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.

Once she reviewed the list and helped us eliminate a few (“this one has very feminine connotations” or “this one is awkward in the Chinese tongue”), each Panda Team member was able to eliminate one name outright, for any reason. This left us with about 30 names to work with.

Next, we voted on our top five names. One by one, we went around the room and staff from husbandry, nutrition, education, marketing, and research listed their favorites. From this, there were four clear winners, which went straight to the short list, and a tie for fifth place among several names. We voted again, adding one more name to the short list. Two close runners-up will be used as alternates, should the Chinese reject any of the names on our list of five.

We are now waiting for the Chinese to approve our list. As soon as they do, the short list will be posted for you to vote on. We will have the translation of the names and hope to have an audio clip so you can hear how the names sound when spoken. Things will happen rather quickly now, as we will be naming our little bear at a naming ceremony on Tuesday, November 17.

I cannot tell you what names are on the list, but I can tell you that there was one name that garnered more votes than any other this morning; a clear favorite among the staff. It is up to you to try to guess which name that was when we post the list… and to vote for your own favorite!

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

Each day, members of the Panda Team take a look at all of the name suggestions submitted in person at the Zoo on the previous day. This can be a lot of paperwork! Today was my day for going through the names, and there were probably 200 to 300 offerings dropped in the submission box from Sunday. My first pass through separated potential Chinese names from ones the Chinese would not likely approve (Bam Bu, Oreo, Diego, Fluffy…). I was left with a handful of good options from which I had to narrow things down to a select few choices.

My choices from today will be combined with those chosen on all the other days. Staff from the Panda Team—keepers, vets, narrators, nutritionists—will all have a day for reviewing names and will pick their favorites. The Team will gather in week or so to narrow that subset of names to the final five you will vote on.

Based on our selection criteria from previous years, we typically settle on names that sound good to the ear and aren’t too hard to pronounce. Good names have a positive meaning or connotation for the bear or the species. But even with the best of intentions, we might run up against a few names that only a native Chinese speaker can clue us into as to their suitability. Case in point: Bright Star, the name so many wanted to give to Zhen Zhen in 2007. The Team seriously considered this name for the voter’s short list, until we were told by a Mandarin-speaking staff member that the Chinese phrase referred to a celebrity-type of star. This was a connotation we didn’t find appropriate for our bear. As you can see, a lot of thought and discussion goes into this process!

Obviously, not every name submitted will wind up on the voting list. Kudos go to those of you who take the time to put forward thoughtful, creative names for us to consider. I enjoyed reading through Sunday’s names today. A special thanks goes to whomever submitted “Dr. McAwesomesauce”… I got a good laugh out of that one!

Submit your suggestions online here.

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

Jirra accepts a treat from a Backstage Pass participant.

So why include a color in the title if it doesn’t apply? Well, male red kangaroos are colored red, and because they are the largest kangaroo and own a striking red fur coat, the name stuck. Scientifically this phenomenon is called sexual dimorphism. Opposite sexes of the same species are distinctive from one another either by color and size or added ornamentation.

The second thing you’ll think of when you meet Jirra is how sweet she is. She loves to meet San Diego Zoo visitors and smell their shoes. This opportunity gives each party a very up-close-and-personal view of one another. Are you interested?

The San Diego Zoo has launched a new adventure called Backstage Pass. Guests can purchase a ticket near the main entrance at the booking station and enjoy a 1½-hour encounter with animals, a gourmet lunch, and watch a private show. Come early or reserve your seat ahead of time. Jirra is one of the many animal stars that you could meet on your adventure during Backstage Pass.

Maureen O. Duryee is a senior animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo.

This young male bear hung around our tundra buggy this afternoon

Being the Arctic Ambassador from San Diego Zoo means that I get to represent our awesome zoo and city on this adventure in the Arctic. It also means that when I get home, I plan to share my experience with my hometown and hopefully get people to care about polar bears and want to make a difference for them. In the meantime, I will do my best to post photos and notes from the Arctic as long as our Internet on the Tundra Buggy Lodge holds up. It seems crazy that we are out here parked on the edge of the Arctic Ocean and it seems like we should be disconnected from the world but, as long as it’s not too windy or snowy, we have a microwave feed going to town.

Today we saw a cool polar right outside our tundra buggy vehicle. He was technically the third bear we have seen in the two days we have been here but the other two were at more of a distance. A small bear, probably two years old, was walking down the road in front of our vehicle as we traveled to the Lodge. It ran off into the willows near another larger bear, maybe its mom.

The author learns to scare away polar bears by making noise shooting cracker shells.

Daniel Straub is the San Diego Zoo’s 2009 Teen Arctic Ambassador.

Rick and Rio meet some Zoo visitors.

