This morning, around 8, we did our first panda cub exam. Everything went very well! Bai Yun was very calm and ate during the entire exam. It was pretty challenging, trying to crawl into the den and get the cub. Bai had done an extremely good job of threading/weaving bamboo to make a nest! See video!
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Who can keep track of the antics of the most marvelous Su Lin? She has, as visitors have seen over these last few weeks, been in a spurt of activity, at least in panda terms. Once or twice a day sh’e been revving up to have a fine old time, climbing the structures, hanging upside down, racing around the exhibit, grabbing things she shouldn’t, trying to figure out how to get over the back wall, bouncing on branches too close to the fence (so of course, the saws have come out).
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It goes without saying that life at Elephant Odyssey is evolving at a rapid pace! With the addition of Tina and Jewel to our family (see post, New Elephants: Jewel and Tina), our staff is working ‘round the clock to make sure everyone gets the care they need. In the meantime, I know a lot of you are wondering about how the introductions between the four elephants that moved to the San Diego Zoo from the Wild Animal Park and the three that were already here at the Zoo are progressing (see Settling In at Elephant Odyssey), and I can tell you that they are, indeed, moving right along.
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Our feisty sun bear twins Palu and Pagi turned 10 months old on August 25. They have come a long way from their squawking, demanding, den-dwelling days. Now I very rarely hear any vocalizations from the cubs, and they demand little of their mother’s time and attention compared to their early days (see post, Sun Bears: Have It Your Way).
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It’s hard to believe that our baby panda will soon be a month old! Already preparations are taking place for the first cub exam by our Zoo veterinarians. How does one prepare for such an event? Well, it all really depends on mother Bai Yun.
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Tina and Jewel have moved into the Elephant Care Center’s special needs facility at the San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey (see post, New Elephants: Jewel and Tina). While going through the quarantine period, health issues and general behavior is evaluated. They have hearty appetites and did not stop eating for two days after we received them on Saturday, August 22.
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Our Indian rhino brothers, Soman and Surat, have been very busy as of late. Being stars seems to suit them well. In my last post (Rhino Brothers Prepare for Move), I was crate training them for their move to the former elephant exhibit across the bus road. Surat was first to go.
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About 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, a large air-conditioned truck arrived at the back gate of the San Diego Zoo. Inside the truck were two Asian elephants, just arrived from a long journey from Texas. The two elephants, named Jewel and Tina, were removed from the care of a private owner by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on August 20.
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The Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo has been a really noisy place during the past few weeks. Yes, lots of construction, but mostly the noise is coming from the questioning. . . is she? We’re talking about the hoped-for pregnancy of Chinook! We still don’t know. ..for sure. That said, Chinook has gained over 20 percent of her normal body weight and has now slipped into the most calm, contented, beautiful mood we have ever seen in her 14, now almost 15, years. The most activity she shows is munching on her carrots while glancing over at the silly antics of Kalluk and Tatqiq and slowly dipping into the plunge pool to luxuriate and soak.
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Now nearly three weeks of age, Bai Yun’s fifth cub continues to do well and develop right on schedule. The black of the saddle, ears, and legs has set in, a pigmentation change of the skin that precedes the black fur that will grow in to cover those areas in the next several weeks. Although our veterinarians have not yet had a chance to examine the cub, it is likely that the eyes and ears are still closed, as these don’t fully open until several weeks after birth.
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