Panda Cub Updates (March - January 2009)
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| Xi Lan takes a liking to his new turf |
Monday, March 30
Today we are testing out the baby-proofing of the outdoor habitat that Heather described in her update last week. Around 8:45 this morning, Lun Lun and Xi Lan made their first trip into the outside exhibit. This was Lun Lun’s first time back outside since before she gave birth to Xi Lan, so she made sure to check out the entire exhibit and smell everything when she first entered the exhibit. Once all was to her liking, she sat down to eat her morning bamboo. Xi Lan spent all morning exploring his new digs. He safely navigated the rocks, climbing in and out of the moat at least three times. He also climbed the small shrub in front of the structure and generally just puttered about. They were given access to the dayroom at 10:45 a.m. and both made their way in shortly after that. Just as we did when we introduced him to the dayroom, we will increase the time that Xi Lan spends in the outdoor habitat with Lun Lun until he seems totally comfortable in the new area. Then they will take turns spending time in the habitats so that all of the bears get to spend some time outside.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
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| Life isn't too bad for Xi Lan! |
Wednesday, March 25
We have been busy this past weekend baby-proofing one of the outdoor exhibits for Xi Lan. He and Lun Lun will be going outside very soon. To ensure Xi Lan's safety while he is in the outdoor habitat, we have made several modifications. For example, we have filled the bottom of the moat with pine straw to provide a cushion in case Xi Lan happens to fall in (you all know how much panda cubs love to fall!). We also added a thick rope made of coconut husks for Xi Lan to use as a ladder to climb out of the moat. We have also drained the pool of water as an additional safety measure. These are the same precautions that we took when Mei Lan went outside for the first time and they worked well. Mei Lan loved to climb in and out of the moat and often played down there while her mother was eating. We think Xi Lan will do well outside and will enjoy having a new area to explore. We are all very excited to see him outdoors for the first time, and we’ll keep you posted on when that will be!
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper II
Friday, March 20
PandaCam is back! So please feel free to watch Zoo Atlanta’s panda family to your heart’s content. Be careful though, because too much PandaCam can result in excessive cooing, baby talk at your computer, and family meal discussions centered around Xi Lan’s newest adventures.
Don’t worry about missing what happens after PandaCam is turned off for the day, because we’ll be sure to keep you updated on all of Xi Lan’s behind-the-scenes moments. For example, today Xi Lan was strengthening his leg muscles by waltzing around on his hind feet. He held onto mesh of his den walls to balance himself as he took one step at a time, nearly circling the entire den this way. It was like he was scaling the ridge of a steep mountain! He then promptly followed his mother into the dayroom, probably eager to try his new technique on his favorite wooden structure. Or maybe he had worn himself out from the workout and he just wanted to take a nap.
Caroline Jones
Seasonal Carnivore Keeper
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| The great lengths Xi Lan goes to for a back scratch! |
Wednesday, March 18
Yesterday, Heather and I were able to collect current measurements on the ever-growing Xi Lan. Keep in mind that these results may be slightly off due to the wiggle factor, as it is hard to get exact measurements when the subject is in constant motion. His body length (from tip of nose to tail base) is 89 cm. (35 in.), tail length is 11 cm. (4.3 in.), neck girth is 41 cm. (16.1 in.), chest girth is 53 cm. (20.9 in.), belly is girth 62 cm. (24.4 in.) and nose pad width is 5 cm. (2 in.). He currently weighs 12.2 kg. (26.9 lbs.).
All of this growth is a result of him consuming Lun Lun’s milk, as this is still Xi Lan’s main source of food. We have, however, seen him chewing on leafeater biscuits during the past week or so. We can’t tell if he is actually eating the biscuits or just chewing on them. But I do know that yesterday he found one of Lun Lun’s banana pieces, which he proceeded to eat and just like Mei Lan; he sucked it down, since he does not yet have the chewing concept figured out.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Monday, March 16
Oh, rainy days! With the weather during the past few days, we’ve kept Yang Yang inside (or else we would’ve had to deal with a grumpy bear, because he’s not very fond of the rain). Mei Lan doesn’t mind the rain so much, and will often just sit in the rock cave at the top of the exhibit, watching the water droplets while munching on her bamboo. Which brings the question: how will Xi Lan react to rain when he’s all grown up? Will he be like his dad and prefer the dry inside? Or perhaps be entertained by the rain like his sister? Pandas are well-suited for the cold and wet with their thick fur, so either way will be fine. I like to imagine that with his fixation for the dayroom water bowls, he might love rain puddles!
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| Rainy days are good for snuggling up with a good book-and by book, I mean panda |
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Speaking of which, today Xi Lan was able to reach the water bowl without any help from his stepping stool. And because of his increased activity, he followed Lun Lun into one of the inside dens before Kate and I refreshed the dayroom bamboo instead of just staying up in his structure. Our little boy won’t stay little for long, so be sure to come by the Zoo Atlanta panda exhibit before he’s all grown up!
