panda cub exam

Then, within moments, he just became a ball of wiggling fun. So much wiggle, in fact, there was no chance to measure his length today. (His cute little tail, though, was 3.9 inches or 10 centimeters.) And when a keeper did manage to hold him still for a moment’s measurement, he would squeak in protest. This little ball of black-and-white fur just wanted to play!

The keepers had left out a big blue ball, a small solid plastic ball, a plastic bucket, and slices of apple for Yun Zi to explore. And that’s what this little boy was determined to do. He knocked over the plastic bucket. He sniffed and rolled the apple on the ground. He sat up with his body draped over the hard plastic ball and then fell over backward, still holding on! When one of the keepers scratched his back, Yun Zi rolled over on his back, his mouth open, as if in laughter.

“He’s obviously teething,” said PK Robbins, one of the San Diego Zoo’s associate veterinarians. “He was also very exploratory. It was really good.” She said between his curious meanderings today, and the exploring he did in the private yard outside his den yesterday (often called the classroom exhibit), he’s making quantum leaps in exploring his environment.

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

Please note: No video will be available from today’s exam. Instead, we have video from Yun Zi’s outdoor explorations on December 21—enjoy!

Additional video of Yun Zi’s first four months…

Update: Yun Zi has made the list of Eight great ‘buzzworthy’ San Diegans in 2009. If you’d like to see him selected as #1, there’s a place to vote at the end of the list!

Now about 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms), Yun Zi showed improvement with his walking as he motored around the rug. He also demonstrated that he is a cub with attitude: he let keeper Kathy Hawk know when he’d had enough of that measuring tape! She declared him “all boy.”

Here’s a comparison of the Zoo’s five panda cubs:

Hua Mei, Day 130:
15.8 lbs (7.2 kg); 28.5 in (72.5 cm) long

Mei Sheng, Day 127:
15.4 lbs (7 kg); 28 in (71 cm) long

Su Lin, Day 128:
13.2 lbs (6 kg); 25.5 in (65 cm) long

Zhen Zhen, Day 124:
15.4 lbs (7 kg); 29.9 in (76 cm) long

Yun Zi, Day 127:
17 (7.7 kg); 28 in (71.5 cm) long

See video. And thanks to DoxieMom, we have a cute slide show of Yun Zi’s antics in the den this morning.

That 5 x 7 carpet just couldn’t contain him. He headed to the edge and walked toward the video camera. When Kathy picked him up to redirect him to the center of the carpet, he just turned right back around and headed to the light on the top of the camera. We know that he’s a star, but it looks like he’s a natural in front of the camera, too!

After keepers and vets let him crawl around a bit, they attempted an exam. But Yun Zi just wasn’t that into it. With the exam taking place on the floor, and Yun Zi being such a wiggle worm, I didn’t really get to see all of his great expressions. I just saw his raw determination to do what he wanted to do the way he wanted to do it. He was squeaking as Kathy held him while veterinarian Tracy Clippinger listened to his heart and lungs. And the squeaking continued when they held him to get a look at his ears and eyes. He has a few more teeth, and when Tracy was feeling around his mouth she assured us that he had a pretty good bite now.

In past exams, if Bai Yun hears her cub squeaking or give a bark during the cub exams, keepers can see her react on the panda monitors. With the cub so vocal today, keepers who were not participating in the exam kept a close eye on the monitors to see how Bai was doing. And how did she react? Well, let’s just say that she didn’t let baby’s squeals get between her and her bamboo. She kept sitting in her exhibit, leaning against a rock, chomping away. She didn’t seem fazed by any of Yun Zi’s squeals.

I didn’t take my own notes on his weight, lengths or girth (I’ll let the moderator add that at the end of this blog); I was just enjoying listening to his squeals and watching Kathy and Tracy try to wrangle a 17-week old panda. It was a lot like me trying to hold my cat, Austin, when he knows that I’m picking him up to carry him inside the house. He tries to find any way to go back to what he was doing – over my shoulder, under my arm, or just trying to take a flying forward leap. But despite Yun Zi’s best efforts and vocal protests, Kathy and Tracy held onto him and made it through the exam, even if they did have to cut it a bit short due to excessive wiggling.

Everything else in his development is looking good. Oh, I did note one measurement: for all those still enthralled with his tail, it still measures 7 centimeters (2.7 inches) and the black spot is still there. His leg muscles are coming along, and you’ll see in the video (that should be up on Friday) that he’s a panda on the move who wants to be heard!

After the quick exam, Kathy and Tracy let him crawl around on the carpet for a few more minutes. He kept heading toward the edge of the carpet and the lights on the camera – like a moth to a flame. He squealed some more as Kathy carried him back to his den. But when I checked Panda Cam on my way out of the Giant Panda Research Station 15 minutes later, he was already asleep and, I like to imagine, dreaming little panda dreams.

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

Note: Yun Zi weighed 15.9 pounds (7.2 kilograms).

Here’s a measurement comparison of our five panda cubs:

Hua Mei, age 124 days:
15.2 lbs (6.9 kg); 27.4 in (69.6 cm) long

Mei Sheng, age 121 days:
14.3 lbs (6.5 kg); 26.2 (66.5 cm) long

Su Lin, age 119 days:
11.9 lbs (5.4 kg); 27.1 in (69 cm) long

Zhen Zhen, age 124 days:
15.4 lbs (7.0 kg); 29.9 in (76 cm) long

Yun Zi, age 120 days:
15.9 lbs (7.2 kg); 27.5 in (70 cm) long

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.