Right now we have the two sister pandas on exhibit! Su Lin will be four years old on August 2, and she is about 190 pounds (86 kilograms). She has already gone through her first estrus with flying colors and has been very active out on exhibit so far.
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Two weeks ago we took in more sick tortoises at the San Diego Zoo’s Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) in Las Vegas than we have taken in during the entire 12 weeks we have been here (see previous post, Helping Tortoises and Others). It took me until now to keep myself together long enough to put it into words for you. Honestly, some of the tortoises we received were only marginally alive, and the saddest part is that in almost every case, these tortoises were sick because of the way they were cared for in captivity.
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Quincemil, District of Camanti, southeast Peru
I’ve returned to the cloud forest of southeast Peru, on the east slope of the Andes, between the cities of Cusco and Puerto Maldonado to continue my research on Andean bears. It’s good to be back. Things have changed in the area due to the construction of the interoceanic highway, but they haven’t changed as much yet as I imagined they would have, or as they will. I’ve encountered many familiar faces, but other people have moved on, looking for opportunities elsewhere. (Read previous post, Andean Bear Collaboration.)
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I chuckled as I arrived at the snow leopard exhibit along the Big Cat Trail at the San Diego Zoo during my first check of the day. Everett was on his side on a rock at the front of the exhibit, Anna was sitting on him: an example of the bond between these two.

Everett and Anna came to the Zoo in the spring of 2006. Everett is 12 years old, Anna is 6. You can easily tell them apart: Everett is larger and his left eye appears slightly enlarged and seems to view the world from a different angle than the right one. Anna has a kink in her tail about six inches from the end.
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If you have not yet been out to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and seen the three Sumatran tiger cubs, then now is the time! In fact, even if you have visited recently, they are growing every day so it is worth the trip back. Our cubs (Damai and her brothers Kucing and Harimau Kayu) are now over 6 months old and are all weighing in at over 50 pounds (23 kilograms)! They still stay close to their mother, Delta, but usually are not found far apart from each other. (See previous post, Firsts for Tiger Cubs.)
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Greetings, Pandafanatics!
I’m a relatively new panda keeper at the San Diego Zoo and have recently been asked if I’d like to contribute an occasional blog. I’ve heard that there are sometimes questions asked by our blog readers that can’t always be answered by anyone other than a keeper, and I’d be happy to help out. This being my very first blog and all, I thought I’d take that helpful hint directly. It’s time to answer some of those recent keeper-directed panda questions!
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On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program reached a new landmark in its species recovery program for the puaiohi Myadestes palmeri: this fluffy-downed chick (pictured) represents the 300th chick to hatch since managed-care propagation efforts began in 1996.
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As you all know by now, we have had a very busy couple of weeks here at the San Diego Zoo. With Elephant Odyssey opening, we have been busy with blogs, tours, media, and opening celebrations (see previous post, Elephant Odyssey is OPEN!). I have been kept busy, too, with all of the things that have been going on, but I wanted to take a moment to let our blog readers in on some amazing facts about Elephant Odyssey.
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