I’ve been away from the San Diego Zoo for a while, but the intervening months have brought many changes to the San Diego Zoo and, of course, to “our” pandas. Coming back to work has given me fresh eyes, almost like a guest, and the Zoo is truly an even more remarkable place than I remember.
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Most of the time when we think of the word “rush,” we don’t think of fun; instead, the word brings to mind being in a hurry (or in a panic!). “Elephant Rush” at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is quite different, yet there is one similarity. The big difference is how much fun you will have: you can’t help but smile. The similarity? The elephants are indeed in a hurry!
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It’s about time for an update on our panda girls Zhen Zhen and Su Lin, don’t you think? Thanks to keeper Juli Borowski, who answered my questions while cleaning panda exhibits–a true “multitasker”!

Juli described almost three-year-old Zhen Zhen as a teenager going through a super-cute, crazy stage. The little dynamo is never still for long. She is “super playful” and constantly checking the boundaries and limits of her home. (more…)

I guess now is as good a time as any for a quick update on our three little munchkins, all born this year to the African elephant herd at the Wild Animal Park. (Read Curtis’ previous post, A May Elephant Baby.)

Lutsandvo, aka Looty, is now 4 months old and 480 pounds (218 kilograms). Could he be any cuter? He’s currently just about everybody’s favorite baby. Looty’s at that phase where he always comes over to us and solicits attention, and who are we to deny it? He loves to suck on our fingers and have his tongue scratched.
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Tuya, our baby Bactrian camel, has been doing great and growing more and more every day (see Baby Camel Care). Our next challenge, now that any health issues are out of the way, is to make sure she knows that she is a camel. It may sound funny, but we needed to get her next to her family so she would start learning the “camel code.”
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Red Rocket (#14) and NU (#30), our two oldest nene (or Hawaiian geese), have been around long enough to see plenty of changes. Both birds were hatched in the wild and came to live at the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) in 1987 and 1992 respectively. They were moved in 1996 from mosquito-proof buildings with concrete floors to outdoor pens with grass. Now they have brand-spanking-new pens, luxury suites of the nene world! Not only were the old pens past their use-by date, but they will soon be demolished to make space for new ‘alala (or Hawaiian crow) aviaries that will be constructed this fall (see Corvid Cupid).
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Karyl shadowed the Zoo’s primate keepers during a Visit-A-Job program. Be sure to read Going Ape, Part 1.

Another interesting aspect to a zoo keeper’s job is “shifting animals,” where you bring the animals that are out on exhibit inside, and send out the group that has been off exhibit. Sounds easy, right? I went to bonobos to see how it’s done.
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Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years, but recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, Picking One from the Herd.

Environmental enrichment is a term that zoo keepers are very familiar with. We want to add diversity to the animals’ environments so that they are mentally stimulated, and as I am sure you can imagine, this is one of the most important tasks a keeper has. It is, in my opinion, just as important as providing food, water, and shelter.
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Where has the time gone? It really does seem like only yesterday when we watched as the eight African lion cubs attacked the boxes and frozen treat enrichment items we put out for their first birthday celebration in November 2008 (see Lion Cubs Turn One). Now, only one of our “pride of cubs” remains with us at Lion Camp at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park: Ekundu, the smallest of Oshana and Izu’s two boys. All the others are settled into their new homes across the country with loving and glowing reports from their new keepers.
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It’s about time for an update on our little guy! Now 10 months old and weighing in at 41 pounds (18.8 kilograms), Yun Zi is an easy-going panda youngster that sleeps during a good part of the day and is quite active at night, as many of you have observed on the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam.
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