Thanks Carol and everyone who is continuing to vote each day for this great cause! A reminder- the voting continues until November 12th and you can vote once per day.

I can't believe how much it's grown in just 5 days!!! It's getting exciting now-sure hope all goes well with her pregnancy.

Beautiful picture, Aafke!  My time for 48 pieces was 5:12.   

Monday, October 25
Zoo Atlanta was rather busy this weekend with Boo at the Zoo and many of Lun Lun’s fans stopping by to see how she has been doing. Lun Lun is off exhibit, but we are showing her on PandaCam during the regular 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours on the weekdays. You will most likely catch her sleeping in the corner of her den or, if you’re lucky, building a nest with hay and bamboo in her nest box for her bundle-to- be. While cleaning and raking out the habitats throughout the day for our Y chromosome pandas, we are always vigilant about keeping things quiet for Lun Lun. This applies throughout the entire building as well.

I can’t forget about Xi Lan and Yang Yang! This weekend for Boo at the Zoo, the boys got pumpkins to play with. I put Xi Lan’s pumpkin on the top of his climbing structure yesterday in Habitat 1. It was so cute seeing him stand up on his bear tippy toes and sniff the odd orange ball. Then he just knocked it over and it landed on the ground. Splat!! That was about the extent of his pumpkin fun. Be sure to come out next weekend to see our bears enjoy another round of pumpkins. This time the pumpkins will be cut open, so that the pandas can snack on them, if they so choose. See you then!
Cate HarrisSeasonal Keeper

http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam

Thanks, MAK!

Got it and have passed it on, I hope she gets it!!! 

Wonderful!  Thank you!

Say hello to Camera 4.

Cam 4. COOL cam THANKS!!

Donna, you make me laugh with your smileys! You're so funny and clever!

Thank you!  We are doing well with the voting and really want to win this for her!   

[The voting lasts thru Nov.12.]

We have members in my church who are asking for people to help Lexie win this contest.  I thought that if our Forum group could help with this, she might have a good chance of winning. Any votes would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Our great-niece Lexie was entered in a contest to try and win $1,000 for a theropedic trycicle that is not covered by insurance.  She was selected as one of ten finalists.  The finalist that gets the most votes wins.  The link to vote is below. We would appreciate your support and any of your friends that would like to help.  The voting lasts thru Nov.12.  You can vote once every day.  
This bike would help strengthen her legs and hopefully help her reach her dream of walking.  Lexie will be 4 on Nov.13.  What a wonderful birthday gift this would be for her and all of us.

http://www.tvfcubatavia.com/updates/pif_video.htm

When you get to the link, on the left it will say "who will you pay it forward to".  Under that, the third one down, "Grace Leanen for a bike for a child with cerebral palsy"-mark that and press vote at the bottom. Thank you!

Is there a Shakymon calendar for 2011?

Will this be the only Calendar this year? 

I was wondering the same thing, Ei.

Thanks for the pics, MAK and Donna!

Giant Panda Lun Lun Confirmed to be Pregnant!!
10-22-10





Fetus seen on ultrasound

Zoo Atlanta’s Veterinary Team has observed a viable fetus during routine ultrasound procedures on female giant panda Lun Lun. Ultrasound images obtained since Monday the 18th confirm a growing fetus with a strong heartbeat. Based on the size of the fetus, which is currently 2.24 centimeters long, the Animal Management and Veterinary Teams estimate that a birth should occur in 10 days to 2 weeks. While cautiously optimistic, experts caution that Lun Lun could still miscarry or reabsorb the fetus as her pregnancy progresses.
 
Round-the-clock birth watch began on Monday, October 18 and will continue through birth and the first months of the cub’s life. Giant panda gestation averages 135 days, but can range from 83 to 197 days.

A cub would be the third offspring for Lun Lun and Yang Yang, both 13. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams opted to employ artificial insemination (AI) on June 13, 2010, after the pair failed to mate naturally. Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s previous offspring, Mei Lan, 4 and now a resident of Chengdu, China, and Xi Lan, 2, a resident of Zoo Atlanta, were the only cubs born in the U.S. in 2006 and 2008. Both were the products of AI.

Additional updates will be provided as details are available. The Zoo’s giant pandas are watched daily by fans around the world on PandaCam presented by Earthcam. PandaCam, which runs Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., has remained the most visited page on zooatlanta.org since shortly after the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang in 1999.

 

 

  Have a very Happy Birthday, Annette!  

Wednesday, October 20
24-hour birth watch is in full swing. Just as in past years, we’ve provided Lun Lun with a quiet zone, and have closed down the back road behind the panda building. Now we only allow small carts to pass by, because Lun Lun doesn’t seem bothered by them. We have also adjusted the temperature in the panda building from the normal 65 degrees to 78 degrees. Just as Cate mentioned in her last update, Lun Lun is sleeping most of the day and her food intake has dropped. She is no longer eating her normal 20-30 pounds of bamboo per day, but closer to 5-10 pounds. She is also eating less of her biscuits and fruit, but in her normal panda fashion, has not given up on sugarcane (a panda favorite). Now, we just continue to watch and wait.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper III