Four weeks old and still no gender! There is so much about this latest cub; in fact, this entire breeding season has been so different. It’s been great “enrichment” for the humans, I can tell you! Remember how erratic Bai Yun’s pre-estrus behavior was? And how one day it seemed that she would not be ready for mating for a while, and then the very next day it was mating season, according to the most reliable authorities: Bai and Gao Gao! Some of Bai Yun’s previous gestations had been around 4 1/2 months; this one, closer to 3 months. Perhaps this is due to Bai Yun’s maturity - she will be 16 years old on September 7 - but it has kept everyone on their toes.
This newest cub appeared to be smaller than Bai Yun’s three previous cubs, but its traditional coloring was fully visible by seven days of age. (Hua Mei’s did not begin to appear until day 11.) The most amazing thing to me is that, contrary to what we’ve seen before, this little critter has skipped the not-so-attractive “fetal panda” stage, moving from newborn “icky” to downright CUTE in record time! (Its sibs took six weeks to two months to reach true panda cuteness, in my opinion.) Is it any surprise that this little one continues to perplex and confound us? That the cub continues to grow and thrive, gaining size and strength, is most important, and Bai has been allowing us all so much visibility with this little one.
Keep you fingers crossed — perhaps we’ll all know by the next exam! (or not….)
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
Listen to an iZoofari Chat about the cub’s exam on August 30 with attending veterinarian Geoff Pye.