Caroline Jones
Seasonal Carnivore Keeper
Friday, March 13
Hunger takes precedence over playing with cub, at least according to Lun Lun. Yesterday, all that Xi Lan wanted to do was play with his mom, and all that Lun Lun wanted to do was eat. So, Lun Lun instituted the well-patented panda mom foot block. This involves Xi Lan continuously attempting to climb on, chew on, and generally pestering Lun Lun. While he does this, Lun Lun continues to eat her bamboo, while using her back feet to push, deter, and block Xi Lan from getting too close. Yesterday this continued for about 10 minutes, until Xi Lan gave up and he returned to his normal spot on the climbing structure to take another nap
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Thursday, March 12
The Un-Panda
Could a red panda sue a giant panda for copyright infringement? Not technically, no, but in theory, absolutely! When western scientists discovered a luxuriantly-furred, reddish-colored arboreal mammal in 1821, they referred to it as a “panda” (a derivation of the Nepalese nigalya ponya, or “bamboo eater”). When a certain black-and-white new species came on the scene in 1869, science tagged it “giant panda” based on superficial resemblances to the original. At that time, the red panda was assigned the name “lesser panda.”
So who’s the “real” panda? Taxonomically, the two are only distantly related. Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) and giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) do share some common traits. Both have pseudothumbs (specially evolved wrist bones ideal for grasping), and both eat almost exclusively bamboo. Both inhabit high-altitude Asian forests, although the giant panda’s range is much more limited than the red panda’s, which extends beyond China to Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and India.
Nineteenth century nomenclature may have given red pandas a raw deal, but their Chinese name – hunho, meaning “fire fox” – gave these shy, mild-mannered animals a sizzle all their own. Visit Shandy in the Asian Forest next time you’re at the Zoo!
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| Xi Lan knows something juicy, because that sure looks like a good secret! |
Friday, March 6
This week Xi Lan has spent more time on the ground in the dayrooms, running around and playing with his mother or the enrichment items. However, he still prefers to spend most of the day in his favorite spot on the climbing structure with the hammock. He has also ventured over into the other dayroom a couple of times and climbed up to the top of the structure in there. He even fell asleep up in that structure one afternoon, but overall he spends very little time in that dayroom. Xi Lan’s latest weight is 11.4 kg. (25 lbs.).
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper II
Thursday, March 5
Holy Bologna did we get a lot of caption entries! We picked two captions because they were both so cute and original.
Thanks for submitting!
| Caption this image | |
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TIMBBBBBERRRRR! Being this cute is a heavy burden. |
Monday, March 2
Mother Nature paid us a nice visit today here at Zoo Atlanta. The day started off with a cold rain, which led to sleet, which led to snow. When all was said and done, I believe we got about four inches of the stuff, if not more. The reason I bring it up is that Mei Lan has never seen snow, or at least never enough to accumulate. Well, today would be her day. After it had been snowing for some time, and there was a good bit on the ground, we gave Mei Lan access to one of the outdoor habitats. Being that giant pandas are built for the cold, we were sure she was going to love it. We couldn't have been any more wrong! Upon exiting the building she gave the yard a look, but did not venture away from a sheltered corner for a while. She then bolted to the climbing structure in the center of the habitat and ran underneath, where she would be sheltered from the blizzard. After spending a couple of minutes under the structure, she bolted to the front of the exhibit, which as luck would have it, the area is covered with an awning and was devoid of snow. She paused here for a few brief moments before actually setting off on a tour of the entire habitat. She did actually walk around the whole habitat; however, she stuck close to the side walls. The walls also sheltered her from the snow and the ground was clear next to them. When she got most of the way around the habitat, and saw the open door to the building was in reach, she bolted inside to the nice heated building. Although we left the door open for a while, she never ventured anywhere near it for the rest of the day. Oh well, maybe next time will be different.
Kenn Harwood
Lead Keeper of Carnivores
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| The panda staff pose with the quilt |
Thursday, February 26
Every once in a while, one of our giant panda fans truly goes the extra mile to show their love for and dedication to our favorite black-and-white royalty. On February 16, longtime panda fan Cherie Goodwin of Massachusetts presented Zoo Atlanta’s Carnivore Department with a gorgeous handmade quilt inspired by spectacular photos of – guess who – our very own Xi Lan, Mei Lan, Lun Lun and Yang Yang. Ms. Goodwin also brought a toy ball for Xi Lan and gifts for his keepers. (But we all know that getting to watch Xi Lan play with his new ball will be a gift in itself!)
On behalf of your panda friends in Atlanta, thank you, Cherie, for the beautiful work of your hands and your heart!
Monday, February 23
As I’m sure some of you have heard or noticed, Yang is entering breeding season and Xi Lan has become more active in the dayroom. This created an interesting situation this morning. In breeding season, males go on long walking bouts, which we describe as “locomoting.” During this time, Yang wanders all over his exhibit, from corner to corner, occasionally passing by the glass between the habitat and the dayroom. While I was watching Xi Lan play on top of his structure, I noticed right at the moment that Yang passed by the glass, Xi Lan stopped and stared. His facial expression was literally, “Who is that?”
