Location, Location
Posted at 10:12 pm July 21, 2009 by Ellie RosenbaumHot weather has finally arrived in San Diego (hot, at least by our standards) but it’s staying somewhat cooler in Panda Canyon, at least for the pandas. Su Lin is back out on exhibit, as many of you have noticed, and often retreats to the cool, quiet front corner on top of the drain to nap. Zhen Zhen has been napping mornings in the favored elm tree, retreating to the shady corner near the exhibit bedroom as it gets cooler. Keepers have turned on the fans to blow in the mist as needed, and even we panda narrators are being refreshed by a nearly constant breeze coming up the canyon.
It’s sunnier in the back areas where Bai Yun and Gao Gao are being housed, but they’ve been given the option of coming in to nap in the air conditioning, and Bai has been lounging in the high drama of the moment: what good is being on “pregnancy watch” if you can’t play it up for all it’s worth? Her ultrasounds continue, but it is still a hot time for all the fuzzy critters here at the Zoo.
It’s National Zookeeper’s Week and our keepers are certainly earning the deserved accolades as they work to keep the animals comfortable, enriched, clean, and fed no matter what the weather. The San Diego American Association of Zoo Keepers Chapter is sponsoring a booth in the Zoo this week to answer questions and educate people to just how much is involved in that profession today; it’s not just about playing with the animals.
If you’re visiting your local zoo this week, take a moment to thank these dedicated, highly trained individuals for the care they take with the furry, feathered, and scaly cohabiters of this planet for the delight and education of all of us.
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
Note: Birthday “cakes” for Su Lin and Zhen Zhen will be served on Monday, August 3, at 9 a.m. We hope many of you can come and watch in person. If not, be sure to tune in to Panda Cam!
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July 22nd, 2009 at 3:23 am
Happy Zookeepers Week to some of my favorite folks on the left Coast! The updates and information you provide, along with the dedication to our beloved zoo critters is second to none! God bless you all!
Seems like the Gao’s have settled into a mid-summer routine. Looking forward to hearing more about a possible cubbie!
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:04 am
Thanks to all of the zookeepers and staff who care for the animals in countless ways everyday. You are all our heroes.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 am
I love your blogs…SDZ should think about adding your blogs to amazon (kindle) or twitter..or something..bcuz I do love SDZ ! and I don’t live there
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:48 am
Thanks Ellie for this info, and Suzanne for previous blog. I was gone for a week and came back to see that the Den cam has been added to the list. I got really excited and couldn’t wait to see the “news.” So happy that all the pandas are enjoying their cooling accomodations. The SDZ keepers are fabulous at providing concierge service for all the animals in their care, anticipating their every need before it comes up. Kudos to all all zoo keepers around the world for the outstanding loving care they provide the animals they watch, and for their conservation efforts and education provided to all of us to make our world a better habitation for both humans and animals.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:50 am
Once again to our Zookeepers and all of those who assist them, our thanks and gratitude for keeping our beloved creatures healthy happy and reproducing (whenever they need an assist).
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 am
I am echoing 100x what Cindy in East Lansing says. Also, I thank you for providing us with both enlightening and entertaining information.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:43 am
Happy Zookeepers Week to all you hard working, dedicated keepers. We all truly appreciate your dedication. And your posts!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:06 am
Happy ZooKeepers Week to all!! Many thanks for all you do for all the animals keeping them happy and healthy but especially for our wonderful Panda family. It must be an exciting time there wondering if Bai and Gao are going to be parents again. Oh the anticipation!!! I would love to be there.
I agree with Cindy #2 you are our heros!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:18 am
A Big Thank You to all the SD zookeepers. We don’t thank you enough.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
Cam has gone blank
Moderator’s note: As stated in Ellie’s post, we are making some equipment upgrades to our camera system today and possibly on Thursday morning. There will be some periods of time during which there will be no Panda Cam. Once the installation is complete there will be Panda Cam once again. Please be patient with us as we improve our AV system!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
The cam is black now. I know it’s for a good reason but I DON’T LIKE THE CAM DOWN! I’m sure everyone is like me and going through withdrawal.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
Thanks zookeepers! You have the best job in the world.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:40 am
I think every single one of the staff at the SDZ are magnificent. Thank you for everything you do for the animals.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Thanks VERY Much to each and every Zoo-Keeper at the SDZ!!!! The care you all give to ALL the animals is apparent from the moment visitors walk through the entrance! Nearly every time we have visited the zoo, we’ve been able to receive answers to any and every question we’ve had
We LOVE the SDZ!
