there will be a page to nominate Suzanne Braden.
Some of you may have gotten your PI email newsletter that has this info on it, so hopefully the PI website will have this newsletter on their website with this info on there soon for those of you that don’t get their email newsletter. I hope the moderator will allow me to give this info out to everyone because Suzanne Braden is very deserving of this honor because of the very hard work and determination that she has shown the world in her efforts to jump start the recovery efforts after the May 12, 2008 earthquake by sending the necessary food, shelter, formulas for the pandas, and equipment to Bifengxia to replace the equipment that were damaged/destroyed in Wolong from the quake. She has visited China’s panda centers a few times last year while this was going on, and she is still at the forefront of the recovery and rebuilding efforts now. I will definitely be nominating her for AP’s Hero of the Year!
Well, that’s it for now. I’ll check back later on, especially the pandacams!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
May 31st, 2009 at 12:44 pm
HI again! Just got off the Animal Planet website to nominate Suzanne Braden, PI Director, for AP’s Hero of the Year. I also found out that AP will have the top ten finalists list available starting September 14, 2009 for us to vote for. So, we all have until then to get as many nominations for Suzanne Braden in as possible before that date. I would love to see her name on that top ten list! Have fun!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
May 31st, 2009 at 6:00 pm
All the pools are drained at night and the bamboo placed in the pools. I will find out why.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:51 am
just a quick note, animal planet is showing a panda is born this evening at 7:00 pm this is on the east coast time as I live in N.J. I don’t know what panda it is but I will be glued to my set. I can’t believe my eyes as to how much Zhen Zhen has grown. I finally got to catch up this weekend as I had missed so much.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:49 am
It’s 7:45 Pacific time, and Xi and Lun have been playing for quite some time. What a crack up! Makes me tired just watching.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:11 am
Too cute! The Lun Lun school of survival skills is really rough on a young guy. But he takes it in stride and learns to give back the same kind of treatment to the mommy monster. She is obviously being much more tough and rough with her male cub than she was with her firstborn female cub. My observation of late is that Lun Lun is the instigator of their ‘play bouts’ which leads me to believe very strongly that she is in fact holding survival skills school. The things she does to Xi Lan underscore that it is not “play” but as with tiger cubs and their mother, it is very serious learning that is essential skills for survival in solitary life in the wild with other males competiting for breeding with the females. Knowing how Mei Xiang was with Tai Shan it leads me to believe that mother pandas as “rougher” with their male cubs than their female cubs. I did not see Bai Yun with Mei Sheng, but those of you who did can help fill in the blanks if you recall her “playing” more and rougher with Mei Sheng. It makes sense since males have to compete with each other in the wild, but females rarely do. I read that one of the considerations for the next release of panda into wild is that it may be a female for that reason. It is less likely that a captive bred female would get hurt in fight with a wild panda than it is for a male. Unfortunately that is what I’ve read lead to Shi Shi’s injuries and was the initial cause of Xiang Xiang’s injuries that lead to his eventual death.
I too hope that Bai Yun has a male cub this year to even out the numbers, but also to see the different cub raising tactics of each of the three panda mothers. It is fascinating to watch, and incredibly educational.
All three mothers were born in captivity, and only Gao was born in the wild. So, instinctively the mothers are teaching their offspring what nature tells them is essential for their survival on their own. Lun seems to know instintively that Xi Lan is at the perfect size, age, maturity, etc. to go through this intense training. As he gets bigger and stronger, it will be increasining difficult for her to impart the same lessons that she can teach him now. Besides as they get bigger and stronger the harder it is for the mothers to physically control and manipulate their offspring.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:02 am
Mr. Gao Gao looks so cute and so content sleeping near his paper shavings (?) this morning–just like the adorable cub he once was.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:53 am
Margaret #58, I agree with you about the moms are rougher on the male cubs than the females. Or maybe my memory “thinks” that I know. I remember being seriously worried about Tai when he was a cub. I thought Mei had snapped was trying to hurt him a couple of times. Oh, how wrong I was. It’s interesting that we, the weaker sex, are so tough!
