Hua Mei is Well
Posted at 6:18 am October 3, 2005 by Panda Research TeamFor all of you Hua Mei fans out there…
…a former San Diego Zoo panda keeper who is currently traveling in China has reported that Hua Mei is doing well. As you may know, she gave birth to twins a month ago. At the time she was visited by Susan, the keeper, Hua Mei was cradling her female cub peacefully. The male cub was in the nursery. Both cubs are doing well and Hua Mei seemed relaxed and healthy.
Susan also reported that Hua Mei’s 2004 cubs, both boys, are doing well also.
Suzanne Hall is the panda reserch technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.
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October 3rd, 2005 at 7:13 am
Hua Mei is such a productive bear, she has already outdone her mom by giving birth to 4 cubs!
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:15 am
This is my first message to your weblog, even though I have been an avid fan in diligently monitoring the births and progressive developments of both giant panda bear cubs born in the States this year. Many thanks to the giant panda bear teams, zoos and conservationists throughout the world for all of their efforts in raising, caring, and sharing documented information with interested lay masses regarding the preservation of these mystically beautiful creatures and all endangered species in an attempt to keep our world balanced and intact.
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:26 am
Thank you so much for the update! I always look forward to hearing how Hua Mei is doing. I’m not suprised she is a good mom, as she had such a great role model in Bai Yun. I remember Bai Yun cradling Hua Mei when she was a cub, it was so endearing.
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:55 am
Thank you so much for the update on Hua Mei. Is there any chance Susan took some pictures and they could be put on the website? Thanks again to all of you wonderful people there at the SDZ for keeping us up-to-date and in the loop on these precious angels.
Jeannie
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:58 am
Thanks for the update on Hua Mei…it’s good to know she is well, & her cubs too. I still miss seeing Mei Sheng romping with & imitating his Mom’s every move. Can’t wait til his little sister reaches that age. What I would appreciate is snapshots of any of the family members….especially the younger ones. Can’t get enough of the Pandas.
Thanks again for all your care & information on these wonderful animals. You have an enviable job! Connie Woods..Michigan
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:03 am
Thank you so much for keeping us updated on Hua Mei. I had been watching your Panda Cam before she was born and I learned so much. I love all your Pandas but especially Hua Mei. She was so delightful. I can’t believe what a good mom Bai Yun is. She sets a great example for all of us! Thank you.
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:07 am
Thank you for the update of Hua Mei !
Your former colleague Susan is a sincere panda lover. She worked with pandas, and visted the pandas even when she was on vacation.
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:27 am
Wonderful news. I am so happy to hear that Hua Mei and her babies are doing well. Hua Mei holds a special place in my heart. I’ve followed her progress from birth - her first day on exhibit in Feb. 2000, until shortly before she left for her new home in China. The day that she left was a very sad day for me. I remember a few days before she was taken off exhibit (in preparation for her trip to China), I visited Hua Mei for the last time and watched her while she ate her treats. It was early morning and I was the only visitor. As I watched, Hua Mei looked up briefly. I waved and said “good-bye Hua Mei and good luck”. Hua Mei is my #1 Panda. Thanks for all your hard work in caring for these beautiful and exchanting animals.
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:56 am
I remember squealing with delight when Hua Mei was born… and again when she had her first set of twins. Congratulations on all of your hard work - it’s really paid off! Thanks also for the updates - I think like everyone else, we would love to see more pictures of her and her cubs. Maybe your team could put together a family tree - so we can see how the bears are related - where they reside - and see their offspring. Just a thought… I’m sure you have a million more important things to do.
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:17 am
Thank you for the update on beautiful Hua Mei. We saw her on her last day on exhibit in San Diego in her Goya “Naked Maja” pose. What a diva! We next visited her in Wolong last October and were fortunate to see her first set of twins as well. We always love to receive news of her.
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:26 am
Great to hear news of Hua Mei and cubs. Any chance of seeing pictures of them?
Thanks to all of you for your work and dedication to these wonderful animals. Watching the pandas always brings a smile. I think God gave them a little extra in the sweet & lovable department.
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:34 am
I thought Hua Mei’s new twins were born on 29 August?
October 3rd, 2005 at 9:50 am
Thank you so much for your updates on the Pandas, especially Hua Mei. I’m a twin, too, so I take special interest in her children. The entire family is a joy to watch; Mei Sheng’s birthday party was delightful. Your updates and Panda Cam pictures are a wonderful tool for educating us about these magnificent animals; thank you for all your efforts in saving them!
October 3rd, 2005 at 10:01 am
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the update!!!
October 3rd, 2005 at 10:33 am
Does Hua Mei still remember/can recognize Susan?
October 3rd, 2005 at 11:04 am
An excellent question was raised — did Hua Mei seem to recognize and respond to Susan, her former keeper?
October 3rd, 2005 at 11:32 am
We love Hua Mei! - Thank you so much for your update. We knew she gave birth, but didn’t know that one cub was female, and the other male. Hua Mei will always be our “Little Baby”!!
October 3rd, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Thanks so much for the update, many of us are always wondering about Hua Mei and her cubs! As others have asked, is there any chance we can see pics of Hua Mei and her cubs? I’m also curious to know if Hua Mei recognized Susan?
Thanks for the extra time you spend on these great blogs!!!
October 3rd, 2005 at 4:49 pm
We would love to see some pictures of Hua Mei’s cubs. I am always looking around for info on her and the cubs.
October 3rd, 2005 at 4:55 pm
Thank you so much for continuing updates on Hua Mei! Since she was the first, she will be my favorite. Do they still switch the cubs with Hua Mei or is she only taking care of the female? If they switch cubs, does she act differently with the male cub when they bring him in?
Skippy
October 3rd, 2005 at 5:21 pm
I’m like everyone else who was excited to hear the latest news about Hua Mei - The Panda Diva. I’m looking forward to seeing Susan’s pictures. The “family tree” idea would be great to see. Hua Mei did have a terrific role model - Bai Yun “Big Mama”. Thanks for all you do.
October 4th, 2005 at 4:30 am
I would love to know if Hua Mei remembered her old friend Susan. How nice that Susan had a chance to visit and see how she, Hua Mei, is doing.
October 4th, 2005 at 5:09 am
I would really appreciate some pictures of Hua Mei and her children on this site as it is really hard to get pictures of them all. I think it is wonderful that she is doing so well considering she has had 4 babies in a year. Thanks for the update.
October 4th, 2005 at 7:15 am
We love pretty Hua Mei and her cubs! Greetings from panda fans of Poland! I wish to see some photos of Hua Mei and little pandas. Thanks for all, San Diego!!!
October 4th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
I’ve seen all the pandas in the U.S. and am lucky enough to live by the Washington D.C. pandas, but Hua Mei is still my #1 panda girl. Please keep the updates on her coming and please, please, please, can’t we have some pictures of her and her cubs?
October 5th, 2005 at 11:56 am
So happy to hear that Hua Mei’s babies are all healthy! Like someone else who asked, if Susan did get pictures, please post them. I have not had the opportunity to get to the zoo since Bai Yun’s new baby was born but plan to later this year. We did get to Mei Sheng the last time we were there. Keep up the good work with the pandas and your other endangered & not so endangered animals.
October 6th, 2005 at 5:39 pm
It’s good to hear updates on Hua Mei to know she and her cubs are doing well. I was wondering if you have any video archives of Hua Mei and Mei Sheng when they were younger. I remember one video about the first time Hua Mei saw a pond and put her little paw in and and then ran away scared. It was really cute.
I’ve heard that Hua Mei was referred to as a diva and wild and was wondering what were examples of things she did to get those labels. Thank you.
Editor’s note: Panda video archives go back to Gao Gao’s arrival in January 2003.
October 7th, 2005 at 2:30 pm
I miss my first little girl, Hua Mei, and am happy to see another healthy little girl at the zoo. One thing that I do wonder about based on my various readings is about the inability of new females to raise their young. I read that showing videos about sex and child rearing seems to help the process along. I was wondering what the behavioralists’ theories are about how mothers like Bai Yun (being born and raised in the wild) develop such good mothering skills? Even with such an ideal mother, Hua Mei struggled with her first set of twins. What is being done to expose the next generation to these skills? As successful as breeding programs have become, if pandas can’t get through the rearing process on their own, they would fail to thrive if reintroduced into their natual habitats. I truly hope that we will be around to see that day come but I am very concerned about the challenges. Thank you.
October 7th, 2005 at 6:24 pm
Thank you so very much for keeping us updated on our precious Hua Mei. She will always have a very special place in my heart and remain a wonderful symbol of what is best and most true in us all.
October 8th, 2005 at 2:42 am
“I’ve heard that Hua Mei was referred to as a diva and wild … ”
Well, you know, she was born and raised overseas in a Western country where values and such are more “advanced” than Chinese values, so I’m not surprised at the “diva” and “wild” labels.
I remember receiving a Sunday supplement from a friend in the States which had a special on Hua Mei. In it, she was called “California Girl”.
October 25th, 2005 at 5:03 pm
Do all of Hua Mei’s cubs have the same father? When I was in China with the zoo in June the boys were being tested to see which mating took, natural or AI. I’m assuming it was the natural mating, and wondering if the new twins have the same father.
October 29th, 2005 at 4:00 pm
What does Hua Mei mean?
November 9th, 2005 at 2:55 pm
“Hua Mei” means “China, America”, since she was the first American-born baby panda. Also “Mei” in Chinese has another meaning, which is “beautiful”. In the web of Wolong Natural reserve for Giant Panda, you may find the recent pictures of Hua Mei and her twin cubs. I feel so touched while reading the news that people from San Diego zoo keep visiting Hua Mei in China. I am pretty sure that Hua Mei won’t forget her wonderful childhood at San Diego.