Ellie, thanks for the update! I wish I had ‘misters’ in my yard right now! You are so correct…It’s HOT in Southern California!!! Bai is so smart to choose AC for her naps
Gao, I think, is happy to sleep anywhere
he wants
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Thank you Zookeepers!!!!!!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
HOLY SMOKES – the panda cam has gone HD or something – it’s incredibly crisp – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! What a terrific upgrade!!!
Go Bai!! It’s cubbie time and everyone knows that the SDZ pandas produce some of the most beautiful pandas in the world!!!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
A big thank you to all the zoo keepers, youare fantastic people.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Our local zoo in Grand Rapids is facing some serious budget cuts – their funding has been slashed which means either a cut in zoo hours or staff (or both) or a price increase for families that have been able to enjoy the zoo for a reasonable fee.:( None of the options are attractive:( And here in Mich. families cannot afford any price increases.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Happy National Zoo Keepers Week to all of the wonderful keepers at the SDZ! Thank you for all that you do for those in your care!
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Happy Zookeeper’s Week!!!! You take care of our babies, so you are the greatest! Hope you are having a magical week! And, thank you for the new cam angles, watching Bai Yun eating an afternoon treat……for two? I drive right by the Los Angeles Zoo every day after work, wishing the pandas lived there….I say every day…”peace and love and no suffering to the animals…” thank you zookeepers for being a big part of that at SDZ…
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Momma just zonked out, half in half outside her bedroom……zzzzzzzzzzzzzz I remember when she used to lay there with little Zhen Zhen, looking out the doorway, so sweet…
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I was looking at some pictures on flickr this evening and just discovered today was Mei Xiang 11th birthday at the NZ so Happy Birthday to a beautiful panda and great mom to Tai Shan.
Also I saw another great mom Bai sleeping in her bedroom door.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Hi! Have been out of my apartment for the past couple of days due to a major plumbing problem near my kitchen, so me and family had to stay in a hotel room without WI-FI until this got fixed. We are all now back at home with the problem fixed, and I am able to get back on my computer to see the pandas on the pandacams! What a week! I just saw Bai in a caged room with a door for her to go somewhere else eating some boo. Turned my head to do something, looked back on the cam, and Bai was gone! Sneaky lady! Haven’t really had the chance to check the other pandacams because I was so busy putting things up and getting the apartment reorganized again. I will get back on the cam tomorrow afternoon after I get back from my doctor appointment. Like I said, what a week!
See you all later!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Ava #16,
Good to hear. We installed a new matrix switcher, replacing a piece of equipment that was installed back in 1996. Happy to hear you are enjoying the improvement!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
The first time I heard about habitat and animal conservation was after I read Gerald Durrell’s book “My family and other animals”. In the back was a little blurb about his new “breeding” zoo on one of the Channel islands. This was in 1965. Mr. Durrell has passed on now but his books and his first breeding zoo made me a lifelong wannabe caretaker of this Earth and everything on it. It is he whom I’d like to remember during this zoo keeper’s week as the father of modern conservation.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I also remember the sweet scenes with Bai Yun and ZZ that kat W #21 is referring to–and now the picture is so clear! It used to be a challenge to figure out what was a wall, what a door, what a shadow, but no more (hmm–a poem).
Now Zhennie is rolling around on her new favorite sleeping place on top of the big stumps in her enclosure. It doesn’t seem like she has much room to maneuver, but she’s managing.
Thanks for the new matrix switcher, whatever that is, and thanks, Keepers, for all you do to keep the objects of our affection fed and cared for.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Happy zookeepers’ day to all the dedicated keepers in all the zoos! You are special!!
