What’s in a (Panda) Name?
Posted at 3:51 pm October 11, 2007 by Panda Research Team
There’s been a lot of thought, a lot of creativity, and a lot of fun in the names that have been suggested for our two-month-old female giant panda cub and we’re only half way through the suggestion period! Diego was one of more than 1,000 names suggested from Friday through Monday for our female panda cub. Unfortunately, not only do we consider this name masculine, but it’s also already taken by an ocelot that calls the San Diego Zoo home. Also, remember,that the name will need to be in Chinese! But we thank you for all those names and will continue to accept name suggestions through October 14.
We’ve received many wonderful names and it’ll be difficult to narrow it down, but we do have certain criteria that must be met. So I thought I would share some of those names that don’t fit the criteria but made us smile or take a second look.
Pan-Diego – Panda born in San Diego
Zoo Zoo – Panda born at the Zoo
San-dee-Z –Named after the San Diego Zoo
Chanda – A play on the words China and Panda
Faith and Hope – for the future of this critically endangered species
Grandma – The nominator asked us to translate this word to Chinese hoping that it would bring the cub luck to “live long enough to be a grandmother”
Bam Boo – It’s what they eat
Sav Pan – Save the Panda
A family from Escondido made the trip to the Zoo this past weekend, making a ceremony of delivering a very thought-out suggestion. Zú Qiú means soccer. Why soccer? This is what they wrote:
1. Pandas and soccer balls share the same distinctive color scheme! (Very true.)
2. China hosts the Women’s World Cup Soccer Tournament this year, the year of the cub’s birth. (Fact.)
3. Soccer is the international sport of choice, and will be an athletic centerpiece of the upcoming Chinese Olympic Games. (To be held in Beijing in 2008.)
4. Zú Qiú is phonetically the same as “Zoo Queue” which is what this gorgeous animal creates every time she’s available to the public! (Indeed.)
Remember, you have through Sunday, October 14 to stop by the San Diego Zoo and suggest a name. There are many more names for us to read through so stay tuned. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to post the finalists. Remember the names must be in Chinese (pinyin), have an English translation, be symbolic in meaning, and delivered in person to the Zoo for your vote.
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October 11th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
I am a Chinese so I understand the word “Zú Qiú “, please do not use it, it will make us laugh, it really sounds funny and meaningless for naming a treasured Panda girl a soccer ball. If you visit WWF’s panda site to check out all those Chinese names for those extremely beautiful pandas, then you know how good, how beautiful, how cute and how meaningful those names are! There are cute names and fun names but nothing funny at all like “Zú Qiú”! My god, so sorry, but ” Zú” means “foot”, and “Qiú” means “ball”, our precious little panda girl is a soccer ball for kicking around???
October 11th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Love the fringe suggestions! I bet Bright Star will win hands down though - if these board posters have anything to say about it! The little one certainly looks like a soccer ball, though!!
Paula
October 11th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
watching pan cam, bai has take out delivery service of bamboo. hope the cubby doesn’t get poked in an eye, wouldn’t want her to have a black eye now, would we.
lovin the babe,
joan
painted post, n.y.
October 11th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Thank you so much for adjusting the pandacam lens today so that I can see miss cutie clearer. I can not be over at the zoo to submit names, sorry baby girl, I am at the east coast (NYC). I have being calling her little princess, I would have submit that.
October 11th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Lol we sure have some creative people out there! I like Chanda and grama( though i can’t imagine calling this litte cutie a gramma just yet). Thank you san diego for letting the public chose the name! Even though i can’t personaly go i can’t wait intill the poll!( I will be telling all of my friends to vote hee hee) Hi Su lin and Gao Gao between mama and baby plus mei leaving you haven’t got much attention we still love you!
With lots of huggles to Bai yun and the ning xing
Midwest panda lover
October 11th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
I love hearing about the creativity of people thinking up a name for our precious baby. And, it is really neat to see the reasons. You could market them as a book with cute comical drawings. All the profits could go to Panda Research or to help pay for more US Zoos to have pandas on loan from China. Either way, I’d buy one! (a book, not a panda) — Joy
PS I’d be tempted to buy a panda, but I don’t think that would be ethical, plus I live in a condo without any yard. However, I do have an indoor bamboo plant that is now 5 feet tall. That might be good for a mini-appetizer.
October 12th, 2007 at 5:45 am
As you imagined, naming the cub has garnered much support and thought. You definitely have your work cut out for you.
October 12th, 2007 at 6:53 am
How about Xiao Mei? Little Beauty for our little girl here!
October 12th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Talk about cute cubs being pillows for “Mom,” Lun Lun just used nursing Mei Lan for a pillow. They looked very cute, a Panda ball, with Mei nursing by Lun’s back legs and Lun bent over Mei resting her head on Mei Lan’s shoulder. Very patient mother. Mei Lan is nursing early today. They love their hammock for nursing as they can both be relaxed and comfortable. I thought NZP or SDZ got funds for a Panda hammock in their Christmas Giving list last year, but I haven’t seen one appear at either zoo yet. It is amazing how fast these cubs grow from stick of butter to 70+ pound animals. When I watch cubbette nursing with Bai Yun, and then look at Mei Lan nursing from Lun Lun, what a huge difference 11 months make.
October 12th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Maybe she’s getting acclimated to the exams, but I love the chin-scratching technique used during the latest one, she was much calmer this time. Also too cute was the goodbye wave to all her fans as she left the room to go back to Mom.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:10 am
I love the way Ming Xing waves goodbye at the end of her exams. I hope she keeps it up.
Had to smile at some of the names that have been submitted. There are some very imaginative people out there.
I’ve just sent myself an e postcard of Mei Sheng. The camera zoomed in on him and gave a great pic. Don’t know how many more I’ll be getting.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Hi - I think that “Splendid Beauty” would be a wonderul name. I don’t know the literal translation (it just might be JingCai Mei) but written in Chinese it is 精采秀丽 . This comes from the August flower, Gladiolus. It’s perfect because she was born on August 3rd! I wish I could visit the zoo and submit it. I think the panda keepers would like this one…anyone else like this?
Have a great day everyone!
Lilli
October 12th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Lilli #12
That is a perfect name, but I live far away too so anyone going t othe zoo can you wright that name down and submit it!!
October 12th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
We are all looking forward to being able to vote on a name for cutey. I really do hope, though, that we don’t use Mei. There are enough Meis already, in the U.S. And looking through these posts, there are many lovely names for her cuteness, without using Mei again.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
She also waved to her public at the end of an earlier exam, but it was before she could actually see her public. Now it’s as if she’s saying, “See you all next week, folks…”
She could, indeed, be a little princess. Get that sash and tiara ready!
October 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Hi …… I have the perfect name for this sweet little baby girl.
Huan-yue which means in English: Happiness/joyful
I’m sure she brings much of this to the staff at the San Diego Zoo.
I know she brings Happiness to me when I see he change each day.
Can’t make it to the Zoo but I had to let you know about
this name.
Thanks for looking!!