In the wild, male adult pandas generally wouldn't come across their offspring. Mothers are very protective and will keep their cubs away from any other adult giant panda. Xi Lan didn’t get down from the structure, but instead stayed and watched Yang walk for a bit more. After a minute or two, Xi Lan became bored with Yang’s locomoting behaviors and continued to play on the wooden structure like a kid on a jungle gym.
Caroline Jones
Carnivore Seasonal Keeper
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| Over logs and bamboo, Xi Lan has his lay of the land |
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Friday, February 20
Xi Lan has been very active this morning. On most mornings, he heads straight for the top of the climbing structure when he and Lun Lun first enter the dayroom. Often times, he then takes a nap in his favorite spot on the structure. Today, however, he has spent quite a bit of time motoring around the dayroom, stopping only briefly for a quick drink of water. Although he still uses the bale of hay that we’ve provided him to reach the drinker, it’s now very easy for him to drink out of the elevated water bowl (this morning he weighed 10.4 kg). Xi Lan has also spent some time sampling the logs in the dayroom. At his age, giant pandas like to explore things in their environment, and like young children, a lot of the exploring is done with their mouths. Xi Lan also spent some time this morning playing with the enrichment item that the keepers put in the dayroom. So, while Lun Lun was busy eating this morning, Xi Lan was perfectly willing to find ways to entertain himself. Right now, I’m watching him slide down one of the logs of the climbing structure to make his way to the hammock. It looks likes he’s still not quite ready for his morning nap.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Thursday, February 19
Fun for cubs: make your own giant panda mask!
Giant pandas are amazing in many different ways, but one thing about them that really sticks out is their unique black-and-white coloration. Follow the directions below to make your very own panda mask.
Materials:
- 1 piece of black construction paper
- 1 paper plate
- Glue
- 2 pieces of yarn
- A black marker
- Scissors
- Hole punch
Instructions:
- Cut your paper plate in half. (You can keep the other half for a friend to make another panda mask.)
- Cut round eye holes in the paper plate, so you can see out of your mask.
- Cut round ears and a heart-shaped nose out of the black construction paper and glue them to your mask.
- Use your black marker to color around the eyes.
- Punch holes on each side of the mask and tie a string to each hole. Now you have your very own panda mask!
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| Xi lan evoking a lint roller |
Wednesday, February 18
Yesterday Heather and I were able to collect current measurements on the ever-growing Xi Lan. Keep in mind that these results may be slightly off due to the wiggle factor, as it is hard to get exact measurements when the subject is in constant motion. His body length (from tip of nose to tail base) is 86 cm. (33.9 in.), tail length is 11 cm. (4.3 in.), neck girth is 33.5 cm. (13.2 in.), chest girth is 47 cm. (18.5 in.), belly is girth 51.5 cm. (20.3 in.) and nose pad width is 4 cm. (1.6 in.). He currently weighs 10.1 kg. (22.3 lbs.).
And here’s a little more information for you panda fans: current weights on the other pandas. Lun Lun’s weight is ranging between 103-113 kg. (227-248 lbs.), Yang Yang weighs between 126-138 kgs. (277-304 lbs.), and Mei Lan weighs between 69-74 kgs. (152-163 lbs.). So, you can see Xi Lan has a lot more growing to do over the next few years!
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
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| Asleep in the trees... |
Monday, February 16
Today’s update will be about a subject everyone loves – sleep! Because the giant pandas spend quite a bit of their time sleeping, it is very easy to see that they differ in the location and position that they prefer. Lun seems to prefer to sleep off of the ground, especially when she is in dayroom. Of course now that she has Xi Lan, she does spend most of her time on the ground when she sleeps, so she can sleep with him. Yang is the exact opposite of Lun. He prefers to sleep on the ground, either in a loose ball or completely sprawled out. What makes his sleeping habits so amusing is that most of the time when he dozes off, he will have what we call a “snaggle tooth”. His top lip will slowly curl up and he will have his top, right canine exposed. When Mei Lan was a cub she preferred to sleep up in the dayroom tree structure. She would sprawl out in the middle of the vertical tree branch. What is interesting now is that her brother sleeps up in that same tree, but prefers a totally different spot. Xi Lan wedges himself under and in between the structure’s logs. Now that Mei Lan is older she almost sleeps in an identical way to Lun, by finding a nice spot off of the ground. I’m curious to see how Xi Lan’s sleeping preferences will change as he gets older. Who knew there were so many different ways a panda could sleep? Nevertheless, they all do share a single preference when it comes to sleeping: a good sleep is a really, really, long sleep!
