When cubs leave the den they begin climbing trees, and they spend a majority of their day up in a tree. Females leave the cubs in the top of the trees while they forage for bamboo. Staying up at the top of a tree on the thinner branches allows a cub some safety from large cats that may take advantage of Mom being away from her cub. Staying up above most of the branches keeps the cub up and hopefully out of the ranges of others.

Those thin branches can really only hold the cub, and if anything else gets on the branch they may go tumbling down. Young cubs can fall without getting hurt. The growing cubs still have a good layer of fat, and about 3 inches (8 centimeters) of fur, allowing the cub to safely land.

As our panda youngsters get older, they turn the trees into their own playground, jungle gym, and demolition zone. Su Lin is very good at tearing down the branches of the elm tree in her exhibit and loves to play as high as she can in the trees. Zhen Zhen is currently at the stage where pretty much all she wants to do in the trees is sleep. Not too exciting right now, but as she gets older she will go through the same stage that her sister is in right now, and I’m sure we will see that fun, exciting behavior.

The other day, I was asked when was the last time Bai Yun climbed a tree, and why doesn’t she climb that much? For our regulars, I’m sure that’s an easy question for you to answer, but it did make me think about the last time I saw her climb. The elm trees in the front exhibits aren’t exactly the big sturdy trees that hold a 220-pound (100-kilogram) bear like Bai Yun, but in the “classroom,” our exhibit behind the scenes, she does have a bigger tree. The last time I saw her climb, she was pregnant with our current cub, Yun Zi; she had climbed halfway up the tree, found a comfortable spot where she hung her head on a branch, and went to sleep. The only times I’ve ever really seen her climb high up into the tree have been when she’s been upset by a loud sound.

The next time you visit the San Diego Zoo, check out the trees in the enclosures and try to see where the bears have been.

Anastasia Horning is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch video (below) of Zhen Zhen climbing a tree on November 17, 2009. Provided by panda fan Bobbie Wood.

So what is it? It was a close one. All five names could easily have been the one. We all know the little guy is an “extraordinary bear.” Those of us who live in San Diego would have loved to have him named after our beloved city, since it is quite blissful. As his personality finally begins to emerge, and this cub is finally showing that he, too, will be rambunctious, little dragon would have been fitting. But I think we are the ones that are “eternally blessed” for having been able to witness the birth of this rare bear, so this name wasn’t quite right for him, in my opinion.

In the end, the name that was bestowed upon this bear is one that pays tribute to an extraordinary mother, Bai Yun. Mama bear’s name means “white cloud.” And so, our little guy is from here on out to be called Yun Zi or “son of cloud.”

The Chinese name, Yun Zi, was revealed at a ceremony at the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater. Dr. Ron Swaisgood, co-head of the Zoo’s Giant Panda Conservation Unit, shared the history of the giant panda at the Zoo, from Bai Yun’s arrival in 1996, the birth of her five cubs here in San Diego, and an update on our newest panda.

We were pleased by the presence of the deputy consul general from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, Mr. Sun Weide, who spoke a few words about the partnership between the San Diego Zoo and our colleagues in China. Berit Durler, president of the Zoological Society of San Diego, thanked our guests for supporting our efforts in panda conservation.

It is because of the support that all of you have provided to us that we asked for you to be involved in naming our little guy. We received 6,331 names. Once we narrowed the names down to 5, we allowed just one vote per person or family at the same computer during the four-day voting period. We received 17,521 votes. That’s quite a commitment!

Here is the breakdown of the vote:
Yun Zi: son of cloud 28%
Xiao Long: little dragon 26%
Xiong Wei: extraordinary bear 20%
Yong Xiang: eternally blessed 14%
Fu Sheng: blissful San Diego 12%

Yadira Galindo is a senior public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.

Note: A big day for Yun Zi, as he also had his 12th exam this morning. Son of Cloud weighed 13.2 pounds (5.98 kilograms). More images are available in our Panda Photo Gallery.
Here’s video of the exam and the naming ceremony…

We thought it would be fun for readers of our panda blog section to meet each other at the ceremony, so we’ve set aside a special seating area just for you! Look for a sign that says “Panda Fans Forever” about five rows up in the center of the amphitheater. Here’s a chance to don your favorite panda earrings, pins, sweatshirt, T-shirt, or socks—you’ll be in grand company. As a bonus (at least we hope so!), your blog moderators will be there, too! We’d love to meet some of the many panda fans we’ve been hearing from. You really are a special and caring group of people, and it’s always fun to put a face to a name. We hope you can come!

Items for the pandas (as well as other animals on the November Wish List) included food wheels, a variety of toys for the whole panda family, music CDs for the little cub to enjoy, and honeysuckle to be planted in the panda exhibits. Almost $10,000 was raised to purchase 453 gifts! Donors responded from all over the U.S. as well as Canada, Great Britain, Brazil, and Japan: 143 donors in all! Within the next month or two the items will be ordered and shipped. Upon receipt, we’ll try to arrange some photos sessions of the pandas with their new toys to share with all panda fans.

We intended to provide a transcript of the online chat itself, but when we printed it out, the transcript was 23 pages long, single-space type! We received over 600 comments during the one-hour event. Congratulations and well wishes were sent from all parts of the country as well as Canada. We heard about entire offices that tune into panda cam. And classrooms. A teacher in New York commented that she and her students watch Panda Cam every morning before class. Our keepers, Kathy Hawk and Angie Fiore, enjoyed themselves and hosted the baby shower games “How long was the cub’s tail during that morning’s exam?” (7 centimeters or 2.75 inches) and “Just how chubby is cubby?” (His abdominal girth measurement that morning was 47.6 centimeters or 18.7 inches).

Questions came in so quickly that our shower moderator’s fingers were kept busy: Yes, the cub protests when Bai grooms him, and he makes a kind of croaking sound when Bai bathes him. The average life span of a panda in zoos is 30 years. Bai’s personality is devoted and loving. Toys get cleaned and reused; the cub’s first toy will probably be a ball. Keepers will stop handling the cub when he’s about one year old; remember that they can weigh 300 pounds (136 kilograms) as adults. Yes, all the keepers have had a chance to cuddle the cub. Keeper Kathy’s favorite name for the cub is Xiong Wei; Keeper Angie’s favorite name is Xiao Long. The cub’s wet nose enhances smells (check your nearest dog) and is nothing to worry about–our vets aren’t. Pandas are probably capable of swimming, but they’re more waders than swimmers. Bai weighs about 220 pounds (100 kilograms) now.

Keep in mind that not all questions posed were answered during the shower. However, those questions may help give our panda blog post writers some topic ideas for future posts.

All in all we feel the online chat format was a huge success. And on behalf of the pandas and keepers, we thank you all for your passion for pandas!

Debbie Andreen is an associate editor for the San Diego Zoo.

Dr. Amanda White helps examine his royal cuteness!

But now I can tell you stories about a panda, as if he were my own. Sure, I didn’t get to hold him or touch him, or even get close enough for his eyes to focus on me. But sitting in on the 11th exam of our panda cub was a great experience!

When Lead Keeper Lisa Martin carried him out of the den, he had bits of bamboo from the nest. I immediately had the urge to brush him off. He laid on the table, flat like a pancake, with his paws out forward and just looked around with long, endearing blinks.

Vets started by checking his eyes first with a penlight. Then they moved on to his teeth. That was the first milestone for the exam – he cut his first two teeth! His canines were very noticeable and looked good. Dr. Beth Bicknese finished checking his tonsils, his glands, and his belly.

Ah, his belly. Yes, it’s as pudgy as it looks in the pictures and even cuter in person.

About this time, baby started waking up with a big yawn that showed us those first two teeth, shiny and white. Then he started flexing his muscles, held himself up, and was tracking Ken Bohn, our photographer, with his little panda eyes.

I got to hear the panda “squeek” as vets checked his muscles, his bones, his paws. They checked each paw and a thorough inspection of his tail – with the black dot at the end.

Then, I watched as the cub walked across the table until he had to be picked up by a vet before he reached the edge. Gaylene Thomas, animal care supervisor, mentioned that this was the most he’d ever walked during an exam! I also listened as vets and animal care staff commented about how he’s showing more personality these days, showing some independence, and hinting that he will be sure to let everyone know just what he wants and how he feels.

Because he was so wiggly, there are a few non-critical measurements that weren’t taken down because he just didn’t want to sit still. And then, sitting on the exam table, between measurements, he barked!