October 12th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
The latest “sqweekly” exam video is just too cute. “Mr. DeMille, Bright Star is ready for her close-up”. I can’t wait for her ears to pop up - that’s the next cute factor milestone.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I would love to name the newbaby panda
dainty Orchid (Jiao Lan) because of all your lovly orchid gardens in
san
diego
zoo. I just wish I could come to name her in person. Thank you!!!
October 12th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
There have some fun names submitted - can’t wait for the official lost of names & voting to start. I agree that that we have too many Mei’s. But speaking of Mei’s watched Mei Xiang & Tian (NZ)having another rough & tumble play bout this afternoon - Tian would pounce & Mei would roll down the hill - this went on & on until she had enough & gave him a good swat. But I checked in later to see them both side by side peacefully eating bamboo
I also felt better about MeiSheng returning to his homeland when I read in our local paper that the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids is getting 2 one year old female lion cubs born at the SD Wild Life Animal Park. These rare cubs are being sent to a relatively small zoo where they will have the opportunity to breed with a 2 year old male with a different blood line. I’m sure the feelings are the same for the Wild Life Park lion keepers losing their cubs are the same as the SDZ losing MeiSheng. We must remember it’s for the good of the endangered species
Moderator’s note: You can read about blog about our lions, Bon Voyage, Lion Girls at http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/bon-voyage-bakari-abena/
October 12th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Those Panda’s are so fun to watch! Thanks San Diego Zoo for providing us with the cams and videos. I love all animals and this is delightful entertainment for me and all the others I have shared this site with. Until the last baby Panda was shown on TV, I had no idea this fun was available to everyone. I am in Heaven! I should of worked in a zoo.
October 12th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Since there’s no way I can go to the zoo in person maybe a local blogger can submit these namesfor me.
Yin Die- Silver Butterfly
Li-Hua- Pearl Blossom
I just saw the new cub exam. She is so much quieter this time. It appears that rubbing her chin does work.
October 12th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
#12 Lilli
“Splendid Beauty” can be translated to “Zhi Mei” (至美, most beautiful or superior beauty) in Chinese while the baby’s big sister is named Hua Mei (華美, magnificent beauty).
For Chinese, parents tend to name their boys and girls with a name order system (字排). In this case, our new baby is just named after her big sister, Hua Mei, with the co-character of “Mei”.
I would also like to name our baby with these names: Bo Bo (波波, means ball ball because she is so round; or Ming Zhu (明珠, bright pearl). We love to use a proverb “a (bright) pearl on a palm” to describe how precious and adorable a daughter is meaning to her parents. I am sure our baby will be a pearl on our palms.
October 13th, 2007 at 4:23 am
I know some nice names for th new baby panda
1. Hsing-Ling “Shining Little Girl”
2. Mei-Yun “Beautiful Cloud”
3. Bai Sheng “White Bear”
4. Lan Le “Beauty of the Sea”
I hope you like them
~Jenna Costa Deedy~
Nashua, NH
October 13th, 2007 at 5:10 am
I love the name Xiao Li…..Little beauty. (shao Lee)
October 13th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Oh my GOSH…..I love ALL those suggestions. Whichever is chosen, our precious baby will be the center of our attention (screens) for years to come. I too was thinking we have used the name “Mei” enough, but those last two suggestions changed my mind… “Zhi Mei” and “Mei Yun” are beautiful. Wish you all were around with suggestions when I named MY babies!!
October 13th, 2007 at 9:52 am
#22 Y.H. Ng
I love Bo Bo!! Not only is it a cute name, but it is so appropriate.
October 13th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I had the pleasure of seeing Bright Star using Bai Yun as her pillow earlier today. Bai Yun was sprawled out, had her paw covering her eyes and there was Bright Star- snoozing away on top of Mom’s back. It was definitely an “Awwwww” moment. All the names sound marvelous! My vote will be for the Chinese translation of Bright Star if it shows up as a possibility.
October 13th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I like the names:
Zhu Yi- Little Dawn
Dao Ming- Shining Path
October 13th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Be sure to listen to the Suzanne’s latest izoofari pod cast. She explains that they were unsure why Bai decided to move Bright Star out of the den & to spend so much time under the stars. After a thorough cleaning & removal of all nesting material Bright Star was placed back in the den. Bai made another nest & seems content with the cub being there now- though Bai spends many hours by herself now which is normal for a dam.
Suzanne also explained the voting process & is inclined to vote for many bloggers name of Bright Star for our cubette
October 14th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
In search of Wolong pandacam, I found China Virtual Museums and learned more about pandas.
Beside being the cutest, they are also “brave and peaceful”.
What a wonderful, beautiful animal ! So “Long live the pandas”. Name baby girl “longevity”.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Jenna #23 - I really love Bai Sheng “white bear!” Is the name for “white/black fluffy angel bear” too long? Seriously, you guys rock at coming up with these names…AC#30, I also thought “peace” would be a nice touch, and “longevity” is great…
Translate: precious panda!
5 weeks and I’ll be at the Zoo! Yea! Can the moderators speak as to whether the little one will be out for public viewing Thanksgiving Week? (I’m thinking no, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!)
Paula
October 15th, 2007 at 4:52 am
I still am hoping for Ming Xing ( Bright Star). When do we start voting?
Moderator’s note: We’ll post a notice on the Panda Cam page when the online poll is ready.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Maureen #29, Maybe Bai kept the cub out under the stars to give us a clue, Name her Bright Star.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:57 am
I’m not sure of the translation, but “Star Gazer” or something similar would be a nice name, after all the blogs about spending her nights under the stars with her mom.
October 15th, 2007 at 7:16 am
I also listened to Suzanne’s izoofari pod cast and was thrilled to hear that Bright Star had been submitted! Phew! Thank you, to who ever took that one in to the zoo! Now, we just need to gather the votes!
October 15th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Thanks for the great close-ups of Bai Yun! She looks so peaceful when she is resting on her own. She was snoozing with little one early this morning in the den, but seems to have opted for more spread out nap in her Sun Room.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I am looking forward to our little girl having a “real” name, I had voted on cubs in AZ and NZ but mine were not chosen, it turns out that Mei Lan and Tai Shan have the perfect names so I am sure we will all be happy with whatever is chosen! As a side observation, I would like to say that I have called the cub ‘butterball’ and was not offended by any of the names/comments about “her pudginess”, these are all terms of endearment! We are glad she is plump & healthy! I remember when Tai Shan was called a “little monster” in one of the keeper blogs when he was just a youngster, it caused such an uproar…but this was also done as a “term of endearment”! Best of luck in the name department, and we so appreciate all the updates, thanks SDZ!
