Moving On
Posted at 10:26 am February 21, 2007 by Suzanne HallThe weaning process is in its final stage at the Giant Panda Research Station. As of Saturday, February 17 at about 4:30 p.m., Su Lin and Bai Yun are each on their own. The gradual acclimation of Su Lin to time alone has proved to be a good strategy to manage this process. On the first full day of separation, Sunday, Su Lin barely noticed that she wasn't given access to her mother. Bai Yun, for her part, did well all day, eating and resting comfortably.
On Monday, however, Su Lin finally felt the impact of her independence and searched for her mother frequently. This was an entirely predictable response to the last step of the weaning protocol. Both of our previous cubs showed some initial anxiety once their independence became a full-time occupation. Weaning is always so much tougher on the cubs than their mothers. Fortunately, Tuesday was a better day for Su Lin, as she spent much less time looking for her mother and was less intense during her searches. We expect that within a few days more her behavior will have regained its usual mellowness.
We are pleased that Bai Yun's reaction to this change has remained mild. She was attentive to some of the calls she heard coming from Su Lin's area Monday, listening from high in her climbing structure. She remained calm, though, and continued to feast on her bamboo and rest quietly throughout the day.
We are tapping into all of our resources to ensure that we are abreast of how Su Lin transitions during this time. In addition to overnight monitoring, our observer corps is keeping a closer eye on the girls for the next several days. Overnight on Monday, our data indicated that both mom and cub (I should say subadult!) had a pretty quiet evening, with only 15 minutes of restless wandering from Su Lin.
Our keepers are helping Su Lin through these next few days with added enrichment items and a little extra TLC. Visitors to the San Diego Zoo may see them hosting a training session at the back of her exhibit, tossing in a new toy or extra food, or just lining her up for a good scratch behind the ears. Our young pandas have always appreciated this extra attention at this time in their lives, and it helps to cement their relationship with the keeper staff. This will pay dividends down the road, when the bears are trained for husbandry procedures like examinations, blood draws, or ultrasounds. It can also come in handy should we need to train the bears to perform a task for our research.
We look forward to seeing Su Lin blossom into the sweet young lady we know she will be. Her life from here on out will be different, but we are confident that Bai Yun has done another stellar job at readying a panda to take on the mantle of a secure, happy, and healthy subadult. That's quite a legacy!
Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.
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February 21st, 2007 at 10:39 am
You are full of so much information about pandas. Thank you for sharing with us 'pandaholics'. It does give me anxiety though when realizing that Su Lin is now separated from her mother. Will they ever be together again?
February 21st, 2007 at 10:57 am
Suzanne, thank you so much for the great info. I believe you have helped all of us ease the anxiety we all felt at the thought of our baby being weaned from her mom. All of you with your great insight have helped ease Su Lin in this phase of her life. To the keepers, you have gained the trust of these beautiful creatures and they know that this is what should be. Thank you to all who have made this possible. I am looking forward to the possibility of Su getting to meet her brother and Bai and big daddy getting together. This is going to be a great year.
February 21st, 2007 at 11:24 am
Thank you Suzanne, for explaining the last phase in the weaning process. As I don't view the panda cam over the weekend, I was unaware that total separation had occurred, BUT thought something was new when Su Lin was pacing and looking, and seeming agitated so much on Monday. I don't think it helped that it was raining and dreary at the zoo that day. And letting us (all the pandaholics who are stressing over the weaning process) know that the keepers are giving a little extra TLC to her. Maybe they have short memories, and the 'mom' memory will fade as time passes, but will always cause some thought/remembrance of something warm, loving and wonderul whenever she comes across Bai's scent. Can they hear each other?? Do you think that causes more 'stress' if Sue can hear her mom or smell her, perhaps? Sorry, I'm getting weepy about the separation again.
On another note, that little Atlanta girl is a real cutie and loves her tub, just like Tai did. I'm not seeing Tai's weaning process showing too much on him, although when he and mom are together lately, he is ALL OVER HER…perhaps that's because of their nightly separations.
