Bear with Us…
Posted at 8:25 am May 8, 2007 by Ellie RosenbaumNow that giant panda mating season is over, this becomes both the easiest and the hardest time of the year: so many questions and too few answers! So as a review for all of us, here’s a list of the questions to which we have no definitive answers and why:
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.
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May 8th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Thank you for your update. Now I can get back to work and not think about or watch the pandas all the time for fear of missing something. Hopefully this will be just a breather until news of 1, 2 or 3 births are reported in the US zoos. I’m from Vancouver, BC and we don’t have any pandas in Canada yet so I am “adopting” yours.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Thanks for the update Ellie. We can get back to work for a few months at least for word about Bai and Mei. Meanwhile we wait for YaYa to let the world know if this is real or not.
Is it my imagination or is Su Lin spending more time “on the ground” lately. I am not sure if it is just when the camera happens to be on her, or she has gravitated lower. She appears to be eating much more, and just “hanging out.” She has developed into a very independent, mature young panda girl that is very happy in her own routine. Why we ever allowed our antropomorphism to take over our logical brains I don’t know. Ya’ll have been doing this for 11 years, are constantly researching, and obviously know what you are doing.
Congratulations on another very successful separation and development of a wonderful independent Princess Su Lin.
Are there any plans to have Sheng and Su interact before he goes to China? This was mentioned early in the separation process, and you may have since decided that their treetop interaction was close enough to the wild conditions they would have experienced in the reserve in Sichuan.
I haven’t seen either of them in the trees lately so I am wondering if they stay closer to the ground now that the foliage is fully out, or if they are still climbing and “bleating” to each other occasionally.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
What is the maximum number of pandas SD could house? Would you be able to keep Mei Sheng if he were allowed to stay longer, like Tai in Washington?? And Su Lin, too? I’m thinking with their housing situation in China, that they may have to let the participating zoos keep the young adolescents/babies longer and even possibly the parents, too, beyond their original return dates. Of course, the financial aspects of this would have to be evaluated (negotiated), particularly on the zoo’s side. Something to think about while waiting for babies =-)
May 8th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Thanks for the update, but you missed my favourite question. Will the young pandas get to meet/play?
May 8th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Ellie, thank you and all the panda team for being so patient with us pandaholics. It seems the more we learn, the more interested we get, and we want to know even more about these captivating creatures. I know sometimes I get frustrated by others asking questions that have been answered before. But then I have to realize that every day someone new learns about the websites and pandacams and maybe doesn’t know that San Diego, DC or Atlanta zoos have long ago dealt with their question. And with almost daily weblogs, it takes a lot of researching for someone to go back and look it up.
Maybe you are victims of your own success. Who would have thought we’d have this plethora of pandas in the U.S.? It was incredible back in 2005 when Tai Shan & Su Lin were born a month apart. Two baby pandas to watch on pandacam at the same time! Then a year later when Atlanta finally succeeded with Mei Lan, it was pandamania for us pandaholics. And now we are on maternity watch for the possible birth of 3 baby pandas this year and so hoping Memphis will share in the pure joy of such an event. This is after all the species that is the logo for the World Wildlife Fund and the face representing all endangered species.
Frankly it is all I can do to contain myself as the days pass by. Since Memphis is the zoo closest to me and would have the earliest birth, it will be my first chance to see a panda of any age in person. Four pandacams, four websites to check on a daily basis. How can I ever be expected to get any work done?
May 8th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Hello SDZ Panda Helpers,
Thank you so much for the Panda Cam set on Sweet Su while she played in her ice pool! With temps today in So Cal in the mid to high 90’s, I wondered what our Pandas would think of the weather. Su pretty much Loved it! Of Course, an ice rink pool really helped make her day! When she picked up a glob of Ice, I was wishing I could have been there to hear her chirp (if she did) happily! And! Thank you for placing Mei Sheng on view! What a total kick it was to see him napping in the shade next to his pool. He is definitely a California Panda!
I cannot thank You All enough for the PLEASURE you provide with the Panda Cams!
Sincerely,
Bobbie Wood
May 9th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Kathy #3,
The panda facility could comfortably house up to six independant pandas.
#2, and #4,
We may be able to allow the youngsters to interact. There are some management hurdles we need to scale first, some of which are dependent on the whim of the bears, but if things align well we may have an opportunity for the two to play sometime this summer.
May 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Sharon #5 i finally found a way to get work done and watch the pandas. I work on my desk top computer and i also have to use a portable lap top, so there is my answer, i just log into my laptop that has all my panda sites on it and i just click away . my boss just shakes his head and laughs he can’t believe that i can do both, but i do so everybody’s happy especially me.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:25 am
I used to hear lots of “When is the baby coming down from the tree?” back when Su was smaller.
Even with questions that can be answered, I’ve heard some good ones, and this is one of the best:
“How did you put the baby up in the tree? Did you use a crane or did you throw her up in the air?”
May 9th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Barbara #8, what a clever woman you are! Wish I could manage that too, but just have to rely on quick checks when I have to use Explorer for work related searches.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Margaret#10, my laptop is programed to use explorer and so is my desk top computer so i can work on either at the same time, password and all runs both computers.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
You say Mei Sheng will go home to China soon but San Diego will always be home for him. I’ll be sad to see him go. The only plus is I’m sure there will be lots of girls vying for his attention!
May 10th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Ever since I discovered the Panda cams a little over two years ago I have had a ritual. Now it includes checking Washington since they are available first: look for news in Memphis; go to SDZ around 9, and then Atlanta at 10! I would love to take a trip to actually see the Pandas; but the Cams are a wonderful way of seeing the whole group.
It would be nice to have a family tree posted like Memphis has; is this something that could be posted?
May 10th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I see many visitors ask the narrators, “Where is the baby panda?”
I point at the right side yard, “There he is.”
“He’s huge.”
“He’s bigger than his daddy now, but he’s still a cute baby bear to many of us.”
Then, I get the “are you out of your mind?” look…as usual…
May 17th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Hi Ellie,
Why can’t the SD zoo keep Mei Sheng as the part of the new agreement since the zoo is looking for a younger pair of pandas, right?
May 20th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
When reading the NZP updates this week about Mei Xiang not wanting to be around Tian Tian any more, and that she moans when she hears Tai Shan, I wondered if Bai Yun has any similar reaction since Mei Sheng is now residing in the enclosure next to hers where she can smell and hear him.