October 15th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I think it would be a good idea for each of us to send him a goodbye postcard picturing our hometowns. That way he will have a souvenir from each of us to take with him on his trip. Here is the address:
Mei Sheng
Panda Research Station
San Diego Zoo
P.O. Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112-0551
October 15th, 2007 at 10:47 am
I was a proud voter yesterday! I also said my sad goodbyes to Mei Sheng. Even though I am only about 15 minutes from the zoo, I don’t think I’ll be able to visit again prior to his departure. Mei Sheng was enjoying a nice snooze. He is such a handsome panda and I’ll miss him. Thanks to the education we have received about Wolong’s facility and ongoing improvements, I feel good about Mei Sheng’s new home. I have photos of Mei Sheng (taken with my own camera over these past years) and he’s on my screensaver, my desktop, and on my office wall. He will always make me smile and I am fortunate to have watched him grow and mature.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:38 am
KAren#38, a great idea! It will help cheer the keeper staff up when he leaves as well.
Diana, #39, I am glad you got to say Goodbye. I thought he might leave over the weekend, but I guess the “slight delay” might be happening now. There are 31 days in “October,” and we are only on Oct 15, so there are potentially 16 days left to enjoy “our precious Panda boy” until the window of “Mei Sheng is scheduled to depart in October” is complete.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
No Panda look a like. Since how cub #4 her eyes look very soft and gentle, oval shape just like her sister Sulin, the black patch around her eyes look almost exactly like her older half sister Hua-Mei and her whole facial very round like her big brother Mei Sheng. I would name her: Hua Sheng Lin
October 15th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I love watching panda cam I check it every day and Ive also checked the panda cam at atlanta zoo and some videos by LCnessie that were mentioned in some blogs and i was wondering why i havent seen su lin or mei sheng as playful as Ive seen mei lan, could it be because of their personalities or because they dont get much camara time, id love to know because its really fun to watch the pandas play
October 15th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
I know it can’t be submitted, but what would the English translation of Hua Sheng Lin be? Just curious…
By the way, I just watched Mei Sheng on the Panda Cam, peacefully chomping his daily ‘boo.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I read this today
In October a four-year old male giant panda named Mei Sheng, whose sister is less than one hundred days, will settle down in his ancestral home, Wolong in Sichuan Province to seek a mate, according to Chinanews.
Mei Sheng was born at the San Diego Zoo on August 19, 2003. He is the first panda born through natural mating in the US. Meisheng was jointly named by the San Diego Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. His Chinese name holds a double meaning that aptly suits him: “born in the US” and “happy life”.
His birth indicates that the international cooperative study of pandas has stepped into a new dimension introduced by Susan Hall, a researcher from the San Diego Zoo. Mei Sheng has thrived during his four years in America. He is a celebrity and enjoys care from the local people, who treat him as a friend and family member.
Panda offspring born in the US from pandas on loan from China must be given to China when they reach maturity, according to the panda cooperation agreement jointly signed by China and the US. Because he symbolizes Sino-US cooperation, and acts as a friendly envoy between Chinese and Americans, Mei Sheng has indeed attracted much attention. American experts will escort Mei Sheng from the San Diego Zoo to China and Chinese experts from the China Panda Research and Conservation Center will go to the US to lend a welcoming hand as well. All relevant procedures regarding the panda’s return have almost been completed. A special segregation Quarantine field has been set up and a nursing staff has also been arranged.
China has carefully planned Mei Sheng’s return and made many elaborate preparations to welcome him. The China Panda Research and Conservation Center have organized Mei Sheng’s debut in China, including an enthusiastic and grand welcoming ceremony as part of his homecoming.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Cindy #43
if you are trying to translate the names of the other pandas born in SDZ then
Hua = china
Sheng = born (or life)
Lin is part of Su Lin which means a little bit of something cute, but doesn’t directly translate into one of those words, as far as I know.
Maureen #44
That sounds so nice in that they are getting ready to give him a big reception but so sad for us fans.
October 15th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Maureen, #44, thanks for including that update. I read another blogger’s comment today, that next week is Mei Sheng’s departure, and that by this time this week he will be in China. I wondered where he got that information, but he must have read something similar to what you posted, or maybe heard it at the research station when he visited yesterday.
I knew the Chinese would treat Mei Sheng special, and would have a grand welcoming ceremony just as they did for Hua Mei. He is the first male to go to China, and thanks to daddy GaoGao, he is the first panda cub born in the USA from a natural mating. So far only GaoGao has pulled that off in US.
I was very happy to read your last paragraph, “China has carefully planned Mei Sheng’s return and made many elaborate preparations to welcome him. The China Panda Research and Conservation Center have organized Mei Sheng’s debut in China, including an enthusiastic and grand welcoming ceremony as part of his homecoming.”
It makes me smile and cry at the same time. I look forward to seeing many photos on this website and in the world press about this very special occasion when he arrives in China, and at Wolong. After all, they have special red carpet on which to receive these most precious Panda cubs when the go “to Giant Panda Ancestral Home.”
GOD bless your journey, Mei Sheng. We look forward to seeing you, and hearing about you and your cubs to come. Thanks to your great genetic importance, you will be spared the fate of Xiang Xiang. However, may the spirit of his attempted release to the wild to conserve your fellow pandas fill the air to help you become as prolific and great breeder as your father GaoGao, and your incredible mother Bai Yun.
Mei Sheng has always loved the crowd of admirers at SDZ, so I am sure he will thrive with the “grand welcoming ceremony as part of his homecoming,” provided he is not exhausted from his long journey. He will have his familiar old American panda caretakers, and new Chinese friends, with him on his journey, so he will have a grand time eating and sleeping, and being generally pampered. All the training he has gone through in recent months will pay off handsomely. Kudos to everyone who made his birth, life, and return to ancestral homeland possible and a resounding success. He will make all of us very proud, now and for many generations to come.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Hello panda lovers. I thought I’d pass this on. I was on youtube the other day and saw a clip titled “Tai Shan getting his meds”. According to the poster, our other panda prince had an upset stomach and the clip shows him getting his medication - very interesting way to get him to take the medicine. I don’t know how the poster knew what Tai’s problem really was. Have any of you heard anything about it? Anyway, Tai being Tai, he gobbled up the medication like it was one of his fruitsicles. Watch the clip on youtube and just do a search on Panda Tai, then arrange it by Date Added. It’s very close to the beginning of the listings.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Maureen #19 - I’m glad you saw the play bout with Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on Friday. I was at the zoo Thursday thru Saturday and was lucky enough to capture it on video. Earlier in the morning, Tai Shan was very playful too. It was perfect weather for the NZ pandas and they were enjoying it to the pleasure of all of us there and watching on the cams.
Did I miss something while I was gone? I saw a reference that Mei Sheng would be gone within a week? I had not heard a definate date. I’m glad to know that Wolong has plans for him to arrive in the manner he deserves. As someone said, it would be wonderful for it to be documented so all of us pandaholics can rest assured he’s being treated as the star he is.
I’ve been gone for a week and My-oh-My has our new baby grown!!! I’m glad my favorite name has been submitted but all the names are very cute. I even like the “terms of endearment” names. I know I for one will send the link to all my friends (pandaholics or not) suggesting they vote.
