Kalluk and Tatqiq still spend a good portion of the day playing, sometimes with toys, sometimes with each other, and even occasionally with Zoo visitors, interacting through the glass. They, too, will enjoy a comfy bed when it’s naptime. But the golden rule is that there must be a pillow. Obvious choices would be browse material, the toy of the day, and even the pebble rocks that line the beach area. For Kalluk, sometimes his sister fulfills that job. But their favorite hobby is exposed when they’re in the bedrooms. They see who can create the most difficult obstacle course. The more toys, mats, and bedding that can be stuffed in the door tracks, wedged in drinkers, and blocking doorways, the better. Just one of the many challenges that faces the keeper each day!

While there are definite similarities between the bears as well as their wild counterparts, all four are very different and have their own personalities I’ve come to know and love. The polar exhibit is one of the favorite choices for guests and is visited frequently. Unfortunately, I cannot communicate with everyone all that I experience and update them on the happenings of the bears. Hopefully through this blog I can share stories and maybe answer some of the questions about polar bears you may have.

Kelly Murphy is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch the polar bears daily on Polar Cam.

As part of our research into the behavior of this endangered bird, we are collecting acoustic recordings of condor vocalizations. So far, we have sounds with names such as “snort” and “wheeze” catalogued. I am currently haunting the off-exhibit facilities where the mating pairs reside in order to capture some of the breeding-related sounds the birds make. In doing so, we will have a more complete repertoire of condor vocalizations to study.

Yesterday, I observed courtship behavior in two mating pairs. Each pair contains males brought into managed care in the 1980s, when wild condors numbered so few that managers opted to bring them all into managed breeding programs to try to save the species. Both males AC-4 and AC-5 were courting their mates by arching their necks, spreading their wings, and displaying an exaggerated walking style. AC-5 even placed a foot on the wing of his mate, Cachuma. Unfortunately, neither Cachuma or the other female, Mexwe, seemed interested in mating that day, so no further activity was seen. No vocalizations were heard during these courtship displays.

While waiting for some breeding behavior to materialize, I was fortunate to observe the condor keepers yesterday as they pulled the second egg of the season from a nest. The female, Molloko, had laid the egg the previous afternoon. Molloko, a daughter of AC-4, is the first condor conceived and hatched in managed care, back in 1988. Her egg was removed in order to encourage her to mate again with her companion, Xol Xol, and to lay another egg. If all goes well, she should be mating again in about a month.

I’ll keep at it until we have some good audio recordings of condor mating vocalizations. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some with you as well. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for another successful California condor breeding season!

Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES. She is also studying condor behavior. Read her previous blog, Condor Colors.

The first step was a brand-new, and expensive, buoy. It was soft enough on the glass but apparently not thick enough for the hippos. Jabba, our 24-year-old male, popped the buoy the first morning it was presented to him!

Two team members put their heads together: John Michel, a senior keeper, and Rich Molina, a construction and maintenance worker. The plan was to somehow sink the ball the hippos previously had, thereby keeping it away from the glass. Easier said than done!

The first idea was to fill the ball with gravel. The only problem was that the hippos punctured a hole into the 1/4 inch-thick plastic in short order and the small bits of gravel spilled out into the pool. Since we vacuum the pool every morning, this spilled gravel would eventually be sucked into and ruin the pump used to clean the pool, so the ball was hauled out of the pool and back onto the drawing board.

The second idea, and eventual solution, was to coat the inside of the ball with form oil and then pour 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of concrete into the ball to set. The oil would form a layer inside the ball and the concrete would harden without bonding to the inside of the ball. The ball was then thoroughly rinsed, rolled out to the exhibit, and filled with water. The idea was for the concrete to move independently inside the ball and always rest on the bottom so the ball wobbles and jerks when the hippos push it around.

It DID take a few days for the hippos to go near this new, sinking ball when it was first presented, but once they did, they spent hours pushing it around. They even managed to push it OUT of the pool. No easy task, since the original ball weighed 65 pounds (29 kilograms), then add the 80 pounds of concrete and fill the rest of this 31-inch (79-centimeter) ball up with water. It took a lot of muscle to get a ball weighing several hundred pounds (and wobbling about like a weeble) back into the pool!

So, next time you’re at the Zoo, check out the hippos’ new (and improved) wobbling ball, hopefully located at the bottom of the hippo pool!

Nerissa Foland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Read a profile of our hippos, Jabba and Funani.

We met at school right after the final bell, then quickly made our way over to the Zoo. From the gate, we made a beeline to the rhino enclosure, then made our way into the back area for some background information and to see some fascinating biofacts.