#25 Marion – your mention of Gerald Durrell’s “breeding” zoo on the island of Jersey brought back wonderful memories for me. In 1981, my husband and I had a chance to visit the Channel Islands and we visited the zoo – I recall the zoo mascot was the “Dodo” bird. We had a marvelous time there, seeing all the animals – my favorite was a species of orangutan with orange fur. They put on such a show for the crowd. That was where I first heard of the ‘adopt-an-animal’ concept. You could tell which of the animals had already been adopted because there was a plaque outside their cage/enclosure showing their adoption date and the name and country of the donor. I thought it was pretty neat!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Just checked in on the pandas live on website late tonite, and it is still up and running despite some website restructuring right now. That should be done by the end of this week. There are news and pics about NZ’s pandas, AZ’s pandas, new baby pandas being born or soon to be born, Adelaide Zoo’s progress of their panda exhibit construction, and one foreign zoo that will not have pandacam access after August 4, 2009. The front page of the website looks a little bit crazy but can be navigated. Their top banner has a nice pic of Tai Shan at the top of the website’s front page. Looks like they will have a picture of a well known panda at the top of the web page every once in awhile. Just thought I would let you all know about the PLO website in case you are wondering what was up with it. Also, National Zoo’s CRC at Front Royal, Virginia has had a baby boom royale! There are 35 black footed ferret kits that were born to several ferret moms in June, the 2 male clouded leapord cubs are a little over 2 months old now, and in July, they had one Przewalski horse foal, another clouded leapord cub (this time a female!), and a red panda baby cub born all in one day this month! Congrats to the staff at CRC in helping to preserve these endangered animals with these new babies! The National Zoo website also has an article about these babies and new pics of all of them.
Well, gonna go and get to bed! At least I’ll be sleeping in my OWN bed at my home instead of those hard hotel beds that will wreck an arthritic back! I’m tired!! Will be back later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Happy National Zoo Keepers Week to everyone who takes such amazing and loving care of our furry friends!! You do such incredible work — here’s hoping you are having a great week. It must be very rewarding to work at such an amazing zoo — and have exciting times ahead with the impending birth of a baby panda (fingers crossed) and polar cub (more fingers crossed). I know I am beyond excited — and find that the first thing I do when I turn on my laptop is check the zoo cams and blogs to find out how my friends are doing. You are like family now — and I just can’t go a day (unless travel calls…) without checking in on everyone!! Again, thank you staff for everything you do — have a great week!!
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 am
Ellie, thanks for your update. Sorry to hear it’s so warm in Southern California. Glad you all have the misters to keep the comfort level up. Here in Texas, it’s been so hot, I think a mister would just spray hot water!!
We need the whole pool! But I know it’s a great thing for the animals to have. All of you in the all the zoos do a terrific job, and we are so lucky to have all of you on the job. A great big “Thank You.”
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:54 am
Thanks so much to all the zookeepers. Without you, there would be no future for the animals
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 am
HAPPY ZOOKEEPERS WEEK to all the fantastic zookeepers world-wide. You are the best. I can’t think of a child who at one point doesn’t imagine working with animals in some capacity. Your hard work and dedication pay off, especially for us who get to enjoy the animals. I can’t imagine the amount of poo you have had to shovel over the years, and we think our jobs are bad
Go Bai, I am hoping for August 9th, my dad’s birthday as this may be the last year he is with us.
You have my admiration,
Lisa
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 am
THANK YOU PANDA KEEPERS! I want to give a big thank you to our panda keepers for taking such excellent care of Bai Yun, Gao Gao, Zhen Zhen and Su Lin. Thank you providing for them and giving them the enrichment they need to be ambassadors of their very precious species. If it wasn’t for panda cam and watching Mei Sheng as an infant I may have taken much longer to get to know these wonderful bears. It’s hard work taking care of them as I can attest as a volunteer in China but very fulfilling work indeed. THANK YOU! Our pandas need you!