February 21st, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I am currently watching Tai and he is running around like crazy. Is the NZ on the same weaning schedule as the SDZ? Is Tai searching for his mother the way Su was on Monday or is he just being playful? I usually don't see Tai so active. Also, I am so sad yet so proud of our little girl!!!
February 21st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Suzanne, thank you for explaining what is being done to ease Su Lin's separation from her mom. Having watched her in the birthing den as a little one on the panda cam and seeing her now, it seems like a miracle that she's at this stage so quickly. I sometimes think this is harder on those of us who are watching than it is on the pandas, since we would like to slow down everything until we're ready. I felt concerned about her searching and pacing, too, but reminded myself that she has to go through this transition phase in order to grow up.
If Su Lin were in the wild, Bai Yun might have just taken off one day and not returned, so this doesn't seem as harsh a separation as that would have been. I'd love to cuddle her and give her treats, so it's nice to know that the keepers are there and making sure she has plenty of those and extra TLC.
February 21st, 2007 at 1:03 pm
I wiped a few tears while reading this - but I'm fine, and I know Su Lin is too. I think it's sweet she's getting a little extra TLC - we all need that sometimes - especially when we move out on our own for the first time. In a few days she'll be calling boys, redecorating her new digs, throwing a little housewarming party and having a grand old time - just wait ; )
February 21st, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Awwwww…. so the door finally closed on sweet little Su Lin's cubhood. Where has the time gone??? (I sure hope my coworkers think I'm just catching a cold….) Thanks so much for these updates and for the care you give the pandas.
February 21st, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Thanks, Suzanne for helping us through this phase with your great detailed explanations of the process. Su Lin seems to be responding well to the extra TLC from the keepers. Kudos to the keeper who was out in full rain gear on Monday helping her through her anxiety. It seemed to do the trick because once she got a drink/treat, she returned to her bamboo much calmer and seems to be happy snoozing in her new climbing structure.
I noticed that the last images of Bai and Su together on Saturday, around 4:30 PM were in an indoor den. Is this the normal way you separate them? I was curious because I did not notice them being on camera in an indoor den in a long time. My guess is that you then sent them back into their separate enclosures as you wrote earlier that you did when you needed to clean and replenish the bamboo on their exhibits.
Will Bai be rotating with any of the other 3 bears prior to her breeding and hopefully eventual birth and raising of another cub? You have mentioned that the plan is to rotate the boys back in the exhibit Su Lin is in now once she is comfortable on her own. At the pace she has been adjusting, that seems it would be in the next couple of weeks. Where will she rotate off exhibit to? One of the back exhibits where the boys are now, or in Bai Yun's exhibit. It seems that Madame Bai Yun gets the most honored position where exhibits are concerned, primarily to keep her emotionally calm for breeding. Does that mean she will always have Exhibit 1 to herself unless she has a cub to raise?
Bai Yun seems to be happy whether Su Lin is with her or not. Has she gone looking for Su Lin at all since the separation on Saturday? Monday she seemed to be reacting, which I guess is what you were referring to as her being attentive to Su Lin's cries but did not seem to get overly bothered by them. However, I have seen her wander/pace several times over the past 4 days as if she was looking for something, which I thought might be Su Lin. Maybe she was just reacting to sounds she heard in Su Lin's enclosure or to the motions of a keeper?
February 21st, 2007 at 2:07 pm
It breaks my heart to hear that she was looking for her mother so much on Sunday. What happens if Su Lin because so aggitated she gets sick looking for Bai? Will you put them back together for awhile?
February 21st, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Kathy #3,
Bear in mind there are some everyday reasons you may see Bai Yun wandering about her exhibit. Particularly between noon and 1pm, or about 4pm, the bears are anticipating the arrival of their keepers, who refresh their food supplies. But since Bai Yun can hear Su Lin when she is most vocal, during Su Lin's most vigorous searching sessions her mother is likely to respond. For now, we are willing to let this happen, but we are watching closely to see if it gets to the point that Bai Yun is very unhappy. At that point, we may opt to move Su Lin to another area to further distance her from her mother.
Ann #4,
Although I am aware that NZP is weaning their cub at this time too, I have no information about their timetable.