Lynn Culver
Carnviore Keeper I
Friday, February 13
Xi Lan learned how to climb overnight! All week he has been trying to climb up the structure in the dayroom, which is where he likes to spend his days. He has tried many different ways to climb up the structure, but never managed to get very far. Wednesday, however, he was suddenly at the top of the structure! None of us saw Xi Lan climb until yesterday, so we could not figure out how he had done it. This morning, JT and I saw him climb right up as if it were no problem at all. Now the top of the structure is his favorite spot. He spent most of the day up there, sleeping and playing. Lun Lun pulled Xi Lan down from time to time to play with him or nurse him, but when she left him to eat, he climbed straight back up onto the structure.
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper II
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| log, pillow, log, pillow |
Wednesday, February 11
As Kate indicated in her update on Monday, Xi Lan is now spending his days on exhibit, and during this time, he does quite a bit of resting; he is a growing cub, after all! But because Xi Lan is spending more time on exhibit, you'll probably have the opportunity to see him do more than sleep. The other day, for example, he spent quite a bit of time in the afternoon playing with Lun Lun. Although this is not all that unusual now, he seems be getting a bit more creative in his play behavior. During this particular play bout, he used one of his enrichment items, a plastic "donut,” as a type of platform. He stood on it while he was playing with Lun Lun, and then launched himself off of it and onto his mom. Despite his expert moves, he seemed to occasionally change his mind during the play bout and try to get away from Lun Lun. But his mom is bigger and stronger, and maybe she has some important things to teach Xi Lan during these play bouts, so she pulled him back for more.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Monday, February 9
Well, he’s finally done it! Xi Lan now spends the entire day out on exhibit with Lun Lun. He is now comfortable enough in the dayroom that he doesn’t sleep at the door that leads to the off-exhibit dens, waiting for it to open. Instead, he climbs into the hammock, which meets all of his napping needs. I have not yet seen a pattern to his behavior, since it does seem like he rests most of the day. But it isn’t uncommon for him to be active first thing in the morning, when he tries to entice Lun Lun to play with him. Be sure to stop by and see Xi Lan; he’s usually in the dayroom from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Friday, February 6
Over the last week, Xi Lan has urinated twice. I was somewhat surprised to see this, because I don’t remember Mei Lan having any noticeable urine when she was this age. This is not the first time that I have seen urine from Xi Lan; the first time was about a month ago. He must be doing more than just playing in the water bowl! We should be seeing him urinate more frequently as he gets older.
How can I tell that its Xi Lan's urine, you might be asking? Well, there are two ways to distinguish Xi Lan's urine from Lun Lun's urine. The first way is color- it is bright yellow, almost neon in color. That is normally the first indication, but we don't draw our conclusion on color alone. The other characteristic that distinguishes it is the unique odor. I can't really describe the smell, but it is much different than that of the adult giant pandas, and something that I definitely won’t forget.
Well, I hope that this topic didn't gross anyone out too much. For most keepers, urine doesn't bother us much, because it's pretty much a part of our every day life.
Joseph T. Svoke
Carnivore Keeper III
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| A very young Yang Yang |
Thursday, February 5
A bit of family trivia for a chilly Thursday …
The number 8 is one of the most significant numerals in Chinese culture and is considered to represent luck and prosperity. But looking at Yang Yang’s family, we have to wonder if there’s not something to be said for the number 9.
Yang Yang’s keepers in Chengdu originally called him Jiu Jiu, which means “nine nine.” Yang Yang was born on 9/9 in 1997. Yang Yang’s little sisters, the twins Liu Jiu and Wu Jiu, were born on 9/9/99. (How’s that for nines?) Liu Jiu means “six nines” and Wu Jiu means “five nines.”
Of course, we think Yang Yang’s pretty significant, no matter how the numerology stacks up.
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| The hammock is delish! |
Wednesday, February 4
Xi Lan has discovered leafeater biscuits! We feed the giant pandas leafeater biscuits daily, which contain vitamins, minerals and protein. In appearance, they resemble dog biscuits. We use them as training rewards and as a supplement to the bamboo. The pandas love them! Over the weekend, I saw Xi Lan pick up one of Lun Lun's biscuits and start chewing on it. He has been interested in them for a while, but this is the first time I have seen him pick one up. He gnawed on it for a couple of minutes until Lun Lun noticed that he had it. When she did, she took it right out of his mouth! I guess mother knows best, because Xi Lan is not ready to eat biscuits yet. I don’t think he ingested any of the biscuit, he just chewed on it; his teeth are still coming in, so he chews on everything he can get his mouth around. Pretty soon, though, Lun Lun will have some stiff competition for those biscuits! I remember when Mei Lan started eating biscuits. She ate all the ones she could find before Lun Lun could eat them.