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:25 am
I was just checking in on Xi Lan and was struck by how big he has grown. I was blessed to see Mei Lan in person (about 6 feet away through the glass) in the same day room when she was the same age in 2007. She was not as big as Xi Lan is already. I have read that Lun Lun and Yang Yang are both very large pandas, so I guess it is not surprising that their offspring are too. Mei Lan has grown considerably since I saw her about a month before her 1st birthday. She did not yet have enough teeth to chew anything substantial and they were in planning stages for her 1st birthday party. Since Xi Lan is mouthing bamboo, and brings it up in the climbing structure and “plays” with it, I am sure they are planning something exciting for him too. I love to watch all the panda cubs “play” with their birthday “cakes.” It will be exciting to see both Su Lin and Zhen Zhen enjoy theirs on the same day. It would be interesting to see their reactions if they could watch each other and their “cakes” through the Howdy Gate. More excitement on the horizon in about two weeks, especially if Bai Yun is pregnant!
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Happy Zookeeper’s Week to the hardest working group of people in the state. We know the job is much, much, more than just about playing with the animals. There is a degree of responsibility there that is way beyond what most people would think.
Thank you all for your hard work, your love for these animals and the care you give them.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Speaking of the Panda Cam going dark, have you heard from Mei Sheng (or his caretakers) about experiencing solar eclipse? I understand that Chengdu was in the path of total eclipse. Interested to know panda’s reaction (or non-reaction) to it.
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:01 am
Good afternoon my time, good morning your time! Just checked some pandacams after I got back from my appointment to get a PET scan done again! My doctor still wants to check that little black spot on my lung again. Those PET scan tables are extremely uncomfortable for my arthritic back, and my back has had it for the week! Two Tylenols today!! Been on a couple of pandacams–AZ and SDZ. On the AZ pandacam, Lun and Xman were both taking naps–Xi on the upper logs and Lun on the hammock. On the SDZ pandacam, I think I spotted Su Lin WAY UP that tree the cam was showing on the screen! She’s still the ultimate tree climber at nearly 4 years old! She looks so comfy up there just snoozing away not caring what’s going on around her.
I did notice on the cam screens that the writing on them SHRUNK! You can barely read those tiny letters and numbers on the screen, and that poses a problem for a lot of the older folks that have vision problems and can’t read tiny print very well. Plus, the writing is barely readable when the cam switches to the part of a yard that has a lot of sunlite in it. Is there anything you all can do to get those letters and numbers a little bigger? Will appreciate it alot!
Want to also say THANK YOU to all of the zoo keepers of ALL of the animals for jobs well done! You all do a great work in the care of all of the animals, their health, their wellbeing, and the love that you all show them everyday. The extra work of studying, research, education that you all do for the people who visit zoos and sanctuaries is very interesting and important as well. Zoo keepers, enjoy your week, ok? You deserve all of the accolades that you can get! Keep up the great work!!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: I wish that I had my own car and money to go to my local zoo in Tampa, FL–Lowry Park Zoo–to support the zoo keepers there. They all have been thru a rough roller coaster ride this year with the scandals and accreditation problems. Lowry Park Zoo recently regained their AZA accreditation and has had several personnel changes in the administration office. This zoo is now looking up and going forward with new programs and cheaper prices to get thru this recession. The zoo keepers, vets, and staff all deserve a whole hearted THANK YOU for sticking with the zoo the way they have over the last year or so! I am very proud of my local zoo for the way they have pulled out of the mess and kept it going strong!
Chari
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:57 am
I agree with Chari about the small print on the screen being difficult to read. If it could larger it would really be nice, but if not, okay. Bai Yun was looking absolutely radiant just a few minutes ago. She is so beautiful. I know I’m prejudiced, but I really think SDZ has the most beautiful pandas anywhere.
Moderator’s note: Mary and Chari, our Web manager says the smaller print was an unexpected result of the system upgrade on-site. He doesn’t think we can make that text any bigger but will look into it.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Kudos to all the dedicated, responsible, and caring zoo keepers everywhere!!! Hope you have a great week.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Thanks to Google alerts, here is the panda’s reaction to the eclipse:
Listless giant pandas in their sanctuaries in Chengdu were confused by the sudden darkness that swept over the southwestern city.
One of the four pandas playing outside tried to go back to his cage as its keeper said it might have been confused that it was bedtime. Three other pandas also acted drowsy during the eclipse.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Love the new cam images, truly a job well done!!! Yah, the text is small but squinting (doesn’t help the frown line) does help.. ha ha
Just want to agree with everyone on thanking the zoo keepers for the never ending dedication to the animals in their care. We sit back and watch these beautiful bears on our screen, but I can only imagine that it is hard work caring and tending to their every need. Well done to all. I would also like to send a big thankyou out to the moderator for helping me with my request and also for hooking me up with Lee in Vancouver… Thanks for a start to what I know will be a long friendship…. ha ha, I talked her into going to China with me!!!
Sure am hoping that Bai has another beautiful healthy cubbie!!! She is such a good Mother, what beautiful babies she has produced. Oh yes, and Gao is awesome as well.
My sister in law lives in Bangkok and she said as soon as the baby there is out on permanent display she’ll make the trip up to the zoo and take pic’s for me, I can’t wait. She told me it is Panda crazy there right now. Just may have to make a trip over there too… Oh dear, so many Panda Bears to go and see!!!
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Chari #37…I was at the Lowery Park Zoo a few years ago when I had one of my dogs at the Eukanuba Invitational. It was a really nice zoo then…we had a blast. I’m sorry to hear it has fallen on bad times…hopefully it will get better now. It was the first time I was able to pet a stingray!
Thanks to the zoo keepers world wide. We all appreciate all you do and are just a little jealous.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
The new cam system is fabulous for those of us us with Macs! I was able to zoom in and watch Su Lin and Zhennie enjoying their ice treats today, and it almost seemed as though they were sitting in my lap. The quality degrades when the picture is enlarged of course, but with the new sharper upgrade when I zoom to a 3/4 screen-sized “pandacam” it has nearly the same quality as the previous small screen. You can see their shining black eyes. I can also get jumbo-sized screenshots.
Anyone who has a Mac shouldn’t miss this. Just go into “View” and deselect “zoom text only,” and you can zoom the picture up as large as you wish. “Zoom zoom” indeed!
(That’s for Safari. I believe Firefox does the same thing, although I haven’t tried it.)
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
To All of my farsighted/near-sighted panda watchers: Send yourself a photo using the site. Not only are the photos sooooo much clearer, the small print of the date/time does not interfere with the bears and their habitat being the main focus.
I really hope the fine print remains. 
Lin #40: Thanks for the eclipse information about the panda reactions. Sayuri #36: Thank you for thinking to ask.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Lin #40–thanks for the info about the eclipse.
And Fonsia #43–thanks for the tip about the zoom. You’re right–it’s sooo much clearer. And yes, Firefox does the same thing.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Thursday, 7/23/2009, 6:25pm; saw Miss Su Lin eating her boo, and this was a very nice closeup of Miss Su. Nice job, meerkats! Just read the note from the moderator about the small letters and numbers on the cam screens, and I hope that they can work something out on getting the print a little larger. While they are at it, they also need to get the clock on regular time, not military time. I can decipher military time thanks to a lot of people in my family being in the military over the years, but there are a whole lot of other people that don’t totally understand military time at all! So, hopefully they can see if they can get that clock worked out as well. If not, just count the numbers on the clock after 12 noon in the afternoons and nites to see what the actual time is to the military time, people!
Hope everybody got a good long look at Miss Su and her closeup of the day! She looks very happy!
At least she came down from that very high perch in the tree to eat some early dinner!
Love my pandas!! Later, you all!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Hello all….just as the saying goes..you can’t please all the people all the time. However, there is a remedy. I was having trouble reading the new camera views also, and then I remembered I could magnify the image. Down in the right hand corner of Windows is a magnifying thingy. Mine says 100% when its just doing everyday things. You can however, magnify the cam by clicking on the 100% and bringing up to say, 125% or 200%. It makes the cam picture huge and the numbers very readable. I hope that helps all of us with ageing eyes or not.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Lookit Bai Yun-she is so close now, sitting in her nursery! You can almost touch her. I can see her eyes, that is so cool. and the furr on the back of her hands is so shiny! If she only knew we are all staring at her, watching her every move….just wait til the baby comes, we are gonna go crazy. thank you, Fonsia, I have a Mac, gonna check out your suggestions.. one can never get close enough.