Margaret #8,
It is likely that Bai Yun will remain where she is until she has undergone estrus. The exhibits are the best place to have a breeding introduction, should one be necessary, so there is no point to moving her out of the area now. The next " rotation" will occur when Su Lin is ready to leave that area and Gao Gao moves in next door to Bai Yun. What comes after breeding is still TBD… one thing on the table is to move Mei Sheng and Su Lin to the exhibits so they can enrich each other with social activity.
February 21st, 2007 at 3:42 pm
i'm so glad i saw su lin on saturday and witnessed her nursing for the last time. it makes me sad to know that the separation is now final, but i'm glad su lin is handling it well. hooray for the trainers who continue to nurture her in place of her mother!
February 21st, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Thank you, Suzanne for educating us on the process. I so appreciate all the love and care you give our much loved panda family. Are you planning to breed Bai Yun this year?
February 21st, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Suzanne, Thank you very much for your latest report. I was watching Su and Bai when I heard that it was their last day together. I was pleased to see Su Lin nurse and then play with her mother. I watched until the girls were separated, feeling very emotional the entire time. That evening and the next day, I stayed away from the cameras. But I am back now and wait with great anticipation to a new cub at the San Diego Zoo.
February 21st, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Dear Suzanne,
Thank you. I am sitting here completely choked up with what can only be separation anxiety. I didn't experience this emotion with my own children…good grief! Over the weekend I visited the panda cam many times and really thought I was just missing the time they were together. Tuesday afternoon I saw the wild tree climbing 'incident' and then watched Bai pacing. Now I know why. Thank you to all at the Zoo who have created such a wonderful experience. Oh how I wish I could be the gramma and scratch the heads and hug both Bai and Su. Beautiful Creatures! And, you all at the zoo are beautiful also!
For the lady who wondered about Tai Shan and his mom: This weekend, I think Monday, I saw Tai and Mom playing together. Actually Tai was attempting to play with mom. Mom ignored him for a bit and then sitting quietly bumped him had enough to make him lose his balance and he wandered off for a sulk. Since my children were boys, this made me giggle. Times, they are a changing. Bless you all.
Sincerely,
Bobbie Wood
February 21st, 2007 at 7:07 pm
February 21st, 2007 at 9:06 pm
It will be interesting to see how Su Lin reacts to her next " move" to one of the back exhibits. She had her mother with her the first time, so we will be able to see how far she has come in her independence when she adjusts on her own the next time.
It will also be interesting to see how Gao Gao and Bai Yun react to being next to each other after being farther apart scent and sound wise for several weeks. Also as Bai's hormones adjust now that she is no longer nursing a cub and comes into estrus I will be watching to see how Gao's behavior changes and his interest in another bear's presence comes into play.
Since he came from the wild, and therefore did not grow up around other bears, although as I have read he did have an adoring public from his movie days, he has a different background than Bai Yun and their cubs.
If I understood the most recent article I read correctly, he was originally found and brought into the captive environment when he was about Su Lin's age. The article said they think he had just recently been weaned by his mother when he was found. Does he ever react to the vocalizations made by Su Lin or Mei Sheng? It sounds like the exhibits are close enough that all 4 bears can not only smell each other, but also hear each other in adjacent spaces.
If Bai Yun gets upset by Su Lin's crying, would there be any point at which you might briefly reintroduce them in the next few days, or would the concern that Bai Yun might become aggressive be to strong to permit that? If she was concerned about Su Lin crying, it seems to me she would not become aggressive, although I am not sure how she could/would reassure Su Lin. Can Su Lin see Bai Yun from her enclosure? If so, would the sight of her mother help to soothe her, or does she have to be in her presence to feel reassured?
February 21st, 2007 at 9:25 pm
There must be subtle verbal and non-verbal clues that Bai Yun gives to the trained eye that are not apparent on the panda cam or to visitors to the zoo. That is why we appreciate you explaining the process to us so we can be better educated and see how we can help these wonderful animals.
You mentioned previously that ultimately Bai Yun would let you know when the right time came for the final separation. Other than food aggression , how did Bai Yun indicate that Saturday was the right time for the final separation? I am curious what kind of clues she gave you as you went through the process. Especially since Friday and Saturday she seemed more content than usual to have Su Lin nurse and play with her.
