Some of you have been asking about the panda cub’s vocalizations. You have wondered if he is loud, protesting mother’s grooming or nibbling activities. Some of you have expressed concern about the fact that Bai Yun is so frequently – and so long – away from the den these days. In fact, Bai Yun’s den departures and the cub’s vocal pattern are interrelated. Let me explain…
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This guy, he’s a heartbreaker. Oh yeah, you know I’m talking about the San Diego Zoo’s 13-week-old giant panda cub.

Today was the first time I got to see the furry ball of fluff. I was in the exam room as a Zoo PR rep writing today’s press release on the exam. I thought I was ready for it. Just like you, I’ve seen the videos. Studied the photos of him exam after exam.
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As we are starting to get some cooler weather, there is a definite change in our pandas’ behavior and eating habits. In China, these bears would be dealing with much colder weather than we have here in San Diego, and in the winter they would even have snow. Giant pandas are found in elevations of 4,000 to 11,000 feet (1,200 to 3,300 meters), so they would feel that weather change there much more than here at our Zoo! Pandas, unlike most bears, don’t hibernate. Having a good fat layer and a 3-inch-thick (8-centimeter-thick) fur coat helps keep them warm and dry. Even when it rains, only that top layer of fur gets wet, and if you were to examine the fur closer to their skin you’d find it nice and dry.
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For a few years now, I have been a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station and have enjoyed watching pandas go through different stages in life as well as their day-to-day changes. I have always admired our keepers and researchers at the Zoo for what they do for our animals here and what they do for the conservation community. Our keepers must do cleaning and feeding on a schedule as well as be incredibly observant of their animals and noticing changes in behavior. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of that and learn valuable lessons from our Panda Team.
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How do you throw a baby shower for a panda cub loved all over the world? Online, of course! Join the San Diego Zoo for its first-ever online baby shower. Go to the Panda Cam page for an hour of the panda-centric celebration taking place Thursday, November 5, from 11 a.m. to noon, Pacific Time.

Since our panda cub is a worldwide sensation, we’re trying this Facebook chat experiment to reach beyond San Diego and include more of the cub’s large audience of admirers. The San Diego Zoo currently has over 37,500 Facebook fans, so we are using this form of social media to create this social event. For anyone who would rather not attend the shower but still wants Panda Cam access, though, the regular Panda Cam page without the Facebook chat feature will also be available.
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I’m sorry, but the saying “a face only a mother can love” does not apply here. In my job I see many baby animals that make my heart melt. But, now that our 12-week-old panda cub has his eyes wide open, and he is able to lift and hold his head up, even if only for a brief moment, he seems to have a hypnotic power that holds you dead in your tracks when he looks at you. At least I want to believe that he’s looking at me. And his usually quiet nature…well, it makes him even more intriguing!
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Hello again, panda fans! I’m happy to report that Bai Yun’s newest cub is doing well. As always, Bai Yun is an excellent mother.

You may have noticed that the den floor looks a little different as of late. It’s a little less smooth, a little lower against the den walls, and Bai has been bringing in and rearranging fresh bamboo pieces. Now that the cub is a little big bigger and is starting to scoot around, the Panda Team has decided that it’s safe to clean out some of the older, dusty bamboo. (more…)

The Panda Team met this morning to mull over the choice names for our new panda cub. After narrowing the submitted names each day to 5, the short list before us today held about 50 selections for us to consider. We sought the assistance of a staff member who is a native Chinese speaker, in order to ensure we knew the correct pronunciation and meaning of the names.
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When keeper Heidi carried our now almost 11-week-old (76 days old) giant panda cub into the exam room, my initial reaction was, “Oh no, we’ve disturbed him!” From the very first minute he was softly protesting. It was truly a protest, a “Can I have just five more minutes?” kind of plea. Or maybe I’m just recalling what I thought when my alarm woke me this morning…
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As we watch our newest cub go through his first few steps of life, it’s fun to remember how he compares to other cubs. Our hearts were pounding as Bai Yun gave birth to her first cub, Hua Mei, and we wondered what kind of mother she would be. She immediately took charge of her cub, and many of you experienced a baby giant panda’s milestones for the first time along with us. I remember being incredibly excited finding out the DNA results on Mei Sheng and realizing we had accomplished a successful natural breeding. And, of course, I remember watching both of these cubs go to China to become part of the breeding program.
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