Zooming In
Posted at 6:13 am August 29, 2005 by Suzanne HallOur cub is nearly four weeks old now, and life around the panda station is slowly returning to normal. We used to have the cameras manned day and night, and we zoomed in every time so that we could get an accurate picture of the cub's activity. We are no longer conducting round-the-clock observations of mom and cub, which explains why there are times when you might not see the camera zoom in when there is a peek at the cub.
In order to get a close up of the cub, there are two things you can do: tune in during our regularly scheduled observation times, or take a look at the Web site for still photos and the time-lapse feature to see what images have been captured throughout the day. Regular observations of the cub typically occur from 08:00-10:00, 13:00-1500, 17:30-19:30 and 22:00-24:00, Pacific time. During those times an observer is present, collecting data, and is likely to zoom in when the opportunity presents itself. Additionally, throughout the day the keepers will check on Bai Yun and may have an opportunity to zoom in to get a look at the cub.
The good news is that the Panda Cam won't be going away anytime soon. You'll have the chance to watch this little girl grow and change for the next several years! It won't be too long before you will have a chance to see her in person, as she will likely be on exhibit in late spring or early summer. Then you, too, will have a chance to " zoom in""¦. with your camera lens!
By the way, since so many of you have requested the opportunity to see a glimpse of Mei Sheng or Gao Gao now and then, we'll be putting them on the Panda Cam from time to time when activities in the den are sedate. This way, you'll be able to keep up with all of your favorite bears!
Suzanne Hall is the panda research technician for the San Diego Zoo's Office of Giant Panda Conservation.
View Bai Yun and her cub on Panda Cam
See our slideshow images of the second exam
See video of the cub's second exam
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August 29th, 2005 at 7:57 am
your PandaCam is of first class quality. Are they expensive
to run and install ? I only ask cos I've seen a lot of webcams
round the world but your images must be amongst the best. Of
course it helps when you have such good subjects !
August 29th, 2005 at 8:38 am
Thanks so much for the update, I was wondering why the camera was so still sometimes. And THANK YOU for including Gao and Mei in the Panda Cam. I miss watching Mei and I've really never seen Gao Gao except during the mating season (and the stills of him)…and he's a real cutie. I know his smaller ear is probably the result of a fight with another Panda when he was little (poor baby), but those ears sure give him character and make him just soooooo adorable:o)
August 29th, 2005 at 8:39 am
It's great to see the giant pandas outdoors again! While I love watching the cub grow, it's been a while since we've seen the other pandas at the Zoo. Thanks for letting us check in on the guys!
August 29th, 2005 at 8:52 am
Thanks for giving us the main observation times. It's exciting to see the little girl as she becomes more active.
Would you please ask the person in charge of the Panda Cam to identify which panda we're seeing, by some kind of code? It's hard to tell the difference between Mei Sheng and Gao Gao. Thank you.
August 29th, 2005 at 9:09 am
Do you think you could begin the viewing at 7:00 a.m. PST instead of 8:00 since that seems to be the time (between 7 and 7:30) that Bai Yun leaves the den for her morning feed and you can clearly see the little one. I personally can't believe how much she has grown in the last 4 weeks and it is a special privilege to be able to watch while I am eating my breakfast in the morning! Please consider the above time at least until the cub gets a little older.
August 29th, 2005 at 9:15 am
Thanks for the information on the best viewing times. It was so good to see Mei Sheng again!
August 29th, 2005 at 9:27 am
Cindy Furguson,
While there is no way for me to let you know what panda you are viewing via the panda cam, I can give you a quick tip: check the camera number in the bottom left corner of the screen. You'll see a " C_" . In that " _" is a number. If the number is 1, 2 or 3, you are looking at Gao Gao. If the number is 4, 5 or 6, you are looking at Mei Sheng. If the number is 13, 14 or 21, you're looking at the den, and 11, 15 and 17 are other behind-the-scenes-areas of Bai Yun's space.
August 29th, 2005 at 9:48 am
Suzanne, thank you for helping us to identify which bear we are looking at. I too, like Cindy, was wondering if there was a way of identifying who we were looking at. Thank you so much!
August 29th, 2005 at 9:50 am
What a pleasure to log in this morning and see my precious Mei Sheng –what a gorgeous boy he is and one with an endearing personality as well.
August 29th, 2005 at 10:08 am
Cindy Ferguson:
Another way to tell Gao and Mei apart is that Gao has one normal size ear and the other is MUCH smaller. So if the camera angle is such that we can see both ears, Gao's are two different sizes! Hope this helps.
Jeannie
August 29th, 2005 at 10:22 am
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE NATIONAL ZOO AND IF THEY CALL YOU FOR ADVICE ON WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THEIR YOUNG CUB.