Moderator’s note: For the safety of all animals under our care, as well as those staff members who are involved in their move, we do not provide such detailed information about any of our animal moves. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes, but please understand that we wish only to ensure a safe journey for Mei Sheng, as you do.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
#43 Cindy… Hua Sheng Lin sounds like “peanut forest” in Chinese.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
I would love for Baby Girl to be named Li Ming which means “pretty and bright” or Ming Li since the name is pretty either way. Too bad I live all the way across the country in Pennsylvania and couldn’t submit my name choice at the Zoo.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
We certainly understand why exact details would not be made public. Just to clairfy, I hope that the trip will be videoed and made into a DVD or something like “Meet the Panda’s” when the NZ pandas came to us. Keep up the great work and we appreciate all the info we receive and hope all involved have a safe trip. We’ll be here waiting to hear of the safe arrival of everyone.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Okay people,
I really do like reading the blog submissions, to be honest mostly because I like to understand how and what people think. However! Animals are far more pragmatic than humans. Mei Sheng is an animal, he will no doubt not have any problems taking the journey and new abode in his stride. Absolutely, these animals are rare…..and I too am concerned about the way the female pandas are used as cub factories, witness Hua Mei. Reproduction is metabolically and physiologically expensive! But Mei Sheng’s departure for China is not really going to matter to him one way or the other, apart from a few unsettled days. This was the agreement made in advance with the Chinese. Mei Sheng is not going to care one way or another. Get a grip folks!
October 15th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
#37 the little princess is so cute, she does look like a “butterball”.
#38 good idea, I will buy a postcard and send it to prince Sheng ASAP tomorrow, lovely handsome child.
#47 about prince Tai is sick, I couldn’t find this news on the web. Where ? I love him dearly.
Hugs & kisses to all pandas.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
# 48 Dawn - how I envy you seeing my favorite panda (Tai)- the terror) live & like you hope there is a video of Mei Sheng’s arrival in his homeland
More info regarding Mei Sheng - according the to article I read (while dates cannot be revealed for security reasons), it seemed like his fans might have a few more days to say good-bye & wish him well on his journey home.
October 15th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Goodbye, our dear Mei Sheng! You have brought such joy to me. I wish you a safe journey, a happy welcome to the ancient panda lands, a true panda love, panda children, panda fun, bamboo and all other panda blessings. You truly are a special creation of God.
October 16th, 2007 at 12:24 am
#47, I was the one who posted the video on youtube. I was above the chute, and there’s a man asking Nicole (Tai’s trainer) if Tai’s sick. Nicole said he’s having a bit of upset stomach, probably because of the change of season. Wasn’t he a good boy though, finishing up all his meds? It just amazed me how long a panda tongue is! I think Tai’s ok because he’s pretty active when I visited him over the weekend.
As for Mei Sheng, there’s a brief news regarding his departure on a Hong Kong’s website. It says he’s scheduled to leave in late October. No exact date is given.
Although I am a super panda fan, I have to admit, I didn’t watch SDZ’s panda cam until Bai Yun’s about to give birth to this little cubbie (I just watched NZ and ZA’s pandas). But since her birth, I am hooked! This little cubbie is so cute and chubby. I love her chubby butt that looks like a perfect square. =) I really hope Ming Xing will be her name because I personally think it fits her perfectly.
Mei Sheng: Although I don’t know much about you, I still hope you have a safe journey home. Maybe when I go visit Sichuan in the future, I’ll be able to see you. God bless you!
Panda keepers: Thank you very much for taking such good care of the pandas.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:00 am
Maureen, thanks for reminding me to read the article, I haven’t checked that paper in a long time. I can see why they don’t want to say the exact date. I am so glad that the Chinese have a huge celebration planned for Mei Sheng but the the poor thing probably will be so tired after the long trip I just hope he doesn’t get to overwhelmed with all the attention. On a lighter note I watch the T.V. show the Bachelor and got a funny thought of Mei Sheng being the bachelor and all the lady pandas waiting to meet him. He’s always on my mind,that funny beautiful boy
October 16th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Modertor, #48, please be assured that we all know that you can not, and therefore will not, release the exact date, and time of Mei Sheng’s move. We understand that we will find out by his absence after he is gone. We definitely want the very best for him, and a safe journey with as little stress as possible is part of that. We wish the US and Chinese staff who will be traveling with him Bon Voyage as well. They also need as little stress as possible so they can attend to the “prince’s” every need physical and emotional.
You have orchestrated everything you possibly could for the best outcome, and will continue to do so. Once the final preparations and approvals are in place, it is time for his “big trip.” It will be a once in a lifetime enrichment opportunity for him. He thrives on new challenges, so he will do great.
We will get to see his beautiful sisters, “Princess” Su Lin, and cubbette, and will feast our eyes and hearts on their daily activities and milestones.
Has Su Lin shown any interest in any different activity that might be going on “next door?”
October 16th, 2007 at 9:11 am
How incredible…just saw Su Lin and Mei Sheng at the howdy gate, both of them interested in each other and acting submissive (9 a.m Tue). Have they done this before?
October 16th, 2007 at 10:44 am
WOW I’ll have to look for that on the time lapse.
I have noticed that Mei Sheng has been on the cam a lot today. Basically he’s been the only panda I’ve seen since 6am SDZ time, lunchtime UK.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:58 am
#59 Rita, wouldn’t it be great if there was sound and we could hear what they’re “saying” to each other? A lot of us pandaholics are guilty of anthropormorphism, and we’re all thinking they’re saying goodbye. Likely a few of us shed a tear watching the two of them at the gate.
Sorry, #52, we find it hard to get a grip when the pandas have a grip on us!.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Suzanne- thanks for the podcast and the update of our precious little boy. Also, I am grateful that you will be considering some of our ideas for the cub’s new name. I also like the popular “bright star” which translates to Ming Xing in Chinese. The first word “ming” means bright , but it also means powerful. “Xing” means star. In China and Hong Kong, we sometimes refer to celebrities as “ming xing”
October 16th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Rita, #59, thanks for sharing that. Sorry I missed it. Great close up of resting Mei Sheng. He looks so peaceful. Maybe he is resting up for his big trip like his mother did before her newest cub’s arrival?!
Eva, #56, isn’t it an incredible feeling getting so close to these magnificent animals? I took some shots of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian just above them in the chute, about 10-15 feet away. They are awesome. Tai Shan was about 20 feet away, but he loves to get within about 5 feet of his fans on the other side of the class partition. I love the close-up shots the Meerkats are able to get of all the SDZ panda family as it helps to learn how to distinquish each of them from the others.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Thank-you so much for having lots of pandacam time for Mei Sheng lately. Not all of the pandaholics live close enough to visit SDZ in person, and I think I can say we are grateful to be able to see Mr. Sheng as much as we can these last days before his trip. Sniff sniff, we will miss this magnificent bear and wish him well in his next chapter of life.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:46 am
It appeared yesterday, and this morning that the sky is overcast at the SDZ. If so, maybe Mei Sheng and Su Lin will get another Rainy Day treetop escapade in before he goes. Who knows maybe that is what they were discussing at the Howdy Gate. In the time-lapse video they both seem to be submissive, which is interesting since Suzanne said weeks ago that they were not paying much attention to each other most of the time. It is useful to Mei Sheng to have these opportunities to be exposed to another adolescent panda since he should have many such encounters, and maybe even in the same enclosure. He will be better prepared for this scenario when he gets out of quarantine at Wolong in about a month. Hua Mei was in quarantine for a month before her grand debut to the public, so I guess they will follow the same protocol with Mei Sheng. The article mentioned above (#44 Maureen) seems to indicate that is the plan for him at Wolong. He will be plenty rested and diet adjusted by then, and will be ready to see his adoring fans again.