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper II
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| Perfecting his signature model pose |
Monday, February 2
On January 23, we told you how we were starting to limit Lun Lun’s and Xi Lan’s access to the off-exhibit space during the day by giving them less off-exhibit den space. Well, the transition to being on exhibit full-time for young Xi Lan is moving along smoothly. Last week, we started giving Lun Lun and Xi Lan the dayroom with no access to off exhibit space for 45 minutes. We gradually increased the time in the dayroom, and over the weekend we expanded it to five hours. When Xi Lan is given access to the off-exhibit space after being in the dayroom exclusively, he seems to prefer the off-exhibit area. However, when he is on exhibit he has become comfortable enough in the area to curl up for short naps. It shouldn’t be long before he is totally comfortable in the dayroom and can spend the whole day out there. We will then have to start working on teaching him to shift, so that the dayroom can be cleaned throughout the day.
This is a good time to come see Xi Lan. He is practicing climbing and seems to be learning something new each day. At this time of year it’s fairly quiet at the giant panda exhibit. So, beat the spring crowds and come see Xi Lan and the rest of our giant panda family!
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Friday, January 30
Every once in a while I am reminded of how much giant pandas can eat. Before leaving for my weekend, I noticed that the three older bears were eating some of the bamboo we were providing them, but not in any great quantity. Today, though, Yang, Lun and Mei are acting like huge wood chippers, and devouring nearly everything that they have been given. It is good to know that they like the species of bamboo that we are offering them. The only one that has not eaten yet today is Xi Lan (at least I have not seen him nurse). There probably hasn’t been much opportunity for him to nurse, because Lun has been concentrated on eating, but I’m sure he will get lots of nursing opportunities tonight. Both Lun and Mei have little bellies on them, which makes me feel good, because it shows that they are enjoying their bamboo. Yang doesn’t have a belly at the moment, but then again, he hardly ever forms a belly; he must carry his weight differently. It makes life more difficult when they eat a lot of bamboo, because there is much more to clean up. On the other hand, mentally it is refreshing, because we don’t have to constantly try different species of bamboo to find the one that they will eat.
Joseph T. Svoke
Carnivore Keeper II
Thursday, January 29
You love them for their distinctive coloration, and you know they’re China’s national treasure. But did you know there was an old legend from their native land that tells the story of how giant pandas ended up black-and-white?
The Legend of the Panda
According to legend, giant pandas were once pure white. Perhaps this is why the story’s heroine – a young Chinese shepherd girl – occasionally encountered friendly pandas among her white sheep. Disaster struck one day: a marauding leopard attacked one of the girl’s panda friends. The girl rushed into the fray to try to save the panda, who escaped with his life. The girl was not so lucky.
When the panda told the others of the girl’s death, they were devastated. As a symbol of their mourning, the pandas coated their front legs with ashes. As they dried their tears, the ashes stained their eyes black. As they held each other close, the ashes colored their shoulders. As their keening wails of grief grew too loud to bear, the pandas raised their paws to their ears, turning them black, too. Ever since, giant pandas have borne the black stains.
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| Dry now, but not for long... |
Wednesday, January 28
As Lynn pointed out in the last update, Xi Lan has developed an interest in the automatic water bowls. He is able to stand on his hind legs to drink from the water bowls in the dens, but he cannot reach the top of the water bowl in the dayroom. To remedy this, we installed a step for him to more easily gain access to the water bowl. Upon installation, it took him a mere five minutes to discover the step. He was able to climb the step with little difficulty and was able investigate the top of the water bowl for the first time. He is quite a quick learner, and found out that water is not only good for drinking, but it is also very good for sitting in. He actually climbed into the water bowl and sat in it. I don't really know if he liked this, because he wanted to get out pretty fast. To accomplish this, he jumped out and tumbled to the mulch below. This was all funny enough. But in true child form, the first thing he did upon hitting the ground was bounce up and run over to mommy, dripping the whole way. I don't know how much he enjoyed his first bath, but I can guarantee that it will not be the last time he ends up in the water bowl.
Xi Lan weighed 8.7 kg (19.18 lbs) today.
Kenn Harwood
Lead Keeper of Carnivores
Monday, January 26
Even though I am a Northerner, like most Atlantans, I am not particularly fond of the cold weather. However, the giant pandas undoubtedly relish these cold, brisk temperatures. During the month of January, when the temperatures are cooler and breeding season approaches, it’s typical to see a lot of play behavior from Yang Yang. This year is no exception. For the past week or so he has been bouncing off the walls, literally. He runs around full speed in the back den areas and somersaults around in the habitats. What is also really exciting to see is this same play behavior from Mei Lan. She has been significantly more playful in the past few weeks than I have ever seen her. Kenn and Kate told me that she even spent over 20 minutes one morning occupied in a dayroom with her big red ball. She was intensely “play attacking” the ball and chasing it around. It is quite a treat to see them increasingly playful and spunky.
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| Mei Lan |
Xi Lan weighed 8.3kg (18.3 lbs) on Friday. Today he took his first (that I have seen) drink of water from one of the automatic water bowls. He has to stand on his hind legs to do that and seems to be getting a lot better at it, which is also important for learning to climb.
