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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It seemed to be nap time for our little panda fellow during his seventh exam this morning, October 15. Now 71 days old (10 weeks), he made a few small squawks, but nothing loud enough to concern his mother, Bai Yun, who was busily munching on her bamboo on the other side of the exam room wall. Dr. Geoff Pye, the attending veterinarian, said the cub’s teeth seem to be on the verge of erupting through his gums.
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Our newest cub continues to impress us with his growth. Here’s how his measurements, taken during his sixth exam on October 8, compared with his siblings:
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As most of you know, we have begun accepting suggestions from the public for naming the San Diego Zoo’s infant panda. This is our 5th go-around with the naming process, and each time it seems we have more and more “audience participation” built in. The new feature this time will be the added online option for suggesting a name. At the end of it all there will be five names offered to you for voting. I thought you might like to know a bit more about how we get from the name suggestions to the voting process.

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Hello again, panda fans! It seems that the birth our newest cub has sparked the interest and curiosity of people all around the world. An increasing number of people are calling the San Diego Zoo, sending letters, and posting questions on our blog site. Never fear, your favorite keeper is here (humbly, of course)! Your questions range from “How is Bai taking care of her cub?” to “What was Su Lin doing on the Panda Cam the other morning?” It’s a wide scope and I won’t be able to answer all of them at once, but I will do my best.
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