It was just like the sound I’d expect from a small dog. Not like a Chihuahua, though. Maybe more like a terrier? Again, I’m a cat person, but it surprised all of us in the room, and we were delighted by his vocalization and more proof that the usually slow-moving, roly-poly cub has real personality potential.

Then all too quickly, the measurements were done, the exam was over, and it was time to return the cub to Bai Yun.

I have lived for more than 30 years without a panda in my life until I got my job at the San Diego Zoo. And now, after witnessing my first panda exam, I think my “panda lady” tendencies might be surfacing, too.

Jenny Mehlow is a public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.

Note: The cub weighed 12.5 pounds (5.7 kilograms) and was 24 inches (61 centimeters) long.
Watch a video of the 11th exam.
More photos of the exam.

Zhen Zhen herself has a certain calmness about her that I think resembles her father more than any other cub. Very rarely does she get surprised by sounds from the crowd, and she is more than content with a piece of bamboo to keep her occupied. I think the only real time that I see her run around or even vocalize is when she is getting ready to be fed, just like her father. Gao Gao has always been a rather quiet bear, and I think that Gao Gao finally has a cub who might take after him.

Male giant pandas have no knowledge of their offspring, nor knowledge if breeding was even successful, and Zhen Zhen wouldn’t have picked up these behaviors from her mother since Bai Yun doesn’t do any of them. Zhen Zhen does show some behaviors similar to her mother as well, but that’s understandable, since she spent the first 18 months of her life with Mom.

When Zhen Zhen comes out for her evening feed, for some reason (and there isn’t a good explanation for it) she will promptly sit with her back toward the crowd and ignore them while she eats. This has been happening since the beginning of summer, and at first I thought it could be a way for her to have some privacy, or de-stress from a long day, but I noticed even on days where it’s been really quite here she will turn her back. I remembered that Bai Yun does the same thing when she goes on exhibit, and I have a feeling that our little Zhen Zhen may have picked up the same behavior.

Another behavior that panda observers, narrators, and guests love to watch for is the girls tapping their paw. Both Zhen Zhen and Su Lin tap one of their back paws as they fall asleep, and they are usually draped over a tree branch when they are doing it. When they first go up the tree, you can see it tap very often, and as they start to drift into sleep the tapping gets less and less frequent. I have always looked for this particular behavior in the kids because I know exactly where they get it from: their mother, Bai Yun. She taps her paws as she goes to sleep no matter where she happens to be. I’ve seen it when she’s on a flat service or when she’s hanging her foot down somewhere. Several of our observers think it’s funny to watch the kids perform this behavior, and when we watch them we all wait for the foot tapping.

Keep watching the Panda Cam for activity of our little boy, and I hope to see you at the panda exhibit real soon!

Anastasia Horning is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

First, a primer on cub vocalizations: When panda cubs are born, their vocal repertoire consists of three basic types of sounds: croaks, squawks, and cries. The croak is the lowest in intensity and is generally thought to be a sound of comfort made by the cub, a signal to its mother that all is well. Sometimes a croak can take on a pip, or a sharper sound that is brief, but generally a croak sounds like a little frog or a creaky door. A squawk is a sharp sound that signals a measure of discomfort in the cub. We distinguish between soft and loud squawks, as they can vary in intensity. The louder the squawk, the more urgent the cub’s message to its mother. When a loud squawk becomes very intense and is repeated for several seconds, the vocalization becomes a cry, the most anxious of cub sounds. It’s the sound designed to focus all of the mother’s attention on the infant, a signal of distress. Those of you with children know how riveting your infant’s cries can be; such is the cry of the panda cub.

At birth, the panda is tiny, a few ounces at most, tiny compared to its large, 200-pound mother. The mother panda, for her part, is usually tired and sluggish in the early postpartum days and is further fatigued by caring for her newborn. Unlike a human mother, the panda cannot settle her cub into a crib or bassinet while it sleeps. She must continue to hold the infant close to her, keeping the naked neonate warm. Should she tire enough, she could easily crush that little cub with her large body. But one loud squawk brings her to attention, as if saying, “Ouch, Momma, too tight.” Other urgent vocalizations may signal hunger or a need for more warmth. In this way the cub’s regular vocalizations work with the mother to ensure the denning phase, a time of close contact of the two bears, is a successful one.

