As of the evening of August 11, Bai Yun has made a total of six den departures. In the afternoon of August 10, she enjoyed her first bites of bamboo since before the birth of the cub. For this, she must leave the den, travel through her bedroom, and enter her outdoor sunroom. Here, the keepers leave fresh snippets of choice bamboo stem and leaf for her.
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Bai Yun and her littlest panda are doing very well. We continue to see the pattern of feeding, grooming, and resting that is typical of this early postpartum period. As always, Bai Yun is very responsive to her cub’s vocalizations. Although this cub is not as quiet as Zhen Zhen, it isn’t particularly fussy, which is great news for its mother.
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I am not artistic at all, but I love to watch people who are! This summer, both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park have artisans from around the world demonstrating their skills. The other day I was mesmerized as Leonor Alfonso, a tagua nut carver from Ecuador, demonstrated her craft in front of the Zoo’s Treehouse Trader gift shop. Using a sander and Dremel tool, Leonor can take a plain-looking brown tagua nut and transform it into a turtle just emerging from its shell, a hummingbird sipping nectar, or an iguana on the prowl. It’s amazing to watch her in action!
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Have you ever wanted to ask a rhinoceros how sensitive its skin is? Or have you ever wanted to ask a cheetah why it has spots and not stripes? Or maybe you want to ask a ground hornbill how to properly catch a snake? Well, in all honesty, you can ask them all the questions you want, but you may never get an answer. That is, until now.
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A few months ago we started working on program for our dedicated polar bear and giant panda fans to allow them to get in the driver’s seat and take a stance in the effort to save these two majestic bears. Today we are excited to announce that the program – which we are calling Animal SOS – is finally ready for all of you to see. www.sandiegozoo.org/animalsos
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As you all know by now, we have had a very busy couple of weeks here at the San Diego Zoo. With Elephant Odyssey opening, we have been busy with blogs, tours, media, and opening celebrations (see previous post, Elephant Odyssey is OPEN!). I have been kept busy, too, with all of the things that have been going on, but I wanted to take a moment to let our blog readers in on some amazing facts about Elephant Odyssey.
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After an amazingly busy seven days last week talking to radio stations and television news crews and answering countless questions about Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo, IT IS OPEN!

Friday morning we hosted an official “unveiling” for our distinguished guests and donors. With everyone looking on, the curtain was pulled to reveal the unmatched view across Mammoth Plaza and on into the rest of Elephant Odyssey. Shortly after the curtain was opened, Ranchipur and the rest of the elephants made their way across the open exhibit to see what all the fanfare was about.
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Rick is sharing his adventures in Africa with staff from our conservation partner, Elephants Without Borders. Read his previous post, Botswana: Chobe River.

May 9, 2009 (Saturday)

Yesterday, Friday, we did our last bit of filming and said our goodbyes to Chobe National Park. After we got the shots we needed, Shea Johnson, the San Diego Zoo’s videographer, and I had a great time just watching several herds of elephants come down to the river from the surrounding area. I’d have to say one of my favorite things to watch was the littlest babies rolling and playing in the mud. It was also very interesting to watch the mothers, aunts, and older siblings stand protectively around and over the youngsters while they played.
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Rick is sharing his adventures in Africa with staff from our conservation partner, Elephants Without Borders. Read his previous post, Botswana: Lions.

May 7, 2009 (Thursday)

In the morning we met up with Dr. Mike Chase and Kelly Landen to do some interviews with them about Elephants Without Borders (EWB). It was a beautiful morning, so we decided to do the interviews along the shore of the Chobe River near the offices of EWB.
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As we’ve been anticipating, the great panda rotation has begun. Zhen Zhen has replaced her mother in the left-hand enclosure, and Bai Yun has been moved back into “her” area, the “classroom” area off exhibit that was her first home when she arrived here nearly 13 years ago. Bai Yun’s weight is up to around 220 pounds/100 kilograms, but whether this is due to a possible pregnancy, a pseudopregnancy, or the ability to eat uninterrupted by a persistent cub is anyone’s guess. We’re still watching and waiting; it’s been pretty standard procedure in the past to move her to the back soon after mating season, so we know nothing definite one way or the other.
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