In appreciation of your support and love for giant pandas, the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Team wants you to be involved in the naming of our newest team member. The 10-week-old female giant cub is growing quickly - she weighed 7.6 pounds and measured 1.9 feet from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail during Wednesday’s veterinary exam - and now she needs a name.
Today was an unusual day for the lions at Lion Camp, as well as for many other animals in the area. The Park’s newest attraction, Balloon Safari, a 100-foot tall helium balloon, had it’s maiden voyage. Once open to the public, it will carry 30 people aloft for a spectacular view of the Park and the San Pasqual Valley. The enormous yellow balloon towers over Lion Camp, and is visible to the gerenuk, okapi, giant eland, cheetah, nyala, and a large portion of the East Africa field exhibit. Most of the animals took a good look and seemed to take it in stride. The cheetah, a female named Lusaka, did pace a bit, but settled down later.
The Wolong panda breeding center has had a banner year, with many cubs born this year to several different mothers. Our friends at the Wolong Panda Club forwarded us this photo, which demonstrates their accomplishments. Congratulations, Wolong!
Girls In Science (GIS) met with keeper Kim Lovich this week for a behind-the-scenes look into the duties and amazing environment of a reptile keeper!
As I was working at Lion Camp this morning, it struck me, as it often does, how much pleasure the cats get from the enrichment items we provide for them. It is easy to forget that they are only two years old because they are so enormous now - no longer the skinny little things they were at six months of age, when they joined us from Africa. M’bari, the largest, weighs over 300 pounds (136 kilograms)!
The Girls In Science (GIS) crew’s introductory visit to the Zoo happened this past week! We had planned for a behind-the-scenes visit with Mongo and Amu, the Zoo’s Bactrian camels, but the neighboring guanacos had a surprise planned for us…a new baby!
Members of the family Camelidae are naturally found on three different continents. Dromedary, or one-humped camels, are African. Bactrian, or two-humped camels, are Asian.
Last week while working at the Giant Panda Research Station’s exhibit area I was approached by a mother and her daughter of 4 or 5 years of age. The mother said her daughter had something to tell me. As I bent over to make eye contact, the little girl wrapped her arms around my neck, kissed me on the cheek, and thanked me for letting her see the panda. I mumbled something back and smiled and acknowledged mom. I was nearly overcome to the point of tears. Uh…well, I was overcome to the point of tears.
I have noted that there has been quite a dialogue among you as to the dietary habits of the giant panda. I thought I might spend a little time addressing this issue so as to answer some of your questions. Please recall, though, that I am a behaviorist, not a nutritionist… but I can certainly share with you what I have learned over the years.
Last week I started teaching Mata and Rimba to do a few simple behaviors on cue. They are learning how to touch their noses to a target, lie down, sit, and stand up on their hind feet. At 17 weeks of age, they are just old enough to start to understand what I am asking of them.
Bringing the story of our giant pandas to the public is part of a larger effort to study their biology and to be successful in reproduction. Leading this effort is both exciting and sobering. As a high-profile animal, the panda places a heavy responsibility on staff to get everything right. From the day of the pandas’ arrival in San Diego in September 1996, the entire organization has been energized and all who are entrusted with the pandas’ captive sojourn eagerly strive to do their best.