But those loud squawks and cries are incredibly loud, indeed. Ensconced in the den, these intense cub vocalizations can be heard throughout the keepers’ areas, many yards away. Imagine bears in a wild den and what a signal this could be to predators that might enjoy a panda cub snack. In the early denning phase, mother panda fasts and remains with her cub most of the time and would be able to defend and deter any predatory attack. But she has to eat sometime…

Once she begins her forays from the den to eat, she is initially very attentive to any sound of the cub she has left behind. We have seen Bai Yun, who is as safe as can be in her favorite bedroom areas, run quickly back to calm a squawking or crying cub that objects to her absence. Part of this may be to soothe and calm the infant, an act of reassurance from Mom to cub. Part of this may also be to avoid drawing attention to the den with the loud cub noise. Once mother has left the den, the cub is unguarded, and a predator could have an easy meal.

As time goes on, the cub adjusts to its mother’s departures and simply rests while she is away feeding. As pandas rely on bamboo for sustenance, and bamboo is known to be a low-quality food source with respect to caloric intake, meeting their nutritional demands requires the intake of large quantities of the plant. This takes time. As mother panda’s appetite returns to normal, she must spend longer and longer periods feeding. She could be away for some time in meeting her needs. In fact, research on wild pandas has documented absences of more than 24 hours during the denning phase! The mother must range as far as necessary to fill her belly: she and her cub are depending on that nutrition.

Fortunately, as the cub gains weight and hair, it is comfortable resting quietly in the den while mother is away. The regular squawks and croaks fall away. Toward the end of the denning phase, our cubs might go most of the day without making a sound, even if Bai Yun enters the den and interacts with her offspring. It’s not uncommon for Bai Yun to pick up her cub, toss it around in her paws, biting gently, all while the cub remains silent. It will flop around in her paws like a limp noodle. It is as if the cub is in a milk-induced stupor, and cannot be roused until its belly needs filling again. Surely this is a good state to leave a panda cub in if you know you will be gone from the den a long time! Predators aren’t going to hear a cub that is making no noise.

So you see, at this stage of the game our little boy isn’t terribly vocal. Even when provoked – as he has been at times when given his shots – he can have a pretty subdued response. Usually, we go through much of the day without hearing much of anything out of the den, especially when Bai Yun is out resting or feeding in other areas.

No need to be concerned about Bai Yun’s long absences. She is still attentive, and if her little cub was uncomfortable, or needed feeding, he would vocalize and she will respond. But both the cub and the mother are okay with these long excursions from the den. It is a natural evolution of their relationship, one that is seen with wild and captive pandas alike. When you wonder about what Bai Yun is doing when you can’t see her on the Panda Cam, you can rest assured that she is doing exactly what she needs to be doing – what she is biologically driven to do – and that following her instincts will ensure the health and well-being of both mother and cub.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

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.

Still, San Diego Zoo videographer Shea Johnson warned me: “Don’t go ‘Ohhh’ when you see him.” (That kind of spontaneous eruption of sound from someone not even involved in the exam can spoil an otherwise great video.) I told her, of course I wouldn’t. I’m tough. Heck, I once broke my leg and still kept walking.

Here's the cub's tail with its spotted tip. Ken took this photo specifically for our panda fans!

I restrained myself from the “ohhs” and “ahhs” I would normally have cried out. But only because Shea was close enough to kick me.

The panda cub is about as big as my one-year-old granddaughter and, seriously, I wanted to cuddle him in the same way. The panda keepers noted that he seemed much more alert for this exam than past ones. He liked to watch Shea with her video camera, or Zoo photographer Ken Bohn with his still camera. He also seemed to like watching the doctor’s stethoscope.

In Public Relations, we had hoped that we would be able to announce that the cub had gotten his teeth, but alas, when the veterinarian felt for the sharp incisors, they hadn’t yet broken through the gums. But this roly-poly boy is definitely hitting all the panda milestones. He’s gaining weight and inches. In fact, he gained more than a pound just in the last week and now weighs 11.7 pounds (5.3 kilograms).

I know as he gets older, he will lose some of that cuddliness. And as a PR rep for the Zoo, I won’t be all that disappointed. ‘Cause I’m not sure I could stand going into another exam without saying “Ohhhhhh. Ahhhhh. He’s the cutest thing ever.”