August 29th, 2005 at 10:29 am
Hi, All, - - -Thanks for the constant updates and helpful info. I still am curious about Baby Bear's vocalizing. She was just alone in the den a few minutes ago and squirming around. Is she squalling for attention or just grumbling to herself? My how quickly she is growing and changing. It is such a joy to be able to watch this incredible experience. Jeanine
August 29th, 2005 at 10:35 am
The folks at San Diego Zoo are amazing! You are constantly answering our questions and keeping us updated. Thank you so much! I have 2 printed pics of the baby on my desk at work and all the customers come in and comment on them. By the way, when do you think the cub will leave the den for the first time?
August 29th, 2005 at 10:47 am
i like to know if pandas get hicups when watching the baby the other day it looks like she was having hicups this might be a silly thing to ask but i was just wondering thanks so much for all your time to let us know more about these wonderful pandas patsy in lex ky
August 29th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
How are the pandas dealing with the high heat in San Diego? Is there some sort of air conditioning to cool the place down a bit?
August 29th, 2005 at 2:25 pm
Your panda cam is so great. I watched Mei Sheng on the panda cam and then was able to make the trip to San Diego to see him. Waited in line and he was sleeping. Got back in line to see him while he was awake, so I could get good pictures of him…and my camera broke!! I had brought an extra battery, 4 rolls of film so I was ready. Never dreamed my camera would break. Luckily, my sister was with me and she actually had 2 cameras, so we got plenty of pictures. Just wanted to share my tale of woe for all the other panda lovers out there that plan to make the trip to see the pandas…be prepared for the worst. I was so upset I was shaking. I had been watching the little guy on the pandacam from August until May when I made my trip. I can't wait to come back and see this new little one.
Here I thought that I was about the only one that was crazily obsessed with pandas…now I discover there are many of us all over the world!
I'm planning on making a trip to China to Wolong in the next couple of years…thanks to a post on the blog from another panda fanatic that posted about their trip.
Thanks so much San Diego Zoo for your awesome web site, panda cams and now the blogs.
Marina in St. Louis…and if I ever win the lottery, I would use the money to get some pandas in the St. Louis Zoo! Until then…I'll have to keep watching via panda cams.
August 29th, 2005 at 3:31 pm
Does anyone know if Shi Shi is still alive? I've been searching for info on the internet but cannot find anything… thanks!
August 29th, 2005 at 5:32 pm
Help! I haven't been able to view the panda cam since Sunday afternoon. I either get an empty white box or the blue box that says " Cam Zone….loading" but it never loads. This happened once before for about 12 hours but it came back. Does it occasionally go down or is it just my computer? I'm in severe Bai Yun and baby girl panda withdrawal here. In the meantime I'm watching the DC baby boy and he's adorable! I love the blogs and reading comments from people all over the world. It's great to live right here in San Diego where I can pop in and see them whenever I need a panda fix! Thank you for all your hard work, for taking the time to answer our questions and for taking such wonderful care of these beautiful animals!
August 29th, 2005 at 6:56 pm
I have just learned from Wolong: Hua Mei has given birth to another set of twins.
August 29th, 2005 at 9:30 pm
Thanks for the info on the viewing times. Will try my best to catch them, but as we are 12 hours ahead of you I may have to do some late night viewing. But that's fine as they are worth the wait.
August 29th, 2005 at 10:04 pm
It's my daily task to check San Diego and DC panda cams.
Oh BTW,
As you may already know, Hua Mei's got twins, AGAIN!!
Hope you'll keep updating about them, too.
August 30th, 2005 at 6:12 am
Congratulations to Hua Mei on the birth of her second set of twins yesterday. The Panda Team and Bai Yun should take pride in her accomplishment and their contribution to raising a healthy, fecund and beautiful panda.
August 30th, 2005 at 7:51 pm
Baby season! Congratulations Hua Mei!!! Now we have two moms in the zoo, how great can it be?! I have to say that I`m impressed by how careful Bai Yun is with the cub, even though she`s so big and the baby so small… I don`t think I`ve ever seen something so beautiful!!! Can`t wait to see the twins!!! Congratulations for the panda team !!!
September 6th, 2005 at 8:52 am
I just love watching the baby grow! Just one question though - When does the cub open its eyes????? I have been watching since Mei Sheng was a baby - I JUST LOVE PANDAS AND THE PANDA CAM!
September 7th, 2005 at 6:24 pm
I love Pandacam… you guys need to make a t-shirt to sell. Many people would buy them. Maybe someone can set this up by the time everyone rushes to see the baby in December/January. It would be a great way to make some money for the pandas. I know I would buy several!!! Great Christmas presents!! So how often do you guys walk around saying… " How cute!!" I know I do this a lot watching the babies… even on vacation… had to go to a cyber cafe and check out our new Californian. Showed many people in Brazil and Chile " our" new baby… Keep up all the great work! You have many, many fans out here in cyber-space!