October 16th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
#59 Rita,
Yes indeed, Su lin and Mei Sheng have visited at the howdy gate many times. I happened to catch an encounter about two weeks ago that completely (well, maybe not entirely but almost) changed the way I feel about Mei Sheng’s departure. He was more interested than she was, as has usually been the case. He tried just about everything to impress her. I was only able to watch for about ten minutes but in that short amount of time he showed off numerous tricks including somersaults. When she would move away, even slightly, he would press his paws and face to the mesh and apparently coax her to come back again. It made me realize how much he will enjoy the opportunity to have some real panda companionship.
October 16th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Okay. I am guilty. I should have been working, but found myself glued to the pandacam this morning. Finally, I witnessed brother and sister at the howdy gate. Mei Sheng was so sociable and wanted to interact so badly. Hopefully his demeanor and playful attitude towards other adolescents will prove to be positive traits when he reaches his new home. Thanks meercats for having the howdy gate camera poised and on for this morning’s encounter. Of course I am behind in my work, yet, more inspired!
October 16th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Wow, did you see how thick a piece of bamboo Big Boy chowed down on this afternoon?? It must have been 2 inches in diameter. Man they have strong teeth and digestive system to handle such tough stuff. He looks like his daddy GaoGao when he gets into his munching. I just noticed what a large “V” he has on his back like his mom, Bai Yun. He is one handsome panda and will produce lots of handsome and beautiful little pandas starting in a couple of years. He is having one big feast this afternoon that’s for sure.
Thanks Meerkats for indulging Pandaholics with such fabulous close-ups of Mei Sheng before he goes. Hopefully you are archiving these great videos to keep together for a video on his life into the future. It would make a great fund-raising project.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Thanks Meerkats for the terrific views of the beautiful peacefully resting Miss Su Lin. With her paws tucked under her chin, she looks dreamy like she is picturing her brother in their homeland, and what is in store for her when she gets there in 2 years. I can’t want to see what poem and whispers Santa Paws has in store for all the US pandas this year. It has been quite an eventful year with the joyous birth of cubette, the big journey for Mei Sheng, the antics of Mei Lan as she conquered the great outdoors, and the disappointing false pregancies of Mei Xiang and Ya Ya. At least we have 2 more years to watch the remaining US born cubs before it is their turn to make the long journey to China.
I was just watching time-lapse of Oct 7, and cubette sure is exercising her back legs. She can scoot forward, as has been mentioned by another blogger or two, and she seems to be able to turn herself over now. I remember watching Mei Lan in November and December last year trying to walk, and how frustrated she got because she couldn’t get traction on the slippery concrete floor. Cubette seems to have more natural footing and therefore seems to be making more progress. It will be fun to watch and laugh over then next couple of months.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I was so thrilled to see the close-up of Sheng this afternoon. Even though, I love watching Bright Star, I miss seeing her big brother and sister. Too bad we can’t have access to all the camera images.
Can you imagine if we had the technology to have picture-in-picture and the ability to move the camera positions around ourselves?!! Can you imagine how much better it will be in 20 years? I guess that’s something we can look forward to… ah… the future of panda viewing! I hope the scientists are working on that now. But for now, I am grateful for the pictures of Sheng. Thanks! — Joy 
October 16th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
At about 3pm PST, I got to watch Mr. Sheng laying on his side on top of the shelter. His tummy was exposed and it looked as it there was a triangular patch of fur missing? It didn’t look like dirt or dark fur - just missing. Something in preparation for this voyage?
Thanks, Meerkats for the extra cam time for ‘our boy’. Sniff here too.
October 16th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
What incredible shots of Mei Sheng resting on his back. Why is his belly and chest shaved? For monitors during his check-up last week?
How long did it take him to come out of the anesthesia?
October 16th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I was in meetings and missed prince charming doing tricks to attract Su lin, shucks.
I was reminded that these precious “female pandas are used as cub factories” gets me sick. Can something be done? What about baby girl, the princess butterball?
October 16th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
5:30 Pacific: Little Missy on her back, all sprawled out every which way! She looks. . .BIG!
October 16th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
It is 6:10 PM, do you know where Bright Star (Ming Xing) is? Have she and Bai Yun gone to the Garden for a Nursing party? Or maybe they are out for the evening getting ready to watch the stars?
Will the noise of moving Mei Sheng’s crate be of any stress to Bai Yun? Or is she far enough away not to know anything about what is going on in the front exhibit? Seems to me that the moving of trucks with crates the size of Gram’s would create some vibration in the area which might arouse many of the animals while it is going on. Once the trucks have left and the clatter is gone, they likely would settle back down immediately.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
#52 Marion - It’s hard “to get a grip” when a beloved animal that brought so much joy to so many heads off to a completely different envirorment, leaving behind his beloved keepers that have taken care of him for 4 years. Yes, we know he’s “just an animal” but as any true animal lover knows, they each have their own personalities, quirks, likes & dislikes. We are concerned about his well-being until he gets acclimated to his his new home & keepers. Yes, he’ll probably be happy but that doesn’t mean we stop caring about him. As true panda lovers, why else do we spent so much time watching the panda cams hoping for a glimpse of a cub & get so excited when we see the vet exams of a chubby cub growing bigger & stonger every day or when they start crawling & then the big day of it’s first steps. Anyone that reads these blogs know how dedicated we are to the the conservation of this beloved animal. They have fascinated us & we’ll continue to worry about Mei Sheng until we hear how he is doing in Wolong.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
# 48 Dawn - Hi there - I watched your video of Tia getting his meds on youtube - just shows what a super smart panda Tai is-I envy you being there to see it. His keeper Nicole must be someone special - as are all the panda keepers.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
I guess the party is over because Bai Yun and Bright Star are back in the den having a nursing session. I wonder what they did while they were gone? Is anyone recording their activities outside the den at 6 PM in the evening, or have all the Panda staff left for the day, or are tending to Mei Sheng?
October 16th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Hi! Just watched Bai Yun and baby girl on the pandacam after 10pm EDT, and watched Bai handle her little girl very nicely trying to get her to settle down, and baby girl decided to do some scooting around and tried to climb on mom’s big arm. Did I say SCOOTING AROUND??? Yes, I did! It looks like from what I saw that baby girl is finally figuring out what those four legs and feet are for, and she’s decided to start using them! Look out, Bai! Your little girl will be a handful before too much longer! Once she starts crawling, then walking, Bai will have a lot of time chasing her down. Then, I watched Bai pick up her little girl to put her back under her chin, and that’s where baby girl is right now finally going to sleep. That was fun to watch! The other thing that I noticed was baby girl moving her head around as if she’s looking around to see where she was at, which means that her eyes are finally in focus and she’s seeing where she’s going to. YEA!!! It’s going to be fun to watch this baby girl start moving around more once she gets those legs going a lot more! Back to the pandacam!!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: I’m with the person who mentioned about baby girl’s ears. Can’t wait for those ears to start popping out, and then she’ll be able to hear her mom’s voice and all of those strange human sounds around her!