And that would definitely ruin Shea’s video.

Dani Dodge Medlin is a public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.

Video of 10th exam…

Panda Cub Photo Gallery

Panda Cub Comparisons
Hua Mei, Day 88:
9.9 lbs (4.5 kg); 27 in (68.5 cm) long; 16 in (41 cm) chest girth

Mei Sheng, Day 92:
10.6 lbs (4.8 kg); 24 in (60 cm) long; 17 in (44 cm) chest girth

Su Lin, Day 91:
8.8 lbs (4 kg); 26 in (67 cm) long; 15 in (39 cm) chest girth

Zhen Zhen, Day 89:
10.8 lbs (4.9 kg); length and chest girth measurements not available

Cub 2009, Day 92:
11.7 lbs (5.3 kg); 25 in (63 cm) long; 16 in (41 cm) chest girth

Zhen Zhen digs in.

Zhen Zhen and Su Lin have both been spending a lot of their day eating as much bamboo as they can and napping up in the tree. It never ceases to amaze me that when it’s cold and windy they love going up in the trees or their climbing structures. Yesterday, as I came into the viewing area I was surprised to see Su Lin at the very top of her climbing structure, sound asleep, and Zhen Zhen asleep in the tree. We did have a warmer morning than planned, but as the sun started going down, the Panda Canyon cooled quickly. Zhen Zhen climbed to the top of the tree and threw her head back, smelling the air as if she could smell the weather change.

Both were excited for evening feed yesterday; Su Lin was actually running around her enclosure in the afternoon about ten minutes before she was brought inside for her keeper to start setting out her food. As soon as she came out, she started digging in for dinner. Zhen Zhen also kept looking for her dinner, and her reaction to dinner was about the same. Zhen Zhen is still growing and not only will be trying to get a fat layer, but will also be going through growth spurts through the winter. I have to say that having the girls on exhibit at the same time really helps show the weight difference two years can make!

Anastasia Horning is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Several months ago I was asked if I would be interested in helping our keepers out when they were short handed and needed some help. I jumped at the opportunity! Part of a keeper’s daily routine is cleaning bedrooms and enclosures, and in that routine a trained eye comes in handy: an animal’s droppings can tell more than you think. Their diet is monitored and recorded at every feeding: how much went in and how much is left over. These bears go through different weather changes and even life changes, so keeping track of diet and weight is vital.

Every morning when I arrived I would assist with getting treats ready for the day, weighing Bai Yun and Gao Gao, and feeding bamboo out to both. Both bears were checked each day to see if behavior or physical appearance was altered at all. But I have to say that helping care for Bai Yun with her new baby has been a major highlight! Kathy Hawk (senior keeper) has been with Bai Yun since she came to San Diego in 1996, and watching them interact together shows how much our keepers really put into our animals’ welfare. Every morning Bai Yun appeared at the window of her bedroom ready for her breakfast; she knows to go inside so we can clean her sun rooms and put out breakfast and is so patient.

Each bear has their own personality, and working around Su Lin and Zhen Zhen has only reaffirmed this for me. Su Lin was the first cub I have watched grow from start to present day, and standing next to her with only a fence between us reminds me how much time has gone by. Su Lin often will play “hard to get” to come into her bedroom, but then again some days she can’t wait to go inside. Cleaning the front enclosures, you see and look for things that sometimes you may not notice looking from the guests’ point of view. Su Lin has a knack for being rather hard on the tree in her exhibit. While cleaning, we look at the plants growing and the climbing structures and make sure that there is nothing in the exhibit that Su Lin can remodel.

Zhen Zhen still blows me away when I realize that in just two years she has grown so much. Her evening bamboo is usually spread around the exhibit, and for some reason she loves to leave her droppings in the most difficult places for us to get to. I’ve always joked that she makes keepers work that much harder for a truly clean enclosure, and even though she has never encountered her father, we do see some behaviors that are so similar to her father, Gao Gao. Seeing these behaviors from the narrator’s point of view is one thing, but actually working with a bear while she performs these behaviors is even better!

Overall, these bears are truly amazing to watch up close, and working with a great staff has made the experience even better. All I have to say to our loyal followers on the panda blog posts and Panda Cam is that you have nothing to worry about: our keepers are and will continue to watch over the bears.

Anastasia Horning is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.