San Diego Giant Pandas

[Dumpsterkitty]

Chubby cubbie (AKA Cinco-de-Bai-o) sleeping with his Mom...



AWWW!!!!

[Kris G.]

6th Exam: Muscle Man
Posted at 1:28 pm October 8, 2009 by admin
Although sleepy during most of this morning’s veterinary checkup, our 9-week-old (64-day-old) giant panda cub was flexing the muscles in his arms as he lifted up his chest and head to take a look around.


Tracy Clippinger, D.V.M, San Diego Zoo senior veterinarian, says the 7.7-pound (3.5 kilogram) cub is very aware of his surroundings now that both his eyes and ears have fully opened. He is 21.3 inches (52.4 centimeters) long. She expects the cub to begin to crawl in the next two to six weeks as his muscles continue to develop.

“During the exams, we call the cub ‘little guy,’� said Tracy. “Beginning Saturday, you can visit the San Diego Zoo to help us name him.�

Visitors to the Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station can suggest a name for the cub Saturday, October 10, through Monday, October 19. The names should be in Chinese (Pinyin), have an English translation and be symbolic in meaning. Suggestions for a name will also be accepted from a link on our Panda Cam page. The name will be announced at a ceremony on November 17.





Here's the video of his exam:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=44268835001

So cute!! 

[jeanne]

Smitten, pure and simple

[Aafke]

I really love it, thanks!
  greetings Aafke

[Kris G.]

Another update on the San Diego Panda cub: 



http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=45576053001

[carla]

Another update on the San Diego Panda cub: 



http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=45576053001

What a cute little panda,I wish I could hold him.
Thanks Carla

[Kris G.]

   Panda cub update:




November 12 2009
Naming Ceremony November 17
Our 14-week-old panda cub’s name will be announced during a brief naming ceremony on Tuesday, November 17, at 11 a.m. in the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater. We received 17,526 votes during the online naming poll. Come hear what the winning name is! If you can’t attend, video of the event will be posted later that day. Did your favorite name receive the most votes?


http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=50050247001

[Kris G.]

     


Panda Cub Receives Name
Posted at 11:31 am November 17, 2009 by Yadira Galindo
There was pandamonium at the San Diego Zoo as we prepared to finally reveal our 104-day-old giant panda cub’s name. For days people kept asking, “So what is his name?� Being one of a handful of people who knew the name at the close of the voting period, I simply smiled and said “You’ll have to wait until the naming ceremony.� I admit, it was a bit of a smug smile. You know the one…the one you can’t hold back when you have a secret that everyone wants to know.


So what is it? It was a close one. All five names could easily have been the one. We all know the little guy is an “extraordinary bear.� Those of us who live in San Diego would have loved to have him named after our beloved city, since it is quite blissful. As his personality finally begins to emerge, and this cub is finally showing that he, too, will be rambunctious, little dragon would have been fitting. But I think we are the ones that are “eternally blessed� for having been able to witness the birth of this rare bear, so this name wasn’t quite right for him, in my opinion.

In the end, the name that was bestowed upon this bear is one that pays tribute to an extraordinary mother, Bai Yun. Mama bear’s name means “white cloud.� And so, our little guy is from here on out to be called Yun Zi or “son of cloud.�

The Chinese name, Yun Zi, was revealed at a ceremony at the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater. Dr. Ron Swaisgood, co-head of the Zoo’s Giant Panda Conservation Unit, shared the history of the giant panda at the Zoo, from Bai Yun’s arrival in 1996, the birth of her five cubs here in San Diego, and an update on our newest panda.

We were pleased by the presence of the deputy consul general from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, Mr. Sun Weide, who spoke a few words about the partnership between the San Diego Zoo and our colleagues in China. Berit Durler, president of the Zoological Society of San Diego, thanked our guests for supporting our efforts in panda conservation.

It is because of the support that all of you have provided to us that we asked for you to be involved in naming our little guy. We received 6,331 names. Once we narrowed the names down to 5, we allowed just one vote per person or family at the same computer during the four-day voting period. We received 17,521 votes. That’s quite a commitment!

Here is the breakdown of the vote:
Yun Zi: son of cloud 28%
Xiao Long: little dragon 26%
Xiong Wei: extraordinary bear 20%
Yong Xiang: eternally blessed 14%
Fu Sheng: blissful San Diego 12%

Yadira Galindo is a senior public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.

Note: A big day for Yun Zi, as he also had his 12th exam this morning. Son of Cloud weighed 13.2 pounds (5.98 kilograms). More images are available in our Panda Photo Gallery.Posted in Default, General, Giant

[jeanne]

Sweet baby!!!

[Lynn W]

Thanks for this big update!  I'll be in San Diego the end of February and I can't wait to see Yun Zi & his mama!!

[Kris G.]

Thanks for this big update!  I'll be in San Diego the end of February and I can't wait to see Yun Zi & his mama!!

You are lucky to get the chance to see them in person and I am so jealous! I just love these Pandas!     

                               Kris

[Kris G.]

Exam 13: Development Spurts
Posted at 2:46 pm November 24, 2009 by Yadira Galindo


Am I really this cute?
Although I was present at last week’s panda cub exam, I had missed the previous two. In those two weeks I missed his first teeth and his first steps. Oh, the agony of missing such milestones! Couldn’t he have waited for me? Ha, ha. See video


I knew his teeth would emerge any day, so it didn’t surprise me when my coworker, Jenny, came bouncing in, chipper about seeing the cub for the first time and with the news of his latest developments. When I returned to the exam room last week, Yun Zi had one additional tooth and had gained another pound: not as earth shattering but still wonderful to see my little guy again.

This morning, during his weekly checkup, he gained 1.3 pounds (0.58 kilograms) since last week, making him a whopping 14.5 pounds (6.6 kilograms). The vets say he’s a little shorter in length than Hua Mei, Mei Sheng, Su Lin, and Zhen Zhen were at this stage, but he’s heavier! Not surprised. When I saw him today I thought, “Wow! I think keeper Kathy needs an extra set of hands to carry that robust little guy through the door.� His round figure is deceiving: looking at him in person, you would think he weighs even more.

When he opened his mouth to nibble gently on Kathy’s hands, you could see his canines are much more pronounced now. However, what surprised me most was the sudden explosion of teeth. He now has 12 teeth, including all four canines and a molar and premolar on each side of his mouth (top right, top left, bottom right and bottom left). No wonder he kept nibbling on Kathy: he is really teething now. He received the last of his distemper vaccines, and this time his reaction was a loud exhale of air. That’s it! He’s a big boy now.

The cutest part of the exam was how much “walking� he was doing. Kathy wasn’t letting him get far since he was on a table. He is still wobbly on those legs, and he exaggerates each movement, lifting his paw high up as he tries to take a step forward. It looks like he’s prancing or even waving. Next week, the team is thinking they may move the exam to the floor where he can begin to move around more. And this is when the real fun begins. Somebody please wrangle that panda cub!

Video of exam below:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=1631259758&bctid=52465054001

[Donna]

Now how cute is that??? Thanks for posting. What a darling.

[Kris G.]

14th Exam: Panda Star
Posted at 4:36 pm December 3, 2009 by Jenny Mehlow
Keeper Kathy Hawk had her hands full this morning: during Yun Zi’s weekly exam, it was all she could do to keep a good grip on him! The panda keepers knew that the cub was getting too mobile to examine him on the table any more, so they rolled out the carpet this week to give Yun Zi more space to move around. Then, when Kathy set him down, all he wanted to do was move! Video now posted!


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).

Video below:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=54241016001

[Kris G.]

A Whirlwind 16th Exam
Posted at 3:18 pm December 15, 2009 by Yadira Galindo
To summarize today’s panda cub exam:

Chest girth, 20 inches (51 centimeters)
Abdominal girth, 21 inches (53 centimeters)
Weight, 18.1 pounds (8.2 kilograms) and thus “extra robust� but healthy
Length: wiggly, thus “not today�
Gait, only turns to the right; strength, improving

It was another whirlwind Yun Zi checkup. Now that he’s figured out what his legs can do, he seems to be ready to use them during his exams. Once again the little guy only wanted to be on the floor where he could walk around among the giggling Zoo staff. He didn’t seem to care that we were chuckling at his expense…well, not at him, more because of him. His wobbly gait is something to make you smile and, yes, laugh out loud! Dr. PK Robbins (pictured below) pointed out that pandas “move a bit differently,� and that a panda’s “front legs learn quicker than the back legs.�

She wasn’t kidding! His front legs seem strong and much more coordinated than his back legs, which seem low to the ground in a crouch position. Pandas are pigeon toed, which makes Yun Zi’s wobble (it’s not really a walk) look even more comical. He insisted on showing off his newly developed skills, so most of what I could see was his rear end as he tried time and time again to get to the floor for a stroll. When he was in the arms of the keeper or Dr. Robbins, he would attempt to climb them.

Is this a sign he’s ready to start the next phase? I don’t know. What I do know is that Yun Zi was making us all snicker, especially after Dr. Robbins observed “he only turns to the right.� Every time he tried to move in a different direction he seemed to choose to turn right. Could it be because he’s still learning to use his motor skills and doesn’t know how to use his left turn signal? Or, was it simply the choice of a silly boy to make us laugh? I’m stumped. What I do know is that he was on the move so much that the Zoo’s nutritionist gave up on trying to get his measurements because he just couldn’t keep still; she finally sighed, “Not today!�

Today the staff at the Giant Panda Research Station was not in charge. Not today. It was a day when an 18-pound, 2-foot long, black-and-white bundle of fur ran the show.

Yadira Galindo is a senior public relations representative for the San Diego Zoo.


Video of exam below:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/?bcpid=4552241001&bclid=5172095001&bctid=57483627001