Lynn Culver
Keeper I Carnivores
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| Xi lan attempts a climb under the watchful gaze of Lun Lun |
Friday, January 23
This week we started excluding Lun Lun and Xi Lan from most of their off exhibit den area when they go into the dayroom at 10:00 a.m. Xi Lan has still been going into the off exhibit space, but he also comes back into the dayroom. After an hour or two, we give them access to all of their off exhibit den space. We will gradually increase the time that they are excluded from this area over the next week. The next step will be to close the door to the dayroom, so that they do not have access to any off exhibit space. We will start doing this for short amounts of time, and then gradually increase the amount of time the door is closed. We followed a similar procedure to help Mei Lan adjust to being on exhibit for longer periods of time.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
Thursday, January 22
If you’re hooked on pandas, you know that no, they don’t all look the same. But if you’re a self-proclaimed panda aficionado, would you be prepared for a pop quiz next time you’re asked about your hobby? Don’t be caught saying “I don’t know” at the next party conversation next to the hors d’oeuvres table. We’ve got you covered with Panda Tidbit #1:
Most everyone agrees that giant pandas are black and white. However, where the black and white end and begin are different for each panda, and their unique coloration may even be inherited. Take, for example, our own pandas. Yang Yang, our male adult, has a white patch on his otherwise black back foot. Lun Lun, the matriarch, has a few hairs on the tip of her white tail that are black. If you take a close look at their offspring, Mei Lan and Xi Lan, you might see they too each have a black tip on their white tail and white patches on their black back feet.
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| What a mug! |
Wednesday, January 21
Xi Lan continues to grow physically – yesterday he weighed 8.1 kilograms. As he grows, he also becomes more coordinated. When he plays with Lun Lun, it is no longer quite as one-sided as it once was. Previously when Lun Lun would gently bite and paw at Xi Lan he wouldn't respond much at all, except to do a little squirming and rolling. In other words, Xi Lan and Lun Lun would engage in non-reciprocal play fighting, because Xi Lan wouldn't reciprocate when Lun Lun would play with him. Now that Xi Lan is stronger and more mobile, he bites and paws back, and sometimes even initiates play bouts with his mom. Yesterday when I collected data, I watched Xi Lan and Lun Lun play fight for quite some time. During the play bout Xi Lan was very focused on Lun Lun, and instead of just squirming and rolling, he bit her, pawed at her face, and climbed on her. Both Lun Lun and Xi Lan were focused on each other during the play bout, and thus, were engaged in reciprocal play fighting. Studying play behavior is somewhat challenging, because play can be difficult to define. It's easy to identify it when we see it, but from a scientific standpoint, it isn't always easy to agree on a definition for play. Fortunately, we don't always have to watch the giant pandas from a scientific point of view, and sometimes we simply get to enjoy watching a mother and cub playing together. It's also fortunate that Xi Lan is just starting to play fight with Lun Lun, because we can all look forward to watching these two play together for many months to come.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Monday, January 19
Recently, I have been working primarily on (what we call) the “meat-eating carnivore” side of the department. This means I am only in the giant panda building about once a week. However, every time I come into the building to work, Xi Lan has conquered some new behavior, whether it be crawling, walking, etc. Today I got to experience another one of those milestones -- his first on-exhibit tree climbing attempt! Lun Lun and Xi Lan spent quite a bit of their afternoon in the dayroom together. While Lun Lun was eating her fresh pile of bamboo, Xi Lan decided to give climbing the tree structure a try. As I watched, he sat directly up onto his behind and used his back legs to push his body up on his hind legs. He then wrapped both of this arms around the base tree and tried to get his entire body off of the ground. After pulling himself only about an inch off the ground, he was no longer able to hold himself up and slipped off of the branch falling down directly on his bottom. He must have been really determined because he attempted to climb up four more times; every time ending in the same crash to the woodchip floor. After that, he seemed to give up and returned back inside for a very long nap. There is a lot of determination in the little guy, and I can’t wait to see him scaling up trees within the next month or so.
Lynn Culver
Keeper I Carnviores
Friday, January 16
In recent days Xi Lan has been spending quite a bit of time manipulating and mouthing bamboo. He won’t actually start to eat bamboo until he is about 13-14 months old when he has a full set of teeth. He will still be nursing at that age too. He will gradually eat more bamboo and nurse less over a period of a few months and by 18 months of age will be ready to be weaned from his mother. Although bamboo won’t become part of his diet for several months, Xi Lan is already interested in his mother’s primary food and is practicing skills he will need later to feed efficiently on bamboo, which is a tough, woody grass. All giant panda cubs spend time manipulating bamboo before they are old enough to ingest it. The behavior begins at around four months of age which is also the same age they begin to walk. This coincides with when they would begin to leave the den in the wild and follow their mothers to feeding sites.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
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| One poopt panda |
Thursday, January 15
Hi panda fans, we just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your support. Not only do we get emails from all over the States, but we also get messages from all over the world - Japan, Germany, England, the list goes on! Here are a few snippets of some funny, even heartwarming notes of support we’ve garnered from y’all.