Saturday it appears they spent more time together than usual with positive physical contact between them. Was the amount of time they were together increased on that day by design or did it just happen? Would a mother in the wild nurse a cub right up to the day they sent them away? It seems strange to me that their instinct would be to nurse a cub and a couple of hours later send them off , never to see them again.
I notice that Tai Shan is also still nursing. When Mei Xiang has had enough she gets up and walks away, but still allows him to nurse and play with her again a couple of hours later. His play is getting rougher as he gets bigger, and even though he is constantly climbing all over his mother she ignores him and goes on eating. In contrast, I never noticed Bai Yun trying to " get away from" Su Lin when she wanted to play, although she would get up and walk away when she decided Su Lin had nursed long enough.
It is interesting to see the difference in temperment of both mother bears, and cubs, and also the experienced mother (Bai Yun) versus the first time mother (Mei Xiang).
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:28 am
Just saw Bai Yun(Feb 21, 11.15pm) climbing up the tree branch. She keeps looking up.
Is she still looking for Su Lin?
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:16 am
I think it's kinda neat that Su Lin's first day of this new life was on Chinese New Year. What a great time to leave the OLD and to start something NEW! like a venture out into the independent realm. It is especially timely since she is a Chinese citizen.
Thanks for keeping us so informed during the process and for " bear" ing with our varied emotions during this trying time for us humans.
And a prayer for Su Lin that she settles into this new life and flourishes. May she become " LOTS of something very cute!" AMEN.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:34 am
Are the 2/17/07 videos being archived for research purposes? If so, is there a way to save the parts with Bai Yun and Su Lin together? I have tried many times to save individual shots, but my fingers aren't fast enough to push the right buttons at the right time. I keep getting shots of empty exhibit.
Thanks.
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Thank you Suzanne again for your update, I am sure not only mom and cub are feeling the weaning but I am sure the keepers are also. I don't know if I am misunderstanding or not but will you be introducing Su Lin to her brother in the same exhibit??? And will that go ok? They are solitary animals and I just wondered will they just start playing together???
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Poor Bai has been pacing for well over an hour now, she is not sitting down to eat or rest. All this stress can't be good for her. It breaks my heart that her baby was taken away from her, obviously too soon for Bai and Su Lin.
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
What's up with Bai Yun today? It is 12 PM and she is pacing around in circles? She seems very agitated about something. You mentioned that at 1, 3, and 4 she would be looking for her keepers for more food, training, treats, social interaction, etc. But this is earlier than that. After about 15 minutes of circles, she seems to have disappeared from the camera, which I think means she has gone inside for a while. Is she reacting to Su Lin crying, or is she looking for Su Lin or the keepers?
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I thought that Bai Yun was going to be the one to decide when it was time for the final separation with Su Lin. From what we can see, this does not appear to be the case. It appears that the timetable is preordained and timed to get Bai ready to have another cub.
February 22nd, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Sadly I agree Pat, it seems it never came down to the bears at all in this case, Bai and Su Lin are clearly upset and if we can see this as zoo visitors and Panda Cam viewers, surely the keepers and zoo staff can see this also.
Clearly they do not want to be apart, maybe Bai is trying to tell them something like she is not ready for another cub, she still wants to be with this one, but sadly she doesn't seem to have a choice.
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:50 pm
I went on my monthly visit to SDZ on Feb. 10, spending most of the day from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. watching Bai Yun and Su Lin together. I went through the panda exhibit loop so many times that I lost count as usual
& talked with 3 narrators during the day. Several behaviors caught my attention. Bai Yun waded in the pool 4 times, a behavior that seems to indicate hormonal changes that lead to estrus. There was a lot of rough play-rougher than I had seen on previous visits-that seemed to be instigated by Su taking Bai's bamboo or otherwise disturbing Bai's feeding. The rough play included Bai pinning Su for a long time period or otherwise physically restraining her. Su was persistent and feisty, at one point even rearing up on her hind legs and looking as if she was saying " Put up your dukes, Mom!" Several times Bai Yun left Su on one side of the exhibit and went to the other side seemingly for some time alone. I've been lucky to see Su nurse during many of my monthly visits, and saw her nurse twice that day. In past visits Bai Yun had smiled & raised her head while Su nursed. That day was different. Bai was much less involved, at times even slumping as if snoozing. I shared my observances with the narrators and now with you. It was evident that Bai Yun was moving along the weaning process on her terms and that Su was not a baby anymore. Suzanne, your comments on the weaning process are most welcome. Thanks!
