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RussianiZoofari Chat: Panda Cub’s 2nd Exam
Posted at 3:23 pm August 30, 2007 by Dennis Corbran
So, is it a boy or a girl? Hear if the San Diego Zoo’s veterinary staff has an answer yet. Dr. Geoff Pye conducted the cub’s second examination, and he takes a few minutes to tell us how this exam went. (6:53)
NEW! iZoofari Chats are a 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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August 30th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
ARRGH! Dr. Geoff you are killing us pandaholics with the suspense over whether this cub is a boy or a girl. At first I had no preference, but now I’m hoping for a girl because I think they are more needed for the preservation of the species. If a wild or zoo panda can only have a cub every 2 years, then we need more females. I know at Wolong they take the cubs at 6 months so the mother can have a cub every year, but I am not a fan of that practice. Do you know if they do the same at Chengdu? A male panda can father many cubs each year, so I think slightly less valuable for the purpose of species preservation. Unless he is a great studmuffin like Pan Pan or Gao Gao!
August 30th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
I just listened to the first exam and I think the vet let it slip at the end that the cub is a girl!!! How exciting!!!
I watch the panda cub every day on my computer at work, “she” is so cute!!!
August 31st, 2007 at 6:44 am
Sniff…Sniff!!! PLEASE tell us the gender of this panda cub. We can hardly stand the suspense. I’m sure it’s a girl because of the slight faux pas that the first veterinarian made last week at the end of her chat but we just need verification, and soon please!
August 31st, 2007 at 7:07 am
I just took a look at the stats from Mei Lan at Zoo Atlanta and it seems that she was identified as a girl after her second exam at around 3 weeks. I also noticed that this cub is a bit small in length and weight at the same age compared to Mei Lan. What problem are you having identifying the sex of this cub being that she/he is already 4 weeks old? Is her weight and length appropriate for a cub this age?
August 31st, 2007 at 9:53 am
I’m concerned that we don’t know the sex of the baby Panda yet..but I am more concerned that the Vet admitted he didn’t know when the baby’s eyes would open. Even I know it happens between 30-45 days. If he doesn’t know what’s normal for Panda babies, how can he examine the cub and say that it is healthy, etc. Scary!
August 31st, 2007 at 10:12 am
Dr.Geoff,
I have listened to your interesting appraisal of Bai Yun’s 4th cub at 27days old and understand the dilemma you face in determining the correct sex of the cub.
I breed Siamese cats which are a small ‘domestic’ animal - I do not have the expert knowledge and qualifications required by a veterinarian to determine the sex of a panda cub or other animals.
I have however encountered times when it takes a few additional days of development in a kitten to make a positive decision regarding the correct sex, I do this by holding the tail high and noting the distance from the anus to the genitals, the female organs being closer together than a male.
I look forward to the day when one of the veterinarians are able to give us the news that they have determined the sex of Bai’s latest cub.
I wonder if other pandaholics heard a possible ’slip of the tongue’ when Dr. Geoff mentioned ‘her’ weight at approx 1-20mins on the recording, and referred to a comparison of the development with those of of Su Lin - and not Mei Sheng?
All speculation ~ they love to keep us on our toes so we must await the happy announcement and be thankful that wonderful mom Bai as always is doing a great job and her cub is happy and thriving.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:17 am
So the suspense thickens. The vet comparing our little “girl” to Su Lin. Hum, not Mei Sheng but Su Lin what does that tell everyone? Our little “Bright Star” is petty sneeky making the vet guess her gender. Anyway we all look at it this new addition is pretty cute. Any chance us Pandaholics could have access to the little one with a special preview? Have a great holiday weekend everyone. See you at the zoo.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Regret that I was not impressed by the vets comments - like all others that say that Tai & Mei Lan sex was determined by their second exam (which was even a week earlier). While he may be a good vet he didn’t seem up to speed on pandas.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:41 am
I love the pandacam!!!!! Watch it every day and in addition, send myself postcards. Now I have a chronicle of the entire development process thus far in a Snapfish photo album. I’m kind of excited about this and will create an album once the cub is older. If anybody would like to order an album from me, who is interested in this type of chronology, I’d be happy to take orders. I’ll watch for responses on this blog.
I am very much looking forward to attending the event in Atlanta marking our panda cub Mei Lan’s first birthday.
Pandaholic here!
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:32 am
To Hazel ~ I also heard Dr. Geoff refer to “her” during his interview and took note, as you did, of the comparison of the new “cubbie” to her sister, Su Lin. Hope we hear the news next time that “she” is a girl! I agree with Sharon that female pandas are especially valuable for reproduction purposes and, in addition…I really want “her” to be a little girl! I’ve watched Mei Lan of Atlanta every day since she was born and look forward to her first birthday celebration this week. It’s easy to imagine what a good “mommy” she’ll be one day when Lun Lun has been such a good mom to her. I’m new to the panda cams but have been a pandaholic ever since I abscounded with my older sister’s stuffed panda - a gift from her teacher. I was four years old and destined to a lifetime of loving pandas!
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:24 pm
I am amazed at the arrogance displayed by some visitors to this site. We are all so fortunate to have access to these wonderful updates, straight out of the mouths of those who work with these precious animals. To question the ability of the vet as some have done here is not only rude, but out of line. We should be so lucky as to have his dilemma of wanting to get the gender answer absolutely correct before announcing it to the world, and having so many great animals to work with that not all details on one species can jump right to his lips. Shame on those who would armchair quarterback their way into a more expert opinion than one whose credentials qualified him for the job we can only envy.
September 4th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Agreed, Coral.
Back in the 60’s when I worked as a Medical Technologist, all of us used cheat sheets to remind us of what the normal blood values were for the tests we did. And we only worked with one species….man! But many of the normal values differed between males, females, and children.
Considering the number of different species with which the zoo vets work, I am not at all surprised that they cannot immediately rattle off the statistics and developmental milestones for all of the animal young. Nor am I surprised that the gender of the cub has not been confirmed. Bravo to the vet for admitting that he could not make a definitive gender determination, and also for admitting that he wasn’t sure when the cub’s eyes would open. I would much rather have honest answers from these professionals.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I agree too Coral. I feel very privileged to be able to see this most miraculous unveiling of a wild animal’s life.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:55 am
What a lovely little Panda cub, just saw it today in the newspaper here too. How about a name for the little beauty? My suggestion is Pandiego!