It Rained Again!
Posted at 10:39 am October 19, 2007 by Ellie Rosenbaum
What happens to young pandas in the rain? Not only do they get wet, they go wild! I arrived at the Giant Panda Research Station early on Wednesday, October 17, to find (or, more acurately, not find for a while) Mei Sheng (pictured at right), the Wonderclimber, about 25 feet (10 meters) up the infamous double-tree-guarded poplar tree, sound asleep, where he remained until I left. Yes, panda fans, he was again up over the metal sleeves! How I will miss his all-boy antics when he leaves. No, I'm not sure when and we never tell about animal moves in advance. Just know that everything possible to minimize his stress during the journey is being done. Remember: even Shi Shi the Elder traveled safely and easily on his return trip.
Meanwhile, in Su Lin's (pictured at left) elm tree, a rainy nap didn't last long. Branch climbing and rocking became play solicitation–with the visitors in the viewing area! Once again, her arboreal domain had to be modified for eveyone's safety, including and especially hers. She still shows us regularly that she's a youngster, not yet full size and far from maturity, and still lots of fun!
Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.
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October 19th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Hi Ellie,
Is Mei Sheng eating Chinese food now? Does he like the bread?
October 19th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Thanks Ellie for another great account of a Rainy Day escapade in Panda Land. Mei Sheng sure does love his trees, doesn't he? He will be very excited when he sees the very tall native trees he can climb with his buddies at Wolong. Most exciting is that he may be able to climb them with buddies in his enclosure and they can play " telephone" with each other in the tree tops. Oh to be one of the keepers at Wolong and learn about his playful personality, and his climbing propensity. He will definitely keep them " on their toes." Since Su Lin seems to be more laid back, hopefully she won't miss her " playmate" when he is no longer up high in the trees in the other yard. Does Gao Gao ever climb trees? If so, maybe she will have a tree conversation with her dad. I recall Bai Yun enjoyed playing in the " mud" with Su Lin on rainy days. Does Gao Gao also act silly in the rain? Bai Yun has her paws full of Bright Star now so she can't go out and " play." But once little one is out in the main exhibit, that will all change. I can't wait to see their antics!
October 19th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Thanks for the latest on Mei Sheng today. I will miss his silliness and antics too. He is such a special panda boy, isn't he?
October 19th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Ellie,
Mei Sheng's departure and arrival info is actually posted on China's People Daily website. Thought you'd be interested in knowing that. I just happened to be reading it and found out when he will arrive in Shanghai, Chengdu, and E.T.A. in Wolong.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
With all the Panda Antics in the Rain the title of the article should have been " Pandas Gone Wild" ! hahahaha love those guys —gonna miss the big guy when he goes. ♥
October 19th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
#4 Susan, right you are! I found and read the entire website…there goes the protective US security. I also read the good news that through additional DNA data gathering procedures, there are probably 3,000 wild pandas in China rather than the 1,500 originally thought. That is VERY good news for the Chinese. Maybe they could ease up on the artificial baby-making crunch and perhaps even G-I-V-E a panda or two away to zoos which have spent lots of money on the perfect facilities and technology and which have already paid how many ?? Million dollars to care for and adore Chinese born pandas and their US cubs.?
October 19th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
That makes three of us who have read the China People's Daily website. Maybe they think someone will kidnap Mei Sheng. I certainly wouldn't want anyone or anything to jeopardize his well being. I have a picture take by AP that I ordered and framed showing him eating the #1 icicle. It hangs on the wall across from my desk where I can look at him all day long. He has that mischievous twinkle in his eye even then along with the smile on his face. I agree with Barb in BC that the Chinese should be less interested in the baby-making objective and work on protecting those that already exist and provide them with a healthful environment where they can thrive and reproduce naturally in their native environment. I'm certainly not advocating ceasing the pandas being in zoos outside of China, but agree with allowing the panda progeny to remain longer in the USA and to be able to breed and reproduce where ever they are and not have to be carted back to China just because they are approaching maturity and can be used for breeding stock.
Rita Y., Los Angeles, CA
October 19th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Hi Barb #6!
That is absolutely great news! I am hoping and praying that one day China would give us a cub to keep! But you know that reality is that pandas make money. Loans keep money coming, I'm afraid to say.
Where did you get the DNA info. Can you provide that too? Thanks.
October 19th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Those loan money that China gets all goes back to the pandas like research, food, daily operations, toys, etc. It's not like they use to money to get rich. At least I hope that's true. =)
I have two questions. 1) Is the Sunroom indoor or outdoor? 2) Do the pandas have outdoor access at night since the keepers have found Su Lin and Mei Sheng in trees when they first went in to check on the pandas?
I've never been to SDZ, and at the NZ, pandas are brought inside for the night.
October 19th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Susan #8. When I clicked on the website, I read it all….beginning to end. Then when I returned to get the exact figure (1500 was rounded down by me), I couldn't find it again. But I KNOW I saw it as I read it twice! They stated that a new way of extracting DNA from panda excrement had proven there were more of the bears than originally thought.
October 19th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Eva #9,
The pandas at SDZ as of the last 2-3 years, if I can remember correctly, has allowed the pandas in the 2 exhibits the option to stay outside or sleep in their bedroom that's fully heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer.
Barb#10, did you find the panda DNA info on the People's Daily?
October 19th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Susan #8. FINALLY found it. Clicking on " male panda gives birth to twins" (curious…appears they are
difficult to sex in China too!)…the very last paragraph states that the stats on pandas have been upped via new DNA tracking of feces.
October 19th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
As I also read the China Daily several days ago - am sure hundreds of thousands know exactly when Mei Sheng will arrive at Wolong. Mei's day of arrival in China is the world's worst kept secret. It's hard to hide the arrival of a world celebrity
I did laugh at his latest tree climbing antics. Wonder if Wolong is prepared?
October 19th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
While I agree that I hate seeing pandas going back to China to breed, it's necessary to have different blood lines. While Gao, beacuse he was born in the wild, has a valuable blood line, Tai & other pandas in the US may share the same genes. And as we all know interebreeding will not solve the problem. From what I read the Chinese are using some of the many $$ they get from " renting their pandas" to educate the population & to build new accesses to roads so the wild pandas may roam more. Zoos & conservation efforts cannot do it alone. Mankind has to help & China's poplulation is the answer. Unfortunately, it's not only the pandas that are in peril. I suggest everyone watch CNN's special " Planet in Peril" this coming Tues. & Wed. nights to see what man is doing to the animal planet. Sadly, as every animal species disappears it also affects our own lives. We better sit up & take notice to what we are doing to our planet.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Let's all dream of the day the U.S. can breed and keep the giant pandas! There must be some major political barriers, I'm thinking. What a great story about the pandas " singing in the rain" ! My giant Italian mastiff goes crazy when it rains, too - except he tries to put his 115 pound body under the nearest bed, as opposed to climbing the highest tree!!
I want to re-post a link that Barbara posted in a an earlier blog for a wish-list of all critters at the SD Zoo:
https://www.sandiegozoo.org/sl/wishlist/index.cfm
I just bought some salad for gazelles and plan on bookmarking this link for a contribution each month - how easy would it be to give up one dinner out (or even one fast food dinner out) to buy something really needed for these wonderful creatures? It's called putting your money where your mouth is…and I was so happy to see how many items on that wish list were already purchased.
Paula
October 20th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Susan #4—I went to the China People's daily web site but I could not find anything. Perhaps you could point out just where you looked and the exact site you went too. It would be interesting to read,
October 20th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Jo # 16 — go to the People's Daily online and from the list on the left click on China & World. At the top of that page click on next, the Mei Sheng article is on the 2nd page almost at the bottom. The article is from Oct. 15th and is titled American-born panda to go home. This has all of the info on when Mei Sheng will arrive in China and Wolong. Also if you go to the Wolong panda club website they have 2 cameras and you can see the pandas. Sometimes you can see 4 or 5 pandas in the yard and I was supprised to see keepers walking among the pandas cleaning the grounds. Yesterday I saw a keeper go around with a bucket feeding something to each panda. The pandas don't even look at the people walking around the yard they just keep eating. It is facinating to watch.
October 20th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Mei Sheng, AKA Tree Climber, will find his new home a perfect fit for his high climbing ambitions.
The photo that accompanies the blog, Homeward Bound Part 2, shows a cub up so high. Move over, cub, make way. Mei Sheng is coming!
We will miss you, but I'm so happy that you'll get to test your climbing skills on the tall trees.
