Is Bai Yun pregnant?? Possibly. As the weeks go by, that answer will change to “we don’t know.” Panda pregnancies can be hard to detect, since they can a) have pseudopregnancies that mimic a true pregnancy, b) delay implantation up to five months after mating, c) not be detected by a traditional dip-stick urine test.

When will we know if she’s pregnant? We don’t know (see above). Ultrasound and thermal imaging technology will be employed as time goes by, but even these may only give 4 to 10 days notice of an impending birth. Veterinary technicians are searching for a 2-ounce fetus in the body of a 225- to 260-pound bear with an intestinal tract full of high-fiber bamboo and may not be able to locate it, even if it is there.

When is each particular bear going to be on exhibit (or off, or in any particular area)? We don’t necessarily know. Decisions as to the movement and management of the pandas are made by animal care and research staff, with the well-being of the animals always the top priority. Because of this, even a tentative schedule for exhibit is subject to change at a moment’s notice. These are living creatures, after all, and even humans can have an “off” day!

When is Mei Sheng moving to another facility? We don’t know yet. Plans are in the works for Sheng to move home to China in the future.

And, most common of all: When will the panda wake up?? As always, their schedule for eating and sleeping rotates around the clock and is pretty much up to the pandas themselves. Isn’t it great that they feel so comfortable in their Zoo home that they vary their schedules according to their own whims?

We’re now in the 11th year of research here and our winsome residents from China can still manage to perplex and delight us all. As Bai’s condition become clearer, you’ll of course be updated! In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed and enjoy these easy, breezy spring days as we wait and hope for exciting times to come at our Giant Panda Research Station.

Ellie Rosenbaum is an educator/panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

Bear Awareness Week runs through May 13 at the San Diego Zoo. Check out the schedule of activities and keeper talks, and bid on bear-made items!

There are eight living species of bear today, most of which are conservation dependent. Even those species that are not considered threatened or endangered, such as the brown bear or American black bear, have some subpopulations that are in need of assistance from conservation managers to ensure their survival. Like wolves, bears have historically suffered from a rash of negative propaganda, and some people have advocated against coexistence with bear species. Some bear species, particularly those in Asia, have been hunted for their parts for sale in medicinal markets. All species have suffered from loss of habitat, usually due to encroachment by humankind.

Sun bears are unique among bears in their propensity to climb. All bears can climb to greater or lesser degrees, but sun bears have a small size and claw structure that makes it easy for them to get to high treetops to eat fruits or find safe nesting spots. Giant pandas have a specially shaped radial sesamoid bone in their wrist to allow them an “extra finger,” a pseudo-thumb that makes bamboo feeding an easier process. Spectacled bears inhabit probably the most diverse array of habitat of any of the bear species, ranging from rain forest to steppe to scrub desert. Sloth bears are the only bears who carry their young on their backs when they travel, probably to allow them to move quickly from one food source to the next without being slowed by waiting for youngsters to keep up with momma. Asiatic black bears are the species most widely distributed throughout the Asian continent, ranging from Japan to Pakistan and Russia and south to Taiwan and Burma. They are the bear that has suffered most at the hands of the bear bile industry. The American black bear thrives in areas in the lower 48 states where brown bears no longer roam and has even extended its range into tundra regions in Canada where the bigger polar bears and brown bears are not found. They do, however, coexist in many places where brown bears are found.

Brown bears have probably the greatest diversity in size of any bear across their distribution, ranging in size from 330 to 900 pounds (150 to 400 kilograms) for an adult male, although some coastal Alaskan browns have reached 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms). The largest bear on average is the polar bear, recently so widely reported in the press as soon to suffer the effects of global warming and polar ice loss. This bear has probably the most extreme life history of feast and famine, built entirely around the cycle of annual ice flux. As the polar cap patterns change due to rising ambient temperatures, the polar bear is already showing signs of being a canary in the coal mine, warning us about the implications of such change for species that share the planet with us.

During Bear Awareness Week, you can come to the San Diego Zoo and learn more about these great animals in a unique way. Not only will we have special displays highlighting each of the species, but you also have the option of attending many special presentations by staff each day. Come and listen to keepers as they tell you about the bears they care for, describe what it’s like to work with bears, and answer your questions about bear husbandry. Researchers, including myself, are also speaking daily about the plight of these bear species, the research being done to better understand them, and answering your questions about bears in general. Our Zoo is auctioning off unique bear items, like a paw painting by Chinook the polar bear or a cast of sun bear Bulan’s paw, the proceeds of which will go towards supporting bear conservation efforts. This year the sun bear, as the bear species most in danger of becoming extinct, will be targeted to receive any funds donated by our bear-aware friends.

Even if you are not in San Diego, I encourage you to become more “bear aware.” Take some time to visit your local zoo, read up on the Internet, or get a book on bears at your local library. This week, in honor of our bear theme, I will be happy to answer whatever questions you might have about any of the bear species. Just post your questions here and I will make a daily reply. And I look forward to seeing some of you at those researcher talks this week!

Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.

See items available for online bidding.

Shikari was found orphaned with her sister Chinook when only a few months old in 1995. Under the auspices of wildlife authorities, both youngsters were given a home at the San Diego Zoo in 1996. Animal care staff is now working on a plan to incorporate Chinook with the two other polar bears at Polar Bear Plunge.

During this past year, Shikari played a vital role in an acoustic sensitivity study on female polar bears to better understand the sensitivity of their hearing so that scientists can estimate what noises would be disturbing or damaging to their social communication and/or ability to hear (see blog, Can You Hear Me Now?). This information is especially important as it may help wildlife managers in the Arctic determine what industrial activity could be damaging to these bears. Shikari’s death is a real loss not just to the people who cared for her but also to the science community that is contributing to data that will help wild polar bears.

Shikari will be sorely missed by the people who have cared for her for many years.

Christina Simmons is the associate marketing director for the Zoological Society of San Diego.

The people in the audience clapped so loudly after he dropped the first item in the can that he looked up at them and stared for a while; they laughed and he went on to grab another piece of trash. I must have placed this piece too far from the can or too close to the grass pit because our beautiful white dog became distracted, carried his piece of trash off in the wrong direction, dropped it, and began to mark his territory. The audience loves it when any show critter takes a turn all on their own and runs amuck. I called for Sven several times, but the audience was laughing so loudly that I don’t think he could hear me. After he marked his territory, he ran over to the moat in the front of the stage area and took a drink of water, apparently completely forgetting that he was doing a show or that he had three more pieces of trash to put into the bin and one of those pieces was now halfway across the stage.

Finally, he heard my call and, wagging his tail, he ran to me. I danced a little and sent him back out to finish the job he had started. Again, when his next piece hit the can the audience broke out in a thunder of applause; again he looked up at them like, “What is the deal here?” Thankfully this time it didn’t cause him to wander and he picked up the third piece and dropped it into the can. But we still had the missing piece of trash to go and I knew the audience was sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how Mr. Sven Olof was going to complete this task. Because he didn’t start walking to the lost piece, I called him off a second time and then sent him out a third time, but he still didn’t head over to the lost piece; instead, he ran over to a stump and sat down! So I came out from behind the wings and walked over to the missing piece and called him over, pointing to it. He, of course, wagged his tail, grabbed the trash, and…did not put it into the bin! No, he jumped up onto the spool in the middle of the stage and started tearing it apart into tiny pieces, all to the audience’s amusement. I, too, was laughing but said, “recycle” in the sweetest voice. He jumped off the spool and dropped the trash into the bin. Sven and I earned our penny for Earth Day!

Maureen O. Duryee is an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater.