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RussianiZoofari Chat: Mei Sheng Memories
Posted at 4:27 pm November 5, 2007 by Dennis Corbran
Giant panda keeper Kathy Hawk shares her memories of Mei Sheng, the four-year-old panda who began his journey to China today. Hosted by Debbie Andreen. (11:54)
NEW! iZoofari Chats are an occasional series of interviews that put you in touch with the people who work for the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Current subscribers to either the Zoo or Wild Animal Park podcast feeds will also get the iZoofari Chats.
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November 5th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
I’m glad I listened to the chat, I feel better now.
November 5th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Thank you Kathy Hawk for sharing your experiences with Mei Sheng. He will be well loved in his new home; and never forgotten here. It will be very wonderful for him to have some offspring!
November 5th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I am so sad to see Mei Sheng go to China. I will miss him so much. But listening to Kathy Hawk has made me feel better. Mei Sheng will be a good daddy and will have many beautiful panda bears. I hope the San Diego Zoo let’s us know from time to time how he is doing and posts pictures of him and maybe his offspring, too. Thank you, Panda keepers, for doing such a wonderful job taking care of the Panda bears.
November 5th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Hi Mei sheng,
I will miss you… I wish you a Long Happy life there in China!
November 5th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
What a special boy. He will be deeply missed.
November 5th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
OMG - I am here in Atlanta and when I saw the news that he left today I could not stop the tears. I love pandas. Thank you for sharing. You are doing a terrific job.
November 5th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I will miss him a lot I watched him grow from a cub and only got to see him twice that was the hard part I would have loved to see him so much more. I hope to come and see the new baby and the whole panda family sometime this spring. I will miss him a lot.
Linda
November 5th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Thanks for taking the time to share these memories. May Wolong’s kindergarten fill up with many ‘little poopers’!
November 5th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Thank you, Kathy and Debbie, for this chat. I wish I had known Mei Sheng longer, not just a month. But within this short month, I’ve already fallen in love with him. Since he’s pretty content during his departure, I believe he’s become more brave since his weaning. I hope he can adjust well in Wolong.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Thanks, Debbie and Kathy, for a very entertaining chat. It is great to hear first hand stories about Mei Sheng, and about the facilities of Wolong. It sounds like a dreamlike environment for a panda of Mei Sheng’s age. It helps to comfort all of us, panda staff and zoo guests alike, to hear more about what his life will be like. I wonder how he will adapt to these changes, since per Kathy’s comments, he has always been more apprehensive about new environments. The venerable Shi Shi did fine in his transition back to China. So it is likely, with much love and attention from the SDZ staff that accompanied him, plus the excited Wolong staff who will be meeting him, that he will slowly come around and embrace his new “home.” It is especially helpful to know that his encounters at the Howdy Gate will help as he is introduced to his “neighbors” and other pandas his age. Since he is younger than Hua Mei was when she went to Wolong, and is not yet of breeding age, it is more likely that he will have the opportunity to interact with other adolescent male and female pandas. Since he loves to “play” and interact with others, more than his sisters seem to, he should find that a big plus in his new environment.
It brings to mind the comparison of Mei Sheng and Su Lin, since they have the same parents and genes, unlike Hua Mei and Mei Sheng who had different fathers. It would be interesting to hear the differences in the early stages of Mei Sheng vs Su Lin vs baby cubette.
It always peeks my curiousity and makes me smile when he is refered to as a “Momma’s boy.” This is the first time I have heard that expression fully explained. Tai Shan was also a Momma’s boy, so it may be an attribute of male cubs. Since the other four cubs in the US have been female, particularly the other two cubs from Bai Yun and Gao Gao, it will be most interesting to see how the newest cub reacts to life. Su Lin appeared to me to be more independent as she grew older. She missed the security of Bai Yun when she was weaned, but once she got used to it she seems to have reverted to her very independent nature. This cub seems fiesty already, which may be an indication of her independence. It remains to be seen if she chooses to stay close to Bai Yun and initiate play herself, or if she chooses to go up in the trees for the day and pay no attention to Bai Yun, as Su Lin did. I rarely saw Su Lin initiate play with Bai Yun, it usually was mother seeking out daughter, and one of the keeper blogs last year even said that Su Lin “finally” came down and “played with” Bai Yun. Mei Lan on the other hand seems to do her share of initiating play with Lun Lun, and only sleeps when Lun Lun allows her to. It sounds from Kathy’s and others’ comments that Hua Mei also initiated play with Bai Yun. So, little miss cubette will be educating all of us, and helping us to understand the differences in behavior of cubs of different sexes and personalities.
I especially loved the comments about how Mei Sheng wanted to be held in certain positions as a tiny cub, and was very vocal until Bai Yun got it right. He started getting his way at a very young age, which allowed him to endear himself to his mother and his keepers as he grew older.
Stay tuned for the life of cub number 4 coming soon at the SDZ.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
I cried all day today. I am really going to miss Mei Sheng but I know he is going to love where he is going. I read about Woolong and it seemed like a real nice place. He will sure have a lot of pandas to play with but he will still be missed. I enjoyed listening to Kathy reminess about Mei Sheng from birth to now. It’s still sad to see him go.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
AWWW I thinnk that is very sad!! but atleast he`s probably going to have fun!!
good lucks and wishes,
sanakee yang
p.s.I LOVE PANDAS!!
November 5th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
It was a lovely commentary on Mei Sheng. I think Angie would have spoken differently…..and more emotionally.
November 5th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Hope Mei Shang will live happy in China and merry a pretty lady panda
November 6th, 2007 at 5:04 am
I cried when I read this beautiful boy was on his way to China; he will be missed!
November 6th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Mei Sheng will be missed!!!!!! The tears are still flowing!!!!!! I hope that SDZ will keep us posted on the progress of Mei Sheng and most importantly when he becomes a DADDY for the 1st time!!!!!!!! Thank you for the PANDA cam.’s it truly does make my DAY!!!!! Good luck to you Mei Sheng !!!!!!!!!!!
November 6th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Kathy’s experiences with Mei Sheng really lifted my spirits. I really loved Debbie’s interview with her and I appreciated it being recorded and produced for all of us, especially on such a challenging day. I also appreciate the personal accounts, even with the professional touch. Outwardly (to us), Kathy has that perfect blend of what it takes to work so closely with animals.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Thank you very much, Kathy and kudos to all panda keepers and scientists!
November 6th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Kathy, you are wonderful! Thanks for sharing your insights into the life of Mei Sheng. There truly is something unusual about this guy, and many bloggers and viewers think of him as their favorite. When Hua Mei went to China, there were parades and festivities all along the way. I am pleased to know that this time San Diego staff are going with Mei Sheng all the way to Wolong, instead of just handing him off to the Chinese on arrival in Shanghai, which was the case with Hua Mei. Chinese authorities have made it clear that they appreciated receiving the very sexy and healthy Hua Mei from the USA, and made a big deal of the successful international cooperation between our two countries. And they will do the same with Mei Sheng. In my mind I have tried to imagine Mei Sheng leaving his shipping crate and stepping into the Wolong environment. I’m sure he will be happy to know that he had landed in the midst of a whole lot of pandas, and that he will immediately find lots of delicious bamboo waiting for him. Mei Shen is a winner, and he will quickly adapt. I think he will especially like being around so many females, and before we know it, he will be a daddy.
November 6th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
That was a great interview and a very interesting compilation of Mei Sheng’s personality traits and characteristics that we, as visitors both to the zoo and to the Panda Cam, rarely encounter, but cherish nonetheless. I thank the SD Zoo for catering to the panda fans across the globe during this difficult time, especially for the keepers that have been so fortunate to share their days with these wonderful pandas. Again, thank you.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Thank you Kathy, for your fond memories of Mei Sheng. I didn’t know about panda cams until Tai Shan was born so wasn’t able to see Mei Sheng grow up - but from what I can tell from the blogs he was a hit, loved by all. Many, many thanks for all you & the rest of the staff has done to raise a healhty, funny cub, that can now (& if he has daddy’s mating genes), do us proud by “getting married quickly and having a cub or 2
Have a comment about the male pandas -from what I’ve read, male pandas seem to be momma boys & have a harder time with weaning. One would think it would be the other way - momma’s girls or is it the teenage years when girls don’t like their moms (here we go with human behaviour again)
November 7th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Watching Mei Sheng grow up was fun. I loved watching him sleep in his tree bed. I know he’ll miss that. On his third birthday it was fun watching him eat his cake! I didn’t know about sandiegozoo.com until I was on the Internet one day in 2004 then I explored the website and found Panda Cam. From then on I started studying pandas. Now I love them so much I once kicked a guy because he said somthing bad about a panda. I will miss Mei Sheng a lot!!!!!!!!!
November 7th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I will miss Mei Sheng. I felt as if I had a hole in my soul as I received the news that he is gone. I feel so blessed that I was able to visit him 6 weeks ago and did snap a most precious picture of him.
It would mean so much if we can receive information on how he is doing.
Thank you for all your good work.
November 8th, 2007 at 3:52 am
I saw a video of Mei arriving in China today on our local paper’s website (Sydney Australia) and he did look nervous but hopefully it’s for the better in the long run. Can’t believe he has left SDZ after all this time. I loved watching him grow up with his mother and I have special memories of his first birthday in the snow. All the best young fellow.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:28 am
I hope Mei Sheng or better none as “little pooper” will have a safe journey to Chine and grow up to father
many babies. Ido hope the zoo here will let us know how you are doing because part of you belongs to
America!
Moderator’s note: We are waiting to hear from our own team that accompanied Mei Sheng to China and will post the information when it becomes available. Communication out of Wolong can sometimes be difficult—patience, please.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
My husband and I were very fortunate to see Mei Sheng and Bai Yun in Dec 2003. Everone was surprised he was trying to climb up to a big branch. I watch the Panda Cam whenever I can. We have already missed Hua Mei, now Mei Sheng. Just watching, reading and hearing news about the pandas stir emotion in everyone. Please keep everyone informed on Hua Mei and Mei Sheng’s activities often. Bai Yun is just a wonderful mom. I watch how she held and watch over each of the 4 cubs, with such love. We wish good health to all the current and passed SDZ pandas. Thank you zookeepers, scientists, and panda cam operators who take so much care of the pandas! I know they have and will miss the pandas more than anyone else.
November 9th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I will miss mei shang very much. Still remember how’s he looking when he was born
November 9th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I love you!
November 10th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Listening to Kathy speak about Mei Sheng was wonderful. I learned so much about his personality. She has the best job in the world.
November 13th, 2007 at 8:13 am
My daughter has been a panda lover since a young child, her first book was about pandas. Needless to say I too, have become addicted to pandas and follow their lives at all four zoos in the US. We have been fortunate enough to see them at DC and SanDiego several times. We truly love watching the babies grow and develope such wonderful personalities. I continually watch the cams at all four zoos on a daily basis and can not thank all of the keepers and staff for the wonderful job they do and the devotion they show for such beautiful animals. Keep up the great job and PLEASE KEEP us posted on Mei SHeng’s new life so far away. He will be missed
February 8th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
this stuff is amazing!
March 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for all the good chat about Mei Sheng. However, I have another question. How many staff members are needed to take care of all the Pandas in the zoo? By that I mean, Vets, Keepers, background, staff, exhibit staff, etc.
Love all the work you do and thanks for it as well.
Kathy Hawk responds: The Giant Panda Research is a very unique area. It consists of our researchers, vets, panda narrators, and keepers. Currently we have 4 full-time keepers; our vet staff rotates panda check-up duties. At the exhibit, we have several panda narrators that rotate their talks to the public about our pandas and one or two visitor assistance officers at a time to help when the lines get long at the exhibit. We have one full-time gardener who harvests all the bamboo and delivers the bamboo to the station.