October 16th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Thanks to the Meerkats for the great face shot of Su Lin this afternoon–it was so close I felt like I could lean in and kiss her beautiful, sleeping face. What gorgeous bear she is! Am grateful, too, for all the close-ups of wonderful Mei Sheng. The cubbette gets bigger everyday. Thanks to Suzanne for discussing Bai Yun’s unusual removal of the baby from the den a few weeks ago. Glad the precious “tub of butter” is back in the confines of the den.
October 16th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Since I live in White Bear Lake I have to agree with “Bai Sheng”.
However, I still think that some translation of Bright Star is the best.
No other female panda in the US has given birth to four cubs. No other male panda has fathered three cubs in six years in the US. Bai Yun is a star. Gao Gao is a star!
This cub in many ways is a first and a star. Bright Star is an appropriate name.
October 16th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
AC#73 - with an animal this close to extinction, one would think that the females almost HAVE to be used as factories - as long as they are physically able to bear cubs. As long as they are cared for in a humane manner, I don’t see a problem with that…but I do wonder why our country, having better resources, can’t keep the pandas here. Politics prevents that from happening, apparently.
I can’t wait to vote online for the little fluffy one’s name! Shouldn’t we be gambling on the winner?
Paula
October 16th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Regarding “cub factories”, we need to remember that the Giant Panda is an endangered species. There are only about 1600 left in the wild. If there were to be a massive bamboo die off, which can happen from time to time, would we have enough genetic diversity in the captive population to insure the species survival? What will be the effects of global warming, pollution, or the growth of the Chinese human population on Giant Panda habitat? Although “cub factories” may put stress on the females, and deprive cubs of some aspects of maternal care, those cubs are our best hope for saving the species. (Along with saving habitat, of course).
I watched Mei Sheng’s birth on Panda Cam. I saw his eyes open. I watched him nurse. I saw him learn to walk, learn to run, learn to climb, learn to manipulate bamboo. I’ve watched him grow from a 4 oz, blind, helpless cub to the 185 lb handsome bear he is today. I spent two days at the Panda Research Station last week to say goodbye to him. It was bittersweet.
I have finally come to the realization that Mei Sheng needs to go. He will reach sexual maturity soon, and there are no females for him to mate with in San Diego. Not one. China offers him the largest selection of mates for him to pass on Gao Gao’s rare and valuable genes. No zoo in the US, nor any other country, can offer him what China can. As much as we love him, as much as we’ll miss him, it is time for him to go and do his part to save his species from extinction.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
#52 FYI even an animals they too do have feelings. When us human get hurts how do we re-act? We scream, we mourn, we cry, etc…. How do you think an animal would re-act when they get hurts? If you can HONESTLY answer this question perhaps you might see Mei Sheng the way most of us have seen. The change indeed will took a toll on him. After four years growing up in the same environment and the same people who took care of him. All of the sudden, the surrounding change and most of the people he use to see daily are disappear! The last I check all Pandas do born with BRAIN. You don’t think the change would put a stress on Mei Sheng? Mei Sheng departure sadden me tremendous. But to think that there are people out there don’t think much of animals and just think “because they are an animals, they are not going to care one way or another ” it sadden me the most. I do thank God for those organizations such as the ASPCA, PETA, WWF, NWF, HSUS, etc.,. They are there to protect those animals from people who didn’t think or care much for an animals.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Bai Yun, Shi Shi and Gao Gao have been playing a very important roll at SDZ. Why that SDZ shop do not carry their poster? National Zoo have a very nice poster of Mei Xieng and Tian Tian. Zoo Atlanta have a beautiful poster of Lun Lun and Yang Yang and they even printed a brief history and their back ground. Since SDZ carry a largest captive panda population in the U.S. It would be nice if SDZ would produce a nice poster of them.
Also prints/posters of adult: Hua Mei, Mei Sheng and Sulin.
Now would be a good time. They would make a great Christmas presents.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Saw “Climbing Mei Sheng” this morning- looks like he climbed right up a tree that had an aluminum protector wrapped around it. Our boy is SMART!
You go, Mei Sheng!
October 17th, 2007 at 9:58 am
#83 Lizzie…VERY well said. We all hate to see any of “our babies” go, but go they must. They are all too important to the survival of the species.
#84 Chi-Chi…thank you for saying what most of us are feeling.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I’m really having a difficult time saying goodbye to Mei Sheng! How I will miss seeing him everyday. I understand why he must return to China and I truly believe that he will easily acclimate to his new home. Suzanne’s updates on Wolong has put my mind to ease about our boy’s home in China. My heart will be broken for a little while….
October 17th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Lizzie, #83, very well said. You are right, China has the most to offer him as an adult male to fulfill his destiny and pass on his valuable genes. There are no females in the US with which he could breed, and there is a large collection for him to be successful with many ladies in one breeding season. Can you imagine a whole group of little Mei Sheng’s and Mei Shengettes. It would deprive him of his natural instinctive breeding role to leave him in the US once he is fully mature. By going now, he has time to “play” with other adolescent pandas, make “friends” with the female pandas, and learn more natural panda behavior in his “native” habitat. He can climb tall trees to his heart’s content and survey all of his new surroundings and “relatives.”
October 17th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Hi All, I really wasn’t going to write again because my feelings and sentiments are so adequately expressed by so many of you all. Anything I can say would just be redundant, however, I had to let Chi Chi #59 know that I agree with him. I think that Mei Sheng will get homesick. He will definitely miss the people who have cared for him for all his life. I saw him at the Howdy gate earlier this week and he was showing-off for his precious little sister Su Lin. Mei Sheng is the first cub I followed on the Panda cam. I saw him starting to walk (he was so funny, tipping over) I will miss him very much.
October 17th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Bai Yun is housecleaning again. She brought a huge piece of Bamboo in with her and is scratching the bedding floor of the den. Guess it needs sprucing up again. After all it has been about 2 weeks since they returned full time to the den. Maybe that is why she and Bright Star were outside for an hour last night.
Mei Sheng may be “home” sick for a few days, but will get plenty of love and attention from his new Chinese keepers and the SDZ staff who will be accompanying him to Wolong. He is not being dropped off in some remote place with no one to look after him and to soothe his nerves. He grew from a newly independent “momma’s boy” cub into a handsome independent male panda bear. He knows how to adapt, and how to win over his keepers. He will thrive as he has a whole new group of Panda devotees on staff at Wolong to “woo” and capture their hearts.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Why has the baby not had an official portrait done yet? I will never forget cute little Su Lin on all that red velvet. If I remember correctly, Su Lin was pretty young when she had that picture taken.