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
What a fantastic picture just now of Bai eating in her birthing den. Camera 25. It was so clear and bright and very close up. Thanks meerkats.
July 24th, 2009 at 5:40 am
It’s about 5:40 am and I was just amazed, watching Bai in her den, at the flexibility in her back It’s bent in a vee-shape.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:32 am
July 24 7:30 Am PDT – great view of empty Den. Since per #49 Lee she was eating in it yesterday, and you are testing view of it today, my guess is that 24/7 watch will commence soon if not already. Things are getting very exciting in sleepy warm Panda Canyon!
July 24th, 2009 at 7:46 am
What fantastic news out of China this morning: the first successful birth of a panda cub from artificial insemination using frozen sperm.
You You (pronounced Yo Yo) gave birth to the new cub Thursday morning at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in southwestern Sichuan. It is You You’s third baby, and the 10th panda cub born at Wolong this year.
Frozen sperm – maybe Shi Shi will be able to have more “children” if his sperm is some of the frozen samples?
I just had to pass this on since reading the entry on SDZ’s work in this area.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Denning Up #31
Thanks Bai Yun – you reassured me I am not ‘losing it’ when she appeared on C13 at approx 15.40 (23/07) it was a long time ago when we first saw her in her favourite birthing den.
Happy Zookeeper’s Week – you all do such a wonderful job caring for all the animals.
Thanks to all for the enhanced Panda Cam viewing it is a wonderful improvement.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Thank you to all the “zooers”. Can’t wait to see the new baby. If all goes as planned when would the new one be on display. I’d Like to plan a trip to SD to see a new baby. Can’t wait!!!
July 24th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Is that really Bai Yun on Cam 28 on top of the climbing structure? I thought she’d be holed up inside with her usual lack of energy at this time.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Dawn, Big Rapids, Michigan; I’m glad that you were able to come down to Tampa, Florida and visit Lowry Park Zoo a few years ago, and that you enjoyed your visit there. Petting a stingray is an awesome experience, isn’t it? Cool animals, I think!…
Zoo keepers have the most stressful job, I think! They deserve all of the positive support that they can get from all of us that go to the many zoos, sanctuaries, and aquariums around the country.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 24th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Love the new cams!
July 24th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I have a new dream job — since I can’t be a keeper at SDZ — I want to be the cam operator at Chengdu. All those adorable toddlers! I’ve watched a lot recently (no problems with the at least two of the cams). They are beautiful and so are the surroundings.
July 25th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Is it my hopeful imagination or a Bai’s mammery glands swollen.
July 25th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Is that really Su Lin on 3? (Saturday, 11:00 am) She kinda looks like her daddy, sitting there filling her face. She is beautiful! And what a GREAT close-up. Thank you
July 25th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Thanks so much for the close-ups on Saturday morning! Frequently when I tune in there’s a wide view of the area and a very small panda somewhere within it! It’s often hard to see what whoever is on screen is doing. It’s Saturday morning and I have had a close up (realy close) of Zhen sleeping and now have Su Lin dining. I find it much more fun to get a real close up view of the goings on, so thanks!
July 25th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I hope Bai Yun produces another cub this year. It’s absolutely fascinating to see her care for her babies! She was especially diligent in caring for Hua Mei — making sure she gave her a bath every night before putting her to bed. She licked her like a momma cat licks a kitten, and Hua Mei didn’t like it one bit. I don’t know if Bai’s tongue tickled her, or if she had bad breath, but Hua Mei always squirmed and got away to take a dip in the water bowl, splashing herself. Then Bai Yun would pull her out by the ear and lick away in earnst. Hua Mei was a little rascal – always trying to outwit Mom. One night during her bath she started yawning, pretending to be VERY sleepy. Bai Yun cut the bath short and took her into her den. Hua Mei rolled up in a ball and closed her eyes tight, lying very still. Bai left her and walked out to the exhibit area to sleep in her favorite tree. The camera then cut back to the den, and Hua Mei was carefully peeking out the door to make sure Mom was gone before she got up and played. Hilarious!