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I just wonder how much of our humanness is entering into the anxiety we are feeling as we observe the weaning process. We are witnessing some challenging moments, but are those moments contributing towards growing up, moving on, and preparing for the next phase–regardless of whether we are thinking about mom or daughter? I trust the SDZ and CRES professionals and while we have a pretty impressive view, they have the best view of all and the expertise to understand and facilitate this process.
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Hello Suzanne,
I have a question. Will the Zoo change the location camera names for the pandas? As of today, if we watch 1-6 it is to be Bai and Su. If we watch the 20-s sites, it is Gao Gao and Mei Sheng. Could you tell us the size of the sites? I am only able to check ocassionally at work and early prior to work. How close are these places? I've attempted to check out aerial photos of the zoo on Google. I cannot get close enough to determine the locations. I can see the San Diego skyline from 'c4' but i wonder where Su Lin is in comparison. In the early morning, I see c29 or c28. The 'boys', right? Help
Sincerely,
Bobbie Wood
Moderator's note: The keepers will provide an update on panda locations and cameras for us to post on Panda Cam sometime this afternoon.
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I am very disappointed with some of the postings that appear to be criticizing the San Diego Zoo's animal behavioral and husbandry practices regarding these bears. Please remember, although we may think the pandas are here in solely for our viewing enjoyment, SDZ has an education, research and breeding mission associated with the care of these animals. Priority one is to study and save the species and it is made even more difficult by the artificial environment that it has to be done in. Bai Yun is not able to follow her natural instincts in a zoo environment. She cannot just wander off for days, out of sight and sound of her cub, getting him/her accustom to her absence and their own independence. The restricted enclosure has created an artificial closeness for the animals – they cannot get away from one another as they would naturally in the wild and so we have a responsibility to help these bears in the separation process. It will always be more difficult in a zoo, but we are fortunate to have the opportunity to witness it first hand, even if it does make some of us uncomfortable. If anyone thinks for one moment that the SDZ staff has anything other than the best interest of these animals as their highest priority, please step back and take a reality check.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:18 pm
I also feel bad for Su and Tai, but I can also sympathize with the zoos. They are under a lot of financial pressure because it is expensive for them to get pandas on loan from China. It is actually the United States that requires each zoo to give China $1 million per year ($10 million each for the 10-year loan) for the protection of pandas and their remaining habitat. The US also requires that the zoos conduct panda research. It was thought this is the only way to keep China from exploiting pandas and have some good come out of panda loans to US zoos. We all know how excited we are about the birth of a panda cub and how important it is for the continuation of the species. Female pandas ovulate only once per year. If they miss the window this year, that is another opportunity for a new panda life that is lost. I don't doubt that the zoo staff who work with the pandas every day love them as much as and probably more than we do. Let's support them.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I am puzzled. Can Mei Sheng and/or GaoGao (whichever is in the exhibit closest to Su Lin) hear her when she anxiously cries for her mother? If so, do they react like Bai Yun does? The camera views of Mei Sheng this morning showed him calmly eating, then he disappeared for a long time. Did he climb 40 feet up his favorite new tree to view his admirers? About an hour later he reappeared, inspected his food supply, and ate for a while before the camera was switched back to Bai Yun. If it will take 50 days for Bai Yun to come into estrus, how long will it be before she starts paying attention to GaoGao's scent and presence?
If Bai Yun was not pacing around her exhibit most of the morning because of Su Lin, what was causing her to walk around in circles for several hours? She kept pacing around the left side and back walls as if she was looking for something, or heard something. This is the first time I have observed her exhibiting this behavior for such a long period of time. It went on for a couple of hours, and did not appear to be related to her waiting for a keeper with food, although I noticed she finally stopped pacing, and sat most of the afternoon eating bamboo or napped on her rock " cave."