October 17th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
#84…..never would I deny that animals have feelings….I said they were pragmatic…… I have seen my own animals grieve when one of their housemates died, but they DO get on with it…:-), and when a new housemate comes in he/she is immediately accepted as part of the family, as are the “foster kids”. Mei Sheng will adapt just fine after a brief adaptation period. His journey will be made as smooth as it possibly can be and after a week or so he will be happily looking for yet another and higher tree to climb.
October 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I see from the web site - Mei Sheng will be on exhibit through Oct. 27- sounds like he’s off to his homeland around the end of the month. Can just picture the adorable cubs he’ll father. Let’s hope he’s like Goa & is able to figure out to mate. I watched a video on youtube of YangYang & LunLun -she backed right up to him while he continued to munch on his bamboo-one could just hear Lun saying “I’m ready you fool, get with the program” But no such luck. Even after several attempts Tian Tian could’t figure it out either. Have there been any studies why so many males have such trouble.
It sounds like Bai is unhappy with the den again - wonder why.
October 17th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I just read this in the China Daily - looks like Mei Sheng is not the only panda returning to China this month - they will have a lot to celebrate.
“CHENGDU — Two male pandas born in Japan four years ago will become the first overseas-born twin pandas ever to come to China next week.
Ryuhin and Shuhin are due to leave Osaka, Japan at 3:30 am (Beijing time) on October 27, stay in Beijing overnight and arrive at Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the following day, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding announced on Wednesday.
They would be quarantined in a newly-built house at the base for two to three months, when they would adapt to the new environment before being shown to visitors, said Huang Xiangming, curator of the animal management department with the base.
The pair were born on September 8, 2003, to Yong Ming and Mei Mei, which the research base leased to the Adventure World Park Zoo in western Japan’s Wakayama prefecture in 1994 and 2000 respectively under a Sino-Japanese cooperation program on giant panda breeding.
China has carried out long-term cooperation programs on giant panda breeding with Japan, the United States and Spain since 1994. The first overseas-born panda Hua Mei came to China from the United States in 2004.
According to China’s policy, cubs born overseas by pandas on loan must be sent to China after they become sexually mature or the cooperation ends.
Giant pandas are one of the most endangered species in the world. There are only 1,590 giant pandas living in the wild, most of them in southwest China’s mountainous regions.
By the end of 2006, about 210 giant pandas lived in captivity in China.”
October 17th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I agree with Deb, #92. For those of us who have just discovered the joy of watching a cub from her earliest days, I hope the new cub will be as photographed and honored with posters and pictures and screen savers and such as her sister Su Lin has been.
The interplay between Bai Yun and the little one is so darn cute.
Does anybody know why Bai Yun was sitting outside the door this afternoon?
October 17th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Chi-Chi #84 #85 - It appears we can’t do much about the current state of affairs between the U.S. and China and can only hope that Mei will be cared for well and won’t be too distressed at leaving her home in the U.S. In nirvana, we in the U.S. would be able to keep the cubs that everyone at the zoos have worked so hard to help thrive in their luxury environments. It also breaks my heart to think of the stress placed on these pandas having to move from one place to another - especially given the obvious differences between our zoos and Woolong.
In the end, we have to have faith, I suppose - and hope for change. In the interim, we can take heart in an universal commitment to care for pandas with much love.
Red Velvet, official portrait? #92 Deb, what is this you speak of? It sounds wonderful! I watched video today of little Bright Star *almost* crawling.
Paula in TX, we have no pandas here, but lots of armadillos
October 17th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
#53 AC in NYC re Tai Shan being sick - see posting #56 Eva. She has a first-hand account of it and she was the one who posted the video on youtube.com. It appears our Tai is back in fine form and has been for a few days now - I couldn’t see anything getting that rascal down, anyway. I’m sure he is just fine.
October 18th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Thanks, #95, Maureen, for posting the information about the twin pandas from Japan going to China the same week as Mei Sheng. It answers my question about whether any cubs other than Hua Mei had gone to China under the Chinese panda agreements. Sounds like these will be the next three making a total of four. Beijing airport will be very busy that week. I wonder if they will arrive around the same time so they can be greeted together in one Chinese government sponsored ceremony? It will be big news in China for both arrivals, that is for certain!!! (first twins and first male from US) Except for Tai Shan, Mei Sheng is the only male panda cub born in US. So far the girls out number the boys 3 to 2.
Bai Yun and Bright Star are sleeping peacefully in the den again this morning, so whatever had her agitated yesterday (cub check-up?) seems to have passed and she has returned to the den.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:22 am
#92 Deb - I also remember that “red velvet” portrait. I think it was taken on Oct 26,2005 - so little miss Su Lin was almost 3 months old. She was such a sweet little thing - “all girl”. As opposed to Tai Shan - Mr. Rambunctious - was “all boy”. His youthful engergy was so fun to watch!
October 18th, 2007 at 7:53 am
I am excited about the prospect of watching Bai Yun play with Bright Star. All I have witnessed so far is bathing, nursing, and napping. I did not get to see Bai Yun play with any of her previous cubs.
Lun Lun is really giving Mei Lan a hard time this morning. She wouldn’t let her into the indoor room and literally grabbed her and threw her back outside the door. It is hard to picture a dam being so rough, but that is part of the cub’s training for life on their own. Besides, at 60+ pounds, Mei Lan can take it.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:29 am
I think the “red velvet” portrait is taken at the 100 day naming ceremony - so we have a little ways to go. I’m sure Bright Star will be ready for her close-up!
Moderator’s note: There is a photo of Su Lin on a red background in our 2005 panda news archives. Scroll down to the October 12 entry: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/news/panda_news_2005_archive.html
October 18th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Poor Bai….little bit is feeling very feisty this morning, climbing all over mama, who would LOVE to have a nap. I see those little ears are popping out. She is contemplating exploring the patio by herself but don’t think mama will allow that. Soon, she will be climbing all over Bai, needing to exercise those little legs. What fun to watch the two of them. Very disorganized den this morning, little precious is now under a pile of bamboo leaves, still trying to head for the door! Bet the next exam shows some teeth close to eruption!
October 18th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Thanks, Moderator #102. It seems that it was a Su Lin’s 9th Exam. I believe Bright Star’s exam yesterday was her 10th, so maybe the red carpet will be out next week?
Great close up of the peaceful slumber pose of Mei Sheng. He looks lost in thought and rest.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
How is Daddy-O Gao Gao these days. With all the attention on Mei Sheng and Bright Star, and some great close-ups of Su Lin and Bai Yun, I don’t recall seeing him down in his quarry munching away lately. I am sure he is still getting great attention from the keepers, and probably is enjoying his peaceful munching out of the “limelight.” When Mei Sheng departs in 10 days or so, do you plan to bring Gao Gao back up to one of the front exhibits? Is Bright Star old enough now for that to happen without Bai Yun being unduly stressed?