I thank you, all the way from near Chicago, Illinois for the wonderful love and care you are providing to our beloved pandas. Rest assured, we will be watching and praying for your continued success in helping Lun Lun raise a wonderful little cubbie for us all to enjoy.
Can't possibly imagine a world without pandas in it. Thank you, thank you for all you do to keep them a treasured part of our lives!
I visited Lun and Yang when they first moved to the Zoo. I have pictures of them when they were still together in the same habitat. Since then, I have visited them several times. I have also been able to visit and see Mei Lan several times. She is such a sweetie. When Mei Lan was born, I was just thrilled. I have watched her grow from that little stick of butter stage to the cutie she is now. I just love pandas. It is so special for myself and my family to get to visit the pandas at Zoo Atlanta. Thank you for all you do for them.
Wednesday, January 14
It’s been a while since I have had the pleasure of working with Xi Lan and the rest of the pandas. The little lad has done a bunch of growing since the last time I spent some time with him. Not only is he mobile these days, but he is also extremely inquisitive about his environment. I worked closely with Mei Lan when she was growing up, and I don’t remember her exploring nearly as much as Xi Lan does. While we were doing our routine morning cleaning, which takes several hours, he was never in the same spot from where I had last seen him. First, he was up on the mesh and then he was in another den playing with some wood wool. He would go into the dayroom for a while and then he would come back inside. He even followed us for a while. When all of that seemed to bore him, there was always mom to annoy, which he did for a little while. Once Xi Lan had accomplished all of the playing and exploring, then came the inevitable crash. After several hours of play time, Lun Lun took him into the dayroom hammock to feed him lunch. After lunch, he curled up with mom for a well-deserved nap. That was about four hours ago, and he hasn’t moved a muscle since. I guess being an inquisitive kid really takes it out of you.
On a side note, Xi Lan weighed 7.7 kg today.
Kenn Harwood
Lead Keeper of Carnivores
Monday, January 12
The temperatures have started to drop here in Atlanta, making it feel more like winter. Along with this change in season, we are beginning to see the start of breeding season behaviors in Yang Yang. Over the last week we have seen a small increase in his activity, including walking around his habitat and more frequent scent markings. In the wild, both of these behaviors would help him locate and notify females near his home range that he is around and ready when needed. These behaviors also advertise his presence to other males with which he would compete for access to cycling females. Yang Yang does not yet know that this year he will not have the opportunity to mate, because Lun Lun will not cycle while she is nursing Xi Lan.
Mei Lan is also enjoying the cooler weather and continues to peel and eat both rivercane and yellow groove bamboo. Lun Lun is still spending her time indoors in the off exhibit dens and dayrooms, because Xi Lan is still a little small to negotiate the outdoor habitats. Xi Lan will spend all day on exhibit only if Lun Lun leaves him in the hammock, otherwise he still prefers the off exhibit dens. His motor skills have definitely improved and he seems to enjoy short bouts of wandering around the dens checking out his area.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
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| panda cub or corn on the cob? |
Friday, January 9
Friday morning, Xi Lan put a little smile on my face. Kate had given all the giant pandas some cardboard tubing to play with overnight, but Yang Yang and Lun Lun didn’t do much with theirs. Mei Lan destroyed hers while trying to get all the treats hidden inside. Around 9 a.m., Xi Lan started to play with the tube that Lun Lun had left. He was biting down hard, shaking his head like he was attempting to tear a piece off. He probably sat there for about 30 minutes doing all sorts of things with the tube, having a good old time. More and more we will be starting to expose him to different enrichment items. As he gets older and bigger, we are less worried about him being accidentally injured by enrichment objects. We are still limited in what we can give Lun Lun at this time, because we have to make sure we don’t give her anything too heavy or big that might pose a threat to Xi Lan if she plays with it vigorously. But the number of items is growing. That means there are more things for Xi Lan to play with, too. He has already found Lun Lun to be an enjoyable play toy; now he will have other items as well.
JT Svoke
Carnivore Keeper II
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| ang Yang and his mother Ya Ya |
Thursday, January 8
If you fall under the category of can’t-get-enough-of-all-things-panda, did you know that Zoo Atlanta also has a thriving MySpace community? Be sure to check it out – we just started a new Giant Panda Family Album featuring new photos of Lun Lun and Yang Yang as infants, early snapshots of the stars hanging out as juveniles, not to mention some of the “best of” from Mei Lan’s 2-plus years. (Xi Lan, of course, has his own photographic shrine!) Get involved – join as a friend today on www.myspace.com/zooATL.
Wednesday, January 7
Lun Lun and Xi Lan are still getting accustomed to being on exhibit every day. We want them to be comfortable in the dayroom before we start limiting access to their off- exhibit dens. The first few days Xi Lan went in the dayroom he stayed there for at least an hour and sometimes as long as five hours. In the last week, though, he has usually hustled back to the off-exhibit dens after being in the dayroom for only a few minutes. Lun Lun has other ideas. She often carries him back out to the dayroom. Sometimes he stays and sometimes he doesn’t. If she puts him in the hammock, he usually settles down and sleeps there for a few hours. That was the case today.