We learned that there are currently five species of rhinos: black rhinos and white rhinos, both found in Africa, Indian rhinos from northern India, and Javan and Sumatran rhinos, from Java and Sumatra, of course. All five species are endangered due to poaching, with habitat loss severely affecting them, as well. Some rhinos have only one horn (Indian and Javan) while others have two (black, white, and Sumatran) and all are poached because of those horns. Rhino horns are used by some cultures for aphrodisiacs, traditional medicines, daggers, and for ornamental purposes.

Gram, like most Zoo animals, has been trained to respond to commands that help his keepers to care for him. He can open his mouth, back up, lie down, present his feet, and stand still for blood draws. (I keep waiting for “roll over” but probably won’t get to see that one!) The very first skill he needed to learn, though, was to target. This means that he will touch his upper lip to a target that his keepers present—in Gram’s case it’s usually a swimming pool float attached to a broomstick. But one of his trainers has trained him to target to something else, and in so doing has revealed the fact that Gram has a very special talent–he is the only rhino in the world that can PAINT! (Read a profile about Gram and his talent.)
Grams’ keeper, Laura, trained him to touch his upper lip to a canvas, then taught him to let her put tempera paint on that same lip. When she asks him to target that painted lip to a canvas…voila! Rhino painting!

The girls didn’t get to see this occur, but they did get to see some of the artwork Gram has done. When I held up a picture and mentioned that it was a rhino painting, one of the girls said, “It doesn’t look like a rhino to me.” After I explained that, no, it’s not a rhino, it was painted by a rhino,” she was more impressed!

The girls decided the best part of the visit was getting to feed the big boy, who has a personality much like a golden retriever’s. He was happy to take apples and yams from us, and always seems to enjoy the personal attention and pats that come his way. The girls all posed for photos, of course, and we left at the end of the afternoon feeling amazed at the opportunity to have interacted with not only a critically endangered species, but one with such an engaging personality. Thanks, Gram, for being such a wonderful ambassador for your species!

Cindy Spiva-Evans is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Girls In Science is a program for Roosevelt Middle School girls which creates science-based experiences with professional women at the San Diego Zoo. The program is funded through the generosity of the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Read about previous Girls In Science activities.

Typically, we like to have Bai at a healthy weight of about 220 pounds (100 kilograms). However, nursing a cub for so long becomes quite a drain on the fat reserves of the mother. Over the last couple months, we’ve notice that Bai’s weight has actually begun to drop to the low 200’s. This is a result of several factors in addition to lactation. First, since they are still living together, Su Lin and Bai Yun share one diet. We have been increasing the amount gradually as Su Lin’s appetite has grown. But in this current situation, other than increasing amounts, we have no control over how much each panda is eating. Once the girls have access to both exhibits, this will allow us to provide several different feeding stations, and as doors begin to be closed, Su Lin and Bai Yun will each start to get their own, regulated diets. In addition, Bai often tries to “defend” her bamboo from Su Lin by constantly moving pieces around which leads to burning an increased amount of calories, also contributing to her weight loss. Since access has been given to both exhibits, we have been able to provide several feeding locations on both sides. Observations have shown us that with this new arrangement, both girls spend more time eating alone and with a more relaxed demeanor.

Many have also expressed concern about Su Lin losing the comfort of her favorite tree. However, it is most likely that once weaned, Su Lin will not have an opportunity to be back in Bai’s exhibit for some time. As a result, sooner or later, Su Lin is going to need to find comfort in new surroundings. This, in turn, is exactly what we have been seeing during our process. So far, both girls seem to be spending the majority of their time in the new exhibit. Although Su Lin has occasionally gone back to “her” tree, she has also found comfort in the nice poplars that her brother Mei Sheng likes so much. We have also observed that she spends several hours a day alone, exploring the new exhibit while Bai remains on the original side. In addition, most overnight activity also takes place on the new side.

With everything we have seen thus far, we are positive that Su Lin is right on track with being ready for the weaning process. She is increasingly comfortable on her own and enjoying the new exhibit. She has learned all she can from Bai and will soon take those next steps towards independence.

Posted by the San Diego Zoo’s giant panda keepers.

Today Bai Yun was eating steadily, first on the left and then on the right side. And Su Lin?? She spent the entire morning in the “new,” right-hand area, napping comfortably in a tree quite close to the visitors. Does this mean that is where she prefers to be? For this morning, absolutely - although she’s free to change her mind and move closer to Bai, or alone to the other area, whenever she wishes. Whether eating, sleeping, scratching, mating, playing, or weaning, what the pandas do and when they do it here is up to them. Watching and learning from them is proving to be quite an adventure and we can often only guess what their motivation is. It’s going to get more intriguing as winter moves into spring.