Was Su Lin quiet and calm the whole time, or did Bai Yun finally calm down because Su Lin stopped crying for her mother or was moved further away to another exhibit space? Other than at 6 AM this morning there appear to have been no camera shots of Su Lin all day, which is very unusual.
If a mother nurses a cub for a length of time that would delay their hormone rebound beyond their normal estrus month, in this case March-April, but stops nursing at a point that would cause the rebound to occur maybe 30-60 days after their normal estrus month, will a delayed estrus occur? I think this is part of the research NZ is doing on Mei Xiang to see how the natural weaning process affects the hormone cycle and subsequent estrus of a first time mother.
I have read that Hua Mei had a late estrus for her second pregnancy due to the late birth and subsequent weaning of her first cubs. In 2005 she had one of the latest birthing of cubs for the year. It is interesting to see the differences in hormone cycles in the US bears. YaYa had a very early estrus in January and they hope delivers a cub in May, whereas LunLun had a late March estrus and delivered her cub in September. Bai Yun and Mei Xiang appear to fall somewhere in the middle of the other two since Mei Xiang delivered in July and Bai Yun delivered her cubs in August.
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:55 pm
The San Diego Zoo's panda team has handled two previous mother-cub separations before, so I have full confidence that they know what they are doing. If they leave it to the two bears, it could turn ugly - fighting over 'boo - maybe even a fight?
I agree with Cathy G. (LA) #5 who said " I sometimes think this is harder on those of us who are watching than it is on the pandas, since we would like to slow down everything until we're ready. I felt concerned about her searching and pacing, too, but reminded myself that she has to go through this transition phase in order to grow up."
Lori #25 said " maybe Bai is trying to tell them something like she is not ready for another cub, she still wants to be with this one, but sadly she doesn't seem to have a choice.'
Yes, maybe, but who are we to second-guess Mama Bai Yun?
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 pm
P.S. The Chinese separate panda mothers and cubs when the cubs are 6 months old.
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:26 am
Dear Suzanne, thank you so much for keeping us informed about the final weaning process, which I have been eagerly waiting for. Although knowing that it had to happen at some stage I was still a bit sad imagining the two bears being apart from now on and not meeting each other any more. However, I feel one should still keep in mind that - as much as we all tend to think in " human" terms, which is understandable - these adorable panda bears are still animals and not human beings. Having been watching how much TLC is being extended to all the panda bears by their keepers and other staff at the SDZ I am very sure that all of you have gained sufficient experience to know what is best for the pandas and their wellbeing and also, in this particular case, are fully aware when it is time to separate mother and cub. Thank you for taking such good care of these adorable creatures and helping them to survive. Well done!
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:40 am
It is a zoo ladies, it is as expected.
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:05 am
I think we all need to remember that the keepers know best and are with the pandas a lot longer than we can watch the cam for a few hours a day.i was at the zoo at chritmas and the speaker at the panda enclosure said that they vary the pandas eating times so that they do not get too used to food at a particular time,Bai Yun was pacing at 11:30am that day ,she wasn't looking for Su Lin as she was right behind her! I think the way the pandas are gradually weened is much better than if it was in the wild,at least both bears had a few hours together before the final closing of doors.The keepers have done this before so I think we can say they are pro's at this weening game,what would be worse Su lin seperated at 19-20 months or at 6 months as in China? Great work all panda staff!
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
To my fellow pandaholics, all this difference of opinion shows how different we are, just think what it would be like if we all agreed, Boring. To all, please trust the staff, the keepers, and the specialist who have studied and worked with these marvelous bears. they have the knowledge and the intuition to what is best for them and most of all trust Bai to know what to do at this time in her life. thanks to all who have given me so much pleasure and for all that I have learned. Su will be all right and when she sees her brother the circle will be complete. Just have faith.
March 1st, 2007 at 10:41 am
Ann #4
Tai Shan was finally separated from Mei Xiang on Feb. 22;
so now the NZP is letting Tain Tain send some time with Mei Xiang.