July 25th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Hi! This probably won’t get in until Monday, July 27, but I had to write in to tell all of you something that is really remarkable! I just watched a video that originated from CCTV, Beijing, China on the CNN website about a mother panda giving birth to a panda cub that was the result of an AI procedure using frozen sperm! Unfortunately, the video is in Chinese so I could not get the name of the mother panda. The video showed the mom sitting in a corner of her den, and she gave birth to her cub! I’m guessing that this birth occured either today, July 25, 2009, or maybe a day earlier. This happened at Wolong/Bifengxia Panda Center. I wrote an email to Pandas International to see if they can find out the name of the mother panda that had this miraculous birth. This is a real breakthrough because this will give veterinarians and scientists another option when doing AI procedures on female pandas. P Wong, we haven’t heard from you in awhile, and you have a good way of finding out important info from China when it comes to panda news. Is there anyway that you can find out the name of this wonderful mother panda for us, PLEASE? This momma is a real hero in keeping the pandas going with this remarkable birth!
Well, gonna go for now. Will check back in later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: Also checked the Pandas Live On website for anything about this, and they don’t have any news about this birth yet. I’ll keep checking both the PI and PLO websites for any news IN ENGLISH about this newest baby panda. If and when I get any answers from anyone from PI, I will let you know!
July 25th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Since the new camera system is in place, I no longer see the symbol telling us which panda is being viewed. How do we determine which panda we are seeing? Thanks for all your wonderful work. I used to live in San Diego and was a member of the Zoo. I now live in Las Vegas, so the PandaCam helps me to enjoy being a part of the Panda Exhibit.
Moderator’s note: The Cam number still shows on Panda Cam, but it is much smaller. After you see the number, scroll down to see which panda you’re viewing.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:51 am
The new part for the Panda Cam makes a big difference to the quality of the picture – thank you. One thing I am curious about with regard to the Cam on my screen – the movements are not seamless – they appear as a series of actions with a momentary pause between them. Is that a general thing or is it something I need to fix or download? I don’t have this with the other zoo Panda Cams and I am wondering what the reason is.
Moderator’s note: We are looking into this.
July 26th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Just been watching Bai in her den. She looked right into the camera, as if she wondered who was looking.
PC users can also make the pic bigger, hold down your shift key and scroll the mouse wheel. Sorry if your mouse doesn’t have a wheel. You have to unscoll again to get the screen back to a normal size
July 26th, 2009 at 8:49 am
An interesting article in today’s (sunday) Boston Globe regarding the evolution and problems facing today’s zoos. Click on the Ideas section and you’ll find “Goodbye Jumbo” by Keith O’Brien. After reading it I felt it confirmed my belief that SDZ and it’s keepers were just the best : )
July 27th, 2009 at 11:00 am
#63 – Chari, the name of the mother panda that gave birth to a cub using frozen sperm is “You You” (pronounced yo-yo).
Panda lovers, there’s a feature on PandasLiveOn of this recent birth. Lots of good information and full of hope for future giant pandas. Also on PandasLiveOn but not sounding so good, though very informative, is the report on the effects of last year’s earthquake on the giant panda habitat. Made my heart skip a beat when I read that in one area that they surveyed, there may be as few as 35 giant pandas still alive. Man, do we have some advocating to do.
July 27th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Hi, Pandafan! Thanks for the info on the mother panda’s name that gave birth to her miracle cub! I also got 2 emails back from Dee at Pandas Live On, and she told me about You You and her cub, and the link to the article about the May, 2008 earthquake. After reading your comments, I am very surprised that the number of pandas that survived that quake are that low! You are right, tho. We still have some very hard work and advocating to do to get the wild population back up in numbers again. Seeing only 35 live pandas in the wild, down from nearly 1,600, is just aweful, so there’s a lot more hard work to be done for these wild pandas. I just hope that the mountain research teams will be able to find more live wild pandas as they try to scour the mountain ranges for more sightings before winter comes back in a few months. I know the weather there has not been that great with all of the heavy rains they’ve had, but they need to keep this search party going to find more wild pandas. I am really praying for some good Chinese luck for them as they continue this work.