Males Gao Gao and Mei Sheng have settled in to their off-exhibit areas, as our observers have attested, although the presence of another panda so close has definitely caught Mei Sheng’s attention. That’s to be expected; in the wild, sub-adult cubs will seek out other pandas for play and company until they mature and adopt that solitary life at 4 or 5 years of age. Mei Sheng was vocalizing and gravitating toward the adjacent wall. (In true adult fashion, Gao Gao was napping.) That level of interest only lasts so long, of course, before it’s time to eat again, and at last look, Sheng was chomping away.

Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Chinook and Shikari (pictured) are two sisters who’ve just turned 12 years of age. I like to refer to them as the “Sunday morning bears.” You know, sleeping in, curled up in bed just hoping breakfast is on the way. While Kalluk and Tatqiq are on the main exhibit at Polar Bear Plunge, the two sisters are settled comfortably in their beds. But every day the bed is different. Sometimes it’s hay, other times shavings, and on occasion, a nice fresh pile of mulch. Then there’s the added fluffing that goes into it, like a shredded cardboard box or a burlap sac.

They do still go swimming but usually as a means to bathe or cool off. Although right now, Chinook is showing off her playful side and having some fun with the new toys in the pool. When it’s their turn on exhibit, they take in the surroundings, enjoy their carrots and yams (yes, they eat their veggies), and then settle down again in a dirt pit or bed of sorts that we’ve laid out for them. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to spend the day.

In my next blog I’ll introduce you to the kids, Kalluk and Tatqiq.

Kelly Murphy is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch the polar bears daily on Polar Cam.

With water bottle in hand, I rushed through Fern Canyon only to find others rushing down Fern Canyon with me. This is crazy–I’m running to see a bear, but there must be some reason because all these people are doing the same thing! Then I stood with about 100 people; it was early and we started chatting about the pandas. I knew little about them at the time, so I was all ears. I learned a lot from the other guests and was getting excited about seeing these treasures. Finally, I reached the gate to the Giant Panda Research Station and stepping in I saw Bai Yun: young, sleek, oh my–so beautiful! And in the enclosure next to her was Shi Shi, sleeping like he could care less if we were there to stare at him. He looked much older than the female but he was so cute.

Now this is bear watching! I was hooked. I went daily to watch them, longing to be a part of their fascinating world. How could that happen? It seems like a dream now, looking back, that in just a few months I would be part of their world, landing a job with the Education Department as a narrator for the pandas. I could hardly wait to come to work and watch the bears daily. I was hired for just the summer, but that didn’t matter to me as I would get to know them and my love and passion for them grew. As the summer came to a close I found myself sad, just wanting to be here with them. To my surprise, I was kept on for the winter.

My dream continues: now stepping into my tenth year watching the bears, I feel a part of their world as I had longed for since the day I stepped through that gate in 1997. Yes, the lines are long at times but the pandas are worth the effort to see. Many changes have occurred here at the station: old Shi Shi has returned to China, Gao Gao came to replace Shi Shi and has been successful with his mating abilities, so we continue on with the quest. Giant pandas are beautiful bears and we must find the keys to their survival, that’s what research is all about. I’m just a tiny part of it all, but that’s fine with me–-I get to watch the bears!

Kay Ferguson is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

So Mom moved to the exhibit directly across the path, still in Polar Bear Plunge. Whether it was the new digs or her newfound independence, I’m not sure, but Alexandra has come out of her shell and many now get the chance to experience her winning personality. She still has a nest box filled with her bedding of choice, and you will often she her nestled there. But occasionally you can see her hanging out on her hammock or perched on her seat in front. She is also more comfortable being in the public’s view and with her interactions with me.

I am able to hand-feed her on a regular basis and have started to work training sessions. I would still rather go in with the polar bears before going in with her (only kidding!). But we are definitely building on our trust. Right now is the time of year when she’s at her heaviest. The Pallas’s cat’s metabolism naturally slows, allowing them to store more body fat. This helps with keeping warm as well as compensating for the shortage of meals due to climate. Even though she currently resides in San Diego and is not lacking for a meal, it doesn’t prevent nature from taking its course. Who knows, maybe when spring approaches and she’s not so concerned with calories, she might not be as “friendly.” But I’m optimistic that the relationship we’ve built is a strong one.

So for all of you who’ve said, “I’ve never seen the Pallas’s cat,” I urge you to come visit now because she’s liable to prove you wrong. Also keep an eye out for our All About Enrichment weekends. Alexandra made her debut recently and had the crowd smiling. I’ve had the opportunity to really get to know her and the species as a whole. I hope through this blog, I can do the same for you.

Kelly Murphy is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.