October 20th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
I bet Mei Sheng got his love for tree climbing from Bai Yun. She loved climbing trees as a young lady too, that is why they named her Bai Yun, White Cloud, because she was always high up there! Can't believe that Bai Yun is 15 years old already…time sure flies, sometimes too fast!!!!
Moderator's note: Bai Yun is 16 years old, born September 7, 1991, at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center, China
October 20th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Thank you Susan Harrison #11 for answering my question. It's nice for them to be able to go outdoor at night.
If you go to Wolong Panda Club and watch the webcam, you will be able to see 6 panda cubs in the panda kindergarten. Two of them are Hua Mei's sons. I am not sure about this, but I think these kindergarteners will " graduate" after a year, so next year there will be a new group of cubs.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:19 am
Hi, panda lovers! Just got on the pandacam today just after 12 noon EDT, and I saw baby girl laying down on her stomach sleeping very peacefully. She is still very cute, round, and fuzzy; hasn't lost any of her baby fat yet. Plus, I think I noticed that her ears are starting to pop out! That'll be great because she'll be able to her what is really going on around her along with seein out of those baby blue eyes that are now wide open. Haven't been on pandacam much because of a busy week last week, but try to check in whenever possible. Also been checking into the other 3 zoos' websites, looking into their pandacams. All of the pandas are doing good. Mei Lan in Atlanta has started to really eat some bamboo over the last few weeks according to their updates, and have noticed pieces of ingested bamboo in her poop. This Atlanta panda girl is growing up, you all! We'll be watching Bai's baby girl do the same thing in about a year! Right now, I'm just enjoying her grow and hitting those little milestones that are so important to her growth and development. Bai Yun had better be ready to follow this little girl around once she starts to work those legs and feet into the crawling and walking stages! Read about Mei Sheng's schedule for the next week at SDZ. Sounds like Oct. 28 or 29 will be the departure date for his trip to China. He'll be missed a lot, but he will be very important for China's research. Someday, he'll be a daddy just like Gao Gao! Well, gonna go and watch my pandacams.
Love to Bai and baby girl, and may God give travelling mercies to Mei Sheng and the SDZ staff that will be going with him! Suzanne, let us know when you all are ready to put the names on the website so that we can get started on voting for them!
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
October 21st, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Thanks, Eva, #20 regarding Wolong panda cam.
Moderator, thanks for clarifying Bai Yun's age. I thought she was younger ;-), or perhaps I didn't want to see any of the pandas grow up and older…..
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:08 am
Great photo of Mei Sheng in the latest Rainy Day blog. I notice he has many shaved patches on him, so my guess is that you have been doing blood draws, etc. as part of his physical to be sure that you have baselines to measure when he gets to China.
Reminder to all who are mourning his absence already, Mei Lan is now almost 14 months old. In 4 more months, it will be her turn to be weaned from Lun Lun. As she is increasing her intake of bamboo, she will decrease her nursing. You can now see them in a nursing session once a day, usually mid-afternoon. Their keepers were surprised by an early morning session when they arrived one morning last week. As we watch Bright Star, we must look forward to the milestones she will pass, two of which seem to be passed (eyes and ears open). Next come walking, then going outdoors, etc. For any cub to mature and breed, they need to go through these very significant steps. The two most emotional for humans (anthropomorphizing) are weaning, and then moving to Wolong where there are actually pandas their age that they can breed with. We must remember in the US there are not yet any other cubs with whom they can breed. Tai and Su are the closest in age, but they are related, so are not candidates for breeding. For either of them to breed with a compatible mate, they have to go to China, or a mate would have to come here. Perhaps in the future that might happen when the current " loan" agreements are concluded, and new ones are negotiated. Since Bai Yun is likely raising her last cub, she will not be producing any more cubs in US or China. Hence, when her contract is up, she will likely to return to her home/birthplace at Wolong. It will be interesting to see if she notices the changes that have occured there while she has been at SDZ. When she left their were spartan cagetype enclosures, now there are open spaces with lots of trees and natural vegetation. Since she is a Chinese panda celebrity in her own right and also produced first male and female panda cubs in US, she will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect, as has Mr Shi Shi the elder, and Basi the grand matron of pandas " travelling to SDZ."
November 14th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
I would love to be around a panda in the rain to wach them go cracy. I would like to be around a panda any time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!