October 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
How fun to go back and look at the archives from when Su Lin was a baby… so sweet - and a reminder of how fast they grow. Looks like Bright Star will be getting her teeth soon.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I just happened to check the AZ and saw the keeper working with Yang, He was checking his ears, teeth and gums. What a smart bear, as the keeper said something Yang scratched his head and ears, he loved the attention and I guess the treats didn’t hurt either. It is so amazing what you can train them to do.I also read that Luns keeper is leaving for another position in the zoo, I hope this doesn’t disrupt the training process. Now to our cubbie, she sure enjoys climbing on mom. I can hardly wait till she is able to get out on her own
October 18th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
And to think how upset we all were, just 8 short months ago when we all were “devestated” at the decision to wean Su Lin!
October 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I am sitting at my desk, in work, surrounded by little pictures of Pandas. One, in particular catches my eye. It is dated 12/10/04 and shows Mei Sheng and his mother Bai, together up in the trees. Not high up like he does now but, it shows how much he loves to climb. I hope he has a lot of trees in his pen in Woolong.
It seems the little one keeps scooting toward the light of the outside but Mama keeps wrestling her back into the den.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I just had a thought, Since there is nothing we can do about Mei Sheng leaving, How about giving a donation to the Oct. wish list in his honor. what a great way to honor our favorite baby boy and to have sort of a going away party for the other zoo animals from Mei Sheng. Gonna miss you baby boy.
Moderator’s note: To view the October Wish List: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/adopt/adopt_wishlist.html
October 18th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
The latest photos and video are darling. In the video, the woman so gently taking the cubbette out of the den and returning her uses the terms of endearment that we all feel toward the little girl–she is indeed a sweetheart.
Su Lin must have been lighter and longer than her little sister. At around the same age, Su looked so adorable but not quite as much of a puffball.
October 18th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Carol (#108) - well put! Life does go on, and (thank goodness) Bai Yun gave us a new cub to focus on. And, I’m sure, watching Bright Star grow, and play and tumble and be adorable, will ease some of the sadness of Mei Sheng’s move.
October 18th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
#112 Suzanne - you are right, we’ve been fortunate to have another cub to follow & love as others have grown, learned to walk & be weaned from their mothers. The photos of Bright Star’s latest exam are adorable - she sure is furball- & from what I can see on the panda cam just aching to take off. Bai will have her paws full in a couple of weeks as her cubbie learns how to walk.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Oh, lucky, lucky blond lady! And Little One looked sooooooo happy in her arms!
October 18th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I was in the research building earlier this week and saw Gao Gao the Great through a doorway, as he came in for some inside time and greeted his keepers. They brought him in so that they could clean and refresh his outdoor area in safety, and he looked, well, just GREAT. Can;t wait to see him out and about again .
October 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Barbara #110 and moderator: now that’s a splendid idea! Since I’m saving for my trip to the Zoo next month I can’t buy the Cheetahs Lovers Lane for $9,700 (but how COOL is that??) but I sure can break out the debit card for some Trick or Treat Salad for the gazelles.
I am so thrilled to see how many of these items are already purchased. Moderator, please post that link often!
Paula in TX
Moderator’s note: You are very welcome, Paula. Thanks for helping our critters!
October 19th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Ellie, #115, thanks for the update on Gao Gao. Suzanne mentioned several weeks ago that he was thriving and very happy eating his bamboo, but it is nice to hear of a recent siting to reinforce that he continues to do well off camera.
October 19th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Ellie (#115),
I LOVE Gao Gao’s latest nickname - Gao Gao the Great! Such a ring, and such a truth! Go Gao Gao! Maybe, after his ‘vacation’ in the back, we’ll get to see a bit more of him in November (another positive to look forward to).
October 19th, 2007 at 9:50 am
I was just looking at the “cam” and saw C28…this isn’t on the list but I presume it is another camera for Gao Gao??
Our little cubette is so ADORABLE!! The video of her exam this week was so fun to see her actually being taken out of the den!! And she was much more content - or sleepy - than last week…but it was also fun to hear her vocalizations last week!!
Keep up the good work little girl and SDZ….you guys ROCK!!!
October 19th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Thanks to the Meerkats for great camera work with “Ming Xing” and Bai Yun this morning. Thanks for sharing a great idea- Barbara #110! I will follow suit! I would love to see posters specifically of our gang of Pandas in the gift shop the next time I’m there. I’m wondering if there are any licensing issues with the China since the Pandas are theirs. I’m wondering how Mr. Gao Gao is.. I miss seeing the bamboo munching machine. Mei Sheng was indeed munching within the last several days and I grabbed some great webcam photos of him. I even saw Princess Su Lin not too far up a tree! MODERATOR: Would it be possible to update Gao Gao’s photo?
Moderator’s note: We’ll try to do that when new images become available.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I just viewed this on the Wolong Panda Club website:
Here are four names for you to choose for the lovely baby:
Ming Zhu. It means the shining treasure
Zhen Zhen. It means this little fellow is very precious
Xiao Li. It means the little beauty
Li Hua. It means beautiful China or pretty flower
Is this “official”??
Moderator’s note: No.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Lori #121, I got real nervous when I read that from the panda club site thank goodness it’s not official. Zhen Zhen real got me laughing “little fellow” for a girl, please
October 19th, 2007 at 11:13 am
I too saw C28, and presumed it was Gao Gao. He looks great and seemed to be enjoying himself on the climbing structure. Glad to know he occupies himself with more than just eating and sleeping.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Barbara #122- Seeing that posting on the PandaClub webside got my anxiety going too.. I think the Chinese would translate “little fellow” to “little cub” if their English was a bit more conversational or literally translated.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:56 am
To clarify per #121, here are more literal translation renderings:
Ming Zhu (pronounced like “joo”) - Bright Pearl
Zhen Zhen (pronounced like “jun”, rhymes with “run”) - Precious Precious; a name generally reserved for girls
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:40 am
When will we be able to start voting for Baby’s name? I thought by now there would be a list posted. Yes, I’m impatient!
October 29th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
First thing in the morning, I check on our darling panda baby and before I sleep I check on her again in Pandacam.
I cant wait to see her soon in person. Watching her grow makes me thank God everyday for such a lovely gift.
Just looking at her everyday makes me realize how much thought and creativity our God has put in all His creations. And despite the destructive things some people do to our world, the thought that God created this wonderful panda bear to give us pleasure is overwhelmingly heartwarming.
I just can’t wait to vote for our darling panda’s new name. Each day I find new ones.
CAN DI 粲 can beautiful / bright 蝃 di rainbow
MEI SHI 美石 precious stone / jewel
LI BING 皪 [li] /luster (of pearls)/ 昺 [bing] /bright/glorious/
I’m sure her Mom, Bai Yun (Bright Cloud) will approve. They are easy to pronounce too.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I bouhgt a panda and on the tag they said its name was Shanghai !!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 12th, 2008 at 6:49 am
i love pandas there my favourite animal i read threw the comments and i wiould love to have my very own panda if i did i would call it Ming ming