Of course, the job of Elephant Odyssey Ambassador has been an amazing adventure and very enjoyable, too. It has kept me very busy, as you may remember from my previous posts. But not so busy that I could not stop in at the Children’s Zoo to work a little with the animals, from the high-energy fossa named Isa to the laid-back binturong named Bandar or even the silly and vocal Amazon parrot Rio. There are so many different animals, I couldn’t possibly name them all here, if for no other reason that there’s just not enough room in this post!

Now that Elephant Odyssey is open at the Zoo, I am doing less traveling around the country to tell people about the new exhibit. However, I am giving talks and more tours of the exhibit to show people this amazing experience at the Zoo. Although giving tours and talks keeps me busy, I am also finding I have more time to spend in the Children’s Zoo!

The last few weeks I have been able to balance my time pretty well between both jobs, working as a keeper and as an ambassador. You might think both jobs are quite different, and in many ways they are; however, in some ways they are alike. For example, both jobs allow me the opportunity to share my passion for wildlife and conservation to anyone and everyone I cross paths with!

If by chance you happen to find yourself over in the Children’s Zoo, feel free to say “hello.” Of course, the same goes for when you see me over at Elephant Odyssey: if I am giving a tour, doing an interview, or just walking through, make sure you say “hello.”

Rick Schwartz is a senior keeper and the Elephant Odyssey Ambassador for the San Diego Zoo.

The beadwork art Rosendo meticulously crafts has been passed on through generations and tells the stories of his tribe. These stories are translated through the use of symbols and colors with cultural significance.

It is important to Rosendo and the Huichol people that they preserve their culture by sharing their art. Rosendo is constantly on the road with his family, traveling to museums and cities throughout Mexico as well as the United States. As a teacher in the Huichol tradition, he passes on the artistic techniques and symbolism to the next generation.

Over the years, many of our visitors have had the opportunity to purchase a handcrafted piece that represents the culture, pride, and stories of the Huichol people. There is a wide selection of Huichol art in the San Diego Zoo’s Zoo Store, so stop by and see his work. If you see something you like–get it! His items move fast because they truly are one-of-a-kind!

Leticia Quintero is a office assistant for the San Diego Zoo.

Note: Rosendo will be at the San Diego Zoo through September 6 and returns in December during the new Jungle Bells event at the Zoo.

The on-road, off-road path snaked around the African and Asian field exhibits where we got to see Nile lechwe, endangered sheep, giraffes, rhinos, and really enjoy the sweeping vistas of the Wild Animal Park. We stopped along the route at shaded “hitching posts” where we drank water, took photos, and heard interesting “tails” about the animals we were seeing. There were only 10 people in our group, so we could ask questions, and the guides were knowledgeable about biology, conservation, and wildlife. It was a rare treat to get to learn about these animals in such an enchanting setting. And it really had the “wheeee factor” as we headed along the path to the next hitching post. We could also see the people doing the Flightline zip-line experience, soaring over the exhibits and the keepers feeding the animals in the exhibits.

The quiet, breezy Rolling Safari “ride” through the Park is a special experience I hope everyone gets to share.

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for the San Diego Zoo.

Here’s more info on Rolling Safari tours

Kioko discovered his artistic talent while apprenticing as a welder in a milk-can factory. During breaks, he would take metal scraps and weld them together in interesting shapes for amusement. But soon, customers were buying his “art,” and one of them asked Kioko to fashion a small elephant sculpture. Today, Kioko runs an art studio in Kenya, teaching groups of young men his craft as a way to help them stay out of trouble and lead productive lives.

Inspired by the wildlife he observed growing up in Kajiado, a town near the outskirts of Nairobi, Kioko makes a variety of African animals large, small, and in-between. You can see much of his artwork displayed throughout Zoo grounds: from the life-size (yes!) giraffe and camel that proudly stand on the Zoo’s front plaza to a rhino and hyena hanging out at our Treetops complex. Whimsical porcupines, frogs, warthogs, and even dung beetles rolling a dung ball have found temporary homes along the paths of Elephant Odyssey.

Kioko says creating a new sculpture is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, but one where you’re not sure where all the pieces are to be found. He prowls scrap metal yards for his materials and ideas: those car doors would make great elephant ears; that exhaust pipe is just what a scorpion needs. It may take one or two years before all the pieces are in place!

While here at the Zoo, Kioko enjoys observing some animals not native to Africa, including our orangutans and crowned pigeons, and chatting with Zoo guests about his art. Come see for yourself the clever ways this talented artist turns trash to treasure!

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

Meet Kioko at the ZooStore gift shop at the Zoo’s exitTuesdays through Sundays. For a limited time only, we are offering 20% off his sculptures. Some of his pieces are also available through our online store, Shopzoo.com.