Greetings again from St. Bees Island! We have some great news. Some time ago I reported that Elizabeth, the female koala we have been tracking for the longest time, had a baby in her pouch (see Island Koalas: A New Season). I have been very keen to find her again and see whether I could examine her baby before it left her for good. I am happy to announce that we have a new member of the koala group on “The Knoll,” and his name is Orbit!
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Our sun bear breeding program has been a great success over the last few years. We have witnessed the birth of four healthy cubs, including the first Bornean sun bear to be born in North America (Danum, in 2004. See post Sun Bear Summary). Our breeding pair deserves all the credit for this success. Marcella and Dibu have always gotten along and bred naturally. But their relationship came to an end last week as we said goodbye to Dibu.
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On Friday, September 18, we attempted to release three more California condors to the wild at our condor reintroduction site in Baja California, Mexico. We had conditioned the three new birds, numbers 430, 436, and 446, in the large aviary with our adult mentor, Xewe, since they arrived at the site from the Wild Animal Park on March 19. The threesome was transferred a few weeks ago to the release pen situated atop a 2,000-foot ridge, where they could become accustomed to the sights and sounds of the area and see previously released condors use the food and water available to them once they were free. New tags and transmitters were attached on the night of September 13 by the field crew and they were ready to go. However…
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If you have seen the panda enclosures in the summer at the San Diego Zoo, you know that when it gets hot the girls can be very uncooperative when it comes to public viewing. As the weather cools down a little bit, we have seen more of our girls and their activities. Thankfully we are seeing much more of Su Lin; instead of taking her naps near the front wall on the grate, she’s sleeping on her climbing structure in the breeze. Even if we just get a glimpse of her profile, it’s much better than nothing at all. Zhen Zhen is also more active; we are seeing more spurts of energy and more running around.
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At eight weeks old, our not-so-little panda cub now has both eyes open. According to our veterinary resident, Amanda White, DVM, his eyesight isn’t acute enough to see us plainly, but during today’s checkup (the little guy’s fifth exam) I could see clearly that pandas rule.
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Our two sisters, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen, have been housed next to each other in the main exhibit areas for the past several months. These exhibits are designed to keep the giant pandas separate, with no real visual contact between the two. Well, Thursday morning, September 24, for the first time, we opened the howdy gate between the two exhibits and allowed Su Lin and Zhen Zhen protected contact with one another (see post Hello, Gorgeous Panda). The howdy gate allows protected contact in that the bears can see and smell each other through the mesh in the gate while still being separate, and therefore protected.
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On September 24, for the first time, giant pandas Su Lin and Zhen Zhen were introduced at the howdy gate (a mesh fence separating the two exhibits that allows the two bears to meet across a barrier). At first there was a little skepticism on whether or not the two would actually interact or if Zhen Zhen would do her best to stay away from the door. At first I don’t really think the two noticed each other or that the door was available, but sure enough the two approached the door. San Diego Zoo researchers in the front were documenting behaviors as well as vocalizations to have on file and indeed to study from as well.
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The next time you visit the Wild Animal Park, make sure to head to the Elephant Overlook first thing in the morning. Chances are you will hear a whole lot of trumpeting going on. You may be wondering who is making such a racket so early in the morning? Well, it is our very own African elephant calf, Ingadze. At 5.5 months of age, he is testing out his vocal chords and making sure everyone knows he is here! He is growing up fast and learning how to talk the talk and walk the walk of an African elephant.
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Since our Panda Cam has been focused on our beautiful Bai Yun and her newest addition to our Giant Panda Research Station, I know it’s difficult for people to find out much news about our other bears. Our reliable Gao Gao is doing well. Now 17 years old and 175 pounds (79 kilograms), he has been enjoying his time behind the scenes in our “classroom” area. I know a lot of people are interested in what the San Diego Zoo has for its pandas “behind the scenes,” so here’s a brief description…
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Our panda boy received his fourth exam today. “He’s a growing like a weed,” said Meg Sutherland-Smith, D.V.M. “He’s grown quite a bit since I last saw him two days before he was born.” Very funny, Dr. Meg! She is, of course, referring to the ultrasound images she saw prior to the birth of Bai Yun’s fifth cub.
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