VETERINARY EXAM GIVES FIRST HANDS-ON GLIMPSE AT SAN DIEGO ZOO PANDA CUB

AUGUST 17, 2005

Shortly after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Bai Yun, the San Diego Zoo’s adult giant panda female, left the den, giving veterinarians the long sought after opportunity to exam her 2-week-old cub.

While veterinarians are not certain if the cub is male or female just yet, they did note that this cub appears to be a few centimeters longer and a few grams lighter than the previous panda cub, Mei Sheng, at this age. The unnamed cub weighed in at 13 ounces (368 grams) and is 9.4 inches (24 centimeters) from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.

The exam lasted approximately three minutes, making this the longest first exam on a giant panda cub San Diego Zoo veterinarians have been able to perform. Karen Kearns, DVM, associate veterinarian, attributes this to the cub’s relaxed attitude during the exam. Since the cub did not squawk or cry much, Bai Yun remained calm during the separation, but when allowed back into the den Bai Yun quickly tended to the cub.

The San Diego Zoo now has the largest population of the critically endangered giant pandas outside of mainland China. The Zoo has four pandas, including Bai Yun and her newborn cub, the adult male Gao Gao, and Mei Sheng, a male cub that turns 2 years old August 19. It is estimated there are only about 1,600 giant pandas in the world.