ZZ is looking more adorable everyday.
I have a stupid question……………has anybody smelled a panda? You know how horses have a distinctive smell (I love that smell); dogs smell like dogs, etc. I wonder what a panda would smell like?
June 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
As rough as Lun was this Xi Lan this morning, she is right now be equally loving and tender with him in the hammock. What a sweet and endearing scene!
June 1st, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Linda A #61 -
It just warms my heart when I see nursing sessions! I love when Lun puts her paw on his head.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Linda #60 — Pandas smell like ——— pandas. They have a distinctive odor that is reasonably strong. I can tell you more when I get back from China at the beginning of July. Will think about how to describe it while I’m over there.
June 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
The Thai panda cub is doing pretty well! I’ve just added some Lin Hui & cub pics to my blog pandanews(dot)wordpress(dot)com – it’s hard to believe that Zheni and our little Happy Dragon Fu Long were that small size about 21 months ago. In the article below the one on Lin Hui and her cub there is a video we took last week. It shows Fu Long trying to get some milk and then munching bamboo with Mummy Yang Yang.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
The following was in a May Washington Post article. Are they referring to Su Lin? What is Su Lin’s status re China?
In addition, the earthquake resulted in an extension for another of the zoo’s bears. A young female panda that was supposed to go to China last year was allowed to stay. “They don’t really have a place for her right now,” Simmons said.
Moderator’s note: This was an article that appeared in December in reference to the renegotiation of the San Diego Zoo panda loan. Su Lin is the young panda whose return has been delayed.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Judy #62, wasn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve seen since ZZ was a baby?
#63, Mary, please smell a panda for me. That is SO cool that you are going. What a treat. I’d love to know what they smell like. Thank you.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Margaret #58 I too was wondering about the intensity of the play between Lun Lun and the X man. I only started watching panda cams when Mei was born so I haven’t seen other mothers with male cubs, but I remember her as being much softer with little Mei. Of course, the little X man is a tiger himself.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Linda #60-what about the way they feel? I would love to feel ZZ, wonder if all that furriness feels like a brushed out course-haired poodle? ZZ looks so grown up now, eating her dinner, sitting against a rock. I still see heads of visitors bobbing around, passing by at the zoo, catching glimpses of her, not the baby anymore. If you call her name, would she look over? Hey Zhen Zhen!!! Hey, me Precious?!! Does she acknowledge when called? oops, she’s off wandering now….heads still bobbing……
June 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm
#56 Barbara – thanks for the word about “A Panda is Born” on Animal Planet tonite – have watched it many. many times & still laugh & cry at the birth of TaiShan. The staff at the NZ has tried so hard it was wonderful to see a live “hellion Tai” & now 4 years later they need another cub.
#58 – Margaret – Interesting observations – I thought that Tai Shan was always a handful for first time mom MeiXiang. LunLun seemed very protective of Lani which I thought was due to Lani being her first born. But after watching Lun with XiLan I’ve decided (like you) that males are raised differently. What studies are being done??
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Watching Gao right now just laying across the rock makes me want to touch him. kat w #68, you are right……can you imagine how they feel! Maybe Mary #63 can tell us.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Mary #63 – Another trip to China, how wonderful! When you return from your upcoming trip I would be very interested, like Linda #60, in reading your description of what panda fur smells like. I read an article a few years ago where pandas were described as “smelling like puppies”. I bet they have bamboo breath too.
Have a safe trip to China and please let us know how Hua Mei and Mei Sheng are doing and take lots of pictures.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I would appreicate the help of all the pandafans here. I have been reading for some time and watching the panda cam off an on since Mei Sheng was born. I was fortunate to see Hua Mei in person after she was out and about. I have been hesitant to write anything until now. I am fortunate to travel to Beijing in August and want to add a personal trip to see the pandas. Would someone please confirm where Hua Mei and Mei Sheng are, is it Bifengxia or in Chendgdu? It will be wonderful to see any pandas, but two see our local ones would be terrific. Thank you!!!