Just checked on Su Lin on the pandam, and she is sound asleep in the corner of the yard. Looked in on Mei Xiang and Tai Shan on the NZ pandacams. Mei was indoors in her very clean den sleeping on the platform. Tai was outdoors in his yard walking around. Will check in on the AZ pandacam in a little bit.
Well, gonna go and get my towels from the dryer. Will check back in later on!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: Still waiting for Pandas International to give us an update about You You and her new cub.
July 27th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Celfy #66: Thanks so much for the tip. On my PC with Windows Vista, I had to hold down Ctrl and then scroll. But it worked!
July 27th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I don’t know if you all have noticed Lani, at AZ, lately. She is so playful with her enrichment items. It is hard to believe that she is going to have to go to China soon. It breaks my heart to even think of her leaving. After all, her homeland is the United States of America, not China, as it is with all of our American born pandas. Very, very sad!
July 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
#69 – Chari — I read the “35 pandas” to be in that specific area only. Still not good news, but better. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Boy oh boy are our baby pandas growning so big I was just watching Xi Lan and the new baby in Thailand and it looks like in the passed couple weeks they are growning by leaps and bounds. It is so sad how much the earthquake last year has affected the wild pandas. I hope they found out in the future there are more pandas than the 35, and they can get more bamboo forests started.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Very glad to hear that PC users can enlarge the screen also!
Enjoy!
And thank you keepers!
Um, any news from Bai Yun?
July 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
While I love all of our pandas, and am attached to each one in a special way, I would love to see all of them, free, living and thriving in their own natural habitat. That would be my wish for all pandas — to not be threatened and live, love wildly.
Has anyone watched the Chengdu cams?
When can we expect an update on Bai?
Do the pandas have a facebook page? Questions, questions.
Moderator’s note: We’ll have a Bai update soon. And the San Diego Zoo and our young gorilla, Frank each have a Facebook page.
See http://www.facebook.com/frankthegorilla and http://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoZoo
July 27th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I read a few reports via Google and the 35 number of pandas was in one specific area. I think they did a helicopter survey of all the reserves; compared it to a helicopter survey done before the earthquake and reported on the damages to the bamboo forests in all known areas where pandas live in the wild. I haven’t seen any actual numbers of surviving pandas in the wild yet. I would imagine that that will be the next step in their research, to try and count. For now they’re focusing on how to repair the damage to the wild bamboo to enlarge the pandas food source. If you hear differently, let us know.
Thanks
July 27th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Jane and Terry, I’m with you all about the wild panda numbers. I am really hoping and praying that there are more wild pandas that are still alive somewhere in those mountains and are finding their bamboo food. It’s been tough to find them because they probably scattered all over the place after the quake hit into areas of the reserve that nobody has been in over the last several years. So, that’s why I am praying for more good Chinese luck for those search teams that are climbing those mountain ranges and flying over the areas to try to find more wild pandas. I have read some time back on Pandas International website that they are raising funds to start a huge bamboo replanting program in those mountains in the Wolong Reserve to replenish all of the bamboo that was destroyed from the quake landslides. I haven’t heard the latest on that effort, but I will try to find out how they are doing with that program. I’m hoping that the wild pandas had a good summer of a lot of good wild bamboo to eat wherever they are at in those mountains.
Well, gonna go right now. I’m also waiting on the latest news about Bai and her possible pregnancy, and I hope that the keepers will let us see a nice updated chart of Bai’s hormone levels that will give us an idea of where she’s at in her gestation. Is she starting to cradle some crazy small items lately? I know that she’s building her nest in her den right now. We’re in the last week of July, so Bai should be letting us know pretty soon!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
July 27th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
#71 – Judy – yes I have seen Mei Lan being active and playing with abandon. YouTube has a couple of great clips showing her with her blue ball, playing with the ping pearls, and just rolling around and having a great time. I love the way they enjoy their enrichment items – so innocent and genuinely joyful!
July 28th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Hi again, I just looked up zhen zhen on the internet, and all of the pages say that it is pronounced jun jun.
(I don’t want to start an argument)