Moderator’s note: Hua Mei and Mei Sheng are at Bi Feng Xia (also spelled Bifengxia).
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I know you are switching our pandas around so I am guessing that means the numbers that usually indicate who is who are not necessarily correct? I was looking at the current view and I know that isn’t Bai even though the number indicates it would normally be her. The size is wrong I think. You are keeping Bai off display aren’t you?
Moderator’s note: We checked with the keepers and the Panda Cam numbers are correct as posted.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Linda A #66 and JudyK #62–aren’t nursing scenes just the sweetest? I loved the way Bai Yun used to put her head next to ZZ’s body when she was nursing. And Mary #63 and Michelle #72–you lucky ones who will get to see and touch the pandas in China–please smell, touch and photograph for all the rest of us!
kat W #68–I think I remember reading a note from someone who went to China last year that said the pandas’ fur was “surprisingly soft.” I would imagine it gets coarser as they get older?
Moderator–could you get one of the keepers or trainers to address this and the “what do they smell like” question?
It’s good to see Mr. G back in his greeter position, and to see adorable Miss Zhen Zhen doing almost anything.
Bai Yun was exploring some new and unusual sleeping positions yesterday evening, on the ground of her “back yard.” Not exactly the dignified, queenly Bai Yun I’m used to seeing!
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Good for Michelle and Mary for their upcoming trips. I hope you both have a wonderful time and take lots of pictures (and post them?).
I actually wondered if the bamboo diet would make the pandas smell really good. Fruit, leaf eater biscuits, and bamboo must be what makes them so cute, have beautiful fur, and smell so good. I may try it.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm
My recollection of the panda fur was that it was softer than I expected and very thick. We gave one of the pandas a bit of a backrub through the bars of her bedroom while she had her back to us busily chomping down a carrot. We had to be very careful to stay out of the way of claws! The little one I held only touched through plastic gloves and I remember thinking it needed a bath, that it weighed a ton and kept wiggling!! Will be very attentive to touch and smell when we go back. The ones in the kindergarten will be the ones we saw in the nursery in September.
Michelle #72, hope you get to Bifengxia. I suspect most hotels in Chengdu that cater to tourists sponsor a day trip down there. which is probably the best way to do it since the site is really out in the sticks and you do NOT want to drive. You’ll need to find out whether you will need a form declaring that you do not have swine flu to go there. Your travel agent should be able to tell you.) The Chinese are really being cautious about swine flu. We have been jumping through hoops to get all of the extra forms and stuff filled out. But it will be worth it. I have messages to deliver to our two American-Chinese pandas from their family in San Diego and look forward to doing it. Had so much fun delivering the other way in January.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
It’s been over a year now since I’ve been able to see these lovely beings in person so I truly appreciate the panda cams. Clicked on just now and there was Bai all stretched out on her tummy like she is the most content panda on Earth. Thanks for letting us see them whenever we want. It’s a gift I truly appreciate.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
#58 Margaret & #69 Maureen – As a mom of sons myself, it just sounds like raising a boy. My youngest son would give Tai Shan a run for his money in the “handful” department. In fact, if Tai Shan had been born first, I would probably have named my son after him. I would watch Tai and Mei wrestle on cam, and compare it to my own rough-and-tumble youngster who would come running from nowhere to pounce upon momma for a play bout, and there didn’t seem much difference other than I could tell him in words when I was tired of playing. Not that he listened. I also wish I had known about Bai Yun’s “talk to the hand” technique when my oldest son was young. Any time I sat down to eat, he would insist on being fed at the same time. For what feels like a year, I ate only sandwiches, so I could simultaneously eat with my food in one hand and spoon-feed the youngster with the other hand. We could write a new book: Everything I Really Need to Know, I Learned From Panda Moms.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
#63 Mary – ok, we will wait for you to describe how panda smells – “like a panda” doesn’t quite do it for me”:)
Also if you can -check out the panda fur – all my stuffed pandas have soft fur which I doubt a real giant panda has.:)
And to # 78 – Joy – am still laughing & hope you do write a new book: Everything I Really Need to Know, I Learned From Panda Moms. I can show it to our son & daughter-in-law – who did not appreciate it when I compared the life of a panda cub to that of our only grandson.
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 am
Mary, #76, thank you for the description. What a treat that must have been. Yes, please do smell a panda for me! OK, that sounded weird.
Betty, #77, I agree with you; it is truly a gift that I, too, appreciate beyond words.
Joy, #78, you made me smile this morning. And I love the “talk to the hand” technique. Write that book!
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 am
RE: Panda Smell..
most pandas smell kinda musky, not really stinky…except ours of course. Bai is such a diva that she takes a nice hot shower every morning with her lavander shampoo, and then of course there’s Gao.. he still uses that old stand by POLO to catch him some of his woman. I guess if it works, stick with it. I gotta wonder if that’s what Mei used to get him a panda date last month… hey whatever works. Dats still my boy!!
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
When I visited Wolong in 1998, I got to have my picture taken with my arm around an adult panda, who was minding its own business chewing on some bamboo.
There was a keeper on the other side of the panda when I assumed the pose.
I remember being surprised at how coarse the panda fur was. A little scratchy and certainly not like a stuffed toy.
Imagine my surprise when the photo was developed and I was alone with the panda. The keeper had faded away ! It’s my favorite photograph
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
Joy#78, I had to laugh at your last line. I never knew what a hot meal was.
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
#54 Chari, I love your idea; I will nominate Suzanne Braden for Animal Planet’s Hero of the Year.
#63 Mary & #72 Michelle, You are so lucky. I wish I can visit China and rub/hug pandas, but I have trouble taking long flights.
#78 Joy, you made me laugh, thanks.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
It is great to see Gao Gao up front and center again. He looks quite content munching or resting. Thanks for the close-up of Mr. Handsome having his lunch.
Mommie Monster strikes again at ZA. Xi Lan was peacefully dozing on his favorite indoor horizontal branch when Lun decided it was time for him to wake up. She climbed into the hammock reached up and grabbed Xi Lan down from the log onto the hammock with her. She appeared to try to get him to nurse but he wasn’t ready for that. He wiggled away from her grasp and she leaned foward hunched over him. Next thing he did was get down on the ground and started climbing up another horizontal log. She reached out and grabbed him again, and he managed to get to the ground. Since she couldn’t reach him with her mouth, she tried getting him with her paws. When that didn’t work, she eased herself out of the hammock onto the ground not letting go of him in her front paws the whole time. She is quite graceful and agile, and can move her big body whereever and however she needs to keep control of her little guy.
I love watching their interactions lately because you can see there is a point to everything she is doing with him. It is not just maternal control. She appears to be teaching him at every opportunity. It is hard to fathom how cubs in China get the same lessons when they have been separated from their mothers for 2-4 months by the time they are the same age and size as Xi Lan. Humans can’t possibly teach the same lessons. It makes sense to me that the Chinese are starting to allow some of their cubs to remain with their mothers longer, as part of their research. The cubs they are selecting for release into the wild will need all the teaching a mother can do for a cub, rather than human instruction. I read that Xiang Xiang was trained for 3 years before he was released into the wild. A panda mother doing the teaching should shorten that period considerably.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Whew! And here I thought I was the only one that so desperately wants to know what Panda’s smell and feel like!
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Not that I don’t see Suzanne being a good candidate but perhaps the folk at Wolong deserve some honor as well for all they did to save the cubs during the earthquake. Perhaps they were already nominated though or is Animal Planet’s deal just for the U.S.? Suzanne has done and is doing an amazing job though.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:56 am
About that panda/grate thing–Mei Xiang cuddled a drain cover (mini-grate) during her last 2 pseudopregnancies.