We will continue to give Lun Lun and Xi Lan access to the off-exhibit dens for a couple more weeks to allow them to adjust to being on exhibit regularly. When we think they are ready, we will start limiting access to the dens for increasingly longer periods. This is the same process we used to help Mei Lan become accustomed to regular exhibit hours.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
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| Xi Lan succumbs to the hammock's sleep inducing power |
Monday, January 5
I have been away from the giant pandas for about two weeks and upon my return I see the cutest little cub, who is now walking! He really has gotten bigger and his mobility has increased quite a bit as mentioned in the previous updates. One other detail that has changed is that the nest box was removed from the birthing den. Now that Xi Lan and Lun Lun will sleep anywhere, there is no longer a need for the nest box. So it was removed to make it easier to clean the den.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Sunday, January 4
We are frequently asked whether or not Mei Lan can tell if she has a little brother, and this seems like a particularly good question now that Xi Lan is spending time in the dayroom. When Xi Lan is the dayroom, there's a good chance that Mei Lan will be next door, in the adjacent habitat. The dayroom and the habitat are separated by a thick, glass wall, and you may see Mei Lan spending time near the glass. Does Mei Lan see her little brother through the glass? There really has been very little experimental research conducted on the vision of bears, so it's difficult to determine exactly what she can see, but she can probably see that there are giant pandas on the other side of the glass. When we had three pandas, we often had the situation when all three were on exhibit, which would result in two of the pandas being next to each other in the dayroom and habitat. The pandas spend relatively little time looking at each other through the glass partition when they are housed in this manner.
Giant pandas communicate with each other using a variety of vocalizations and olfactory cues, which do not easily travel through the glass partition. In the case of Mei Lan and Xi Lan, the information that Mei Lan could gain from the sounds and smells of her little brother would probably provide more information to her than visual cues. If, for example, we gave Mei Lan access to the dayroom after Lun Lun and Xi Lan had spent time in it, you would see Mei Lan spend a lot of time sniffing certain areas of the dayroom so that she could gather information about who had been there. So, when you see Mei Lan and Xi Lan in adjacent areas, such as the dayroom and the habitat, it's likely that Mei Lan can see him through the glass, but unlikely that she can recognize him as her little brother from simply looking at him.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Saturday, January 3
Xi Lan had another physical exam yesterday by our veterinary staff. He was weighed and got his rabies vaccination. It turned out to be a very brief exam because Xi Lan did not want to participate. He vocalized several times, and when Lun Lun heard him, she started looking for him and got a little upset when she didn’t find him. (She was eating happily when the veterinarian took Xi Lan for the exam). Xi Lan was quickly returned to the dens, and Lun Lun picked him up and carried him to her favorite spot in the dens and bathed him. Then they played for a few minutes before falling asleep. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to measure Xi Lan during the exam, but he now weighs 6.9 kg.
Heather Baker Roberts
Keeper I, Carnivore Department
Friday, January 2
Today when Xi Lan went out onto exhibit, he reminded me of Mei Lan, and her first days on exhibit. Instead of just walking around the dayroom and interacting with Lun Lun when he first when into the dayroom, Xi Lan decided that he wanted to go back inside; he went right to the doorway that leads to the dens. It took him about 15 minutes to make it over the threshold of the doorway, but he finally made it. He probably could have made it more quickly, but he was more interested in hanging over the top of the threshold. He vocalized a few times while he was hanging there, and Lun pulled him off of the threshold a few times, too. Once over the threshold, Xi Lan got distracted along his journey to the dens, when he decided that it was more interesting to investigate the area around him. It probably contained a lot of new smells that were unfamiliar to him. Eventually he got tired and fell asleep.
When Mei first went out, it was a very similar sight and she and Lun were like two ships passing in the night. Initially Mei would head indoors and go to the furthest part of the building that she could reach, and then go to sleep. Xi Lan never made it that far inside today before he took a nap, but if he’s anything like his big sister, we might see him do the same thing.
Joseph T. Svoke
Carnivore Keeper II
Thursday, January 1
What a year for Zoo Atlanta’s giant pandas! In 2008 we watched Mei Lan grow from an adorable cub into a young lady (although she still retains her dad’s goofy streak). I was reminded today of all her fun adventures, as I watched her dance around the dayroom, playing with her favorite blue ball. During training sessions I am amazed at her successes as now she presents her eye near the mesh for examination. She is confident and eager in her training, and no longer hesitant or confused. And then to experience the birth of Xi Lan in 2008 as well! Growing fast like his big sister, today he followed his mother into another den, climbing over the hurdle that separates the two areas. Before we know it, Xi Lan will be just as strong as his dad. And through it all, Lun Lun has performed her duties as a mother gracefully. From teaching Mei Lan how to be a big girl at the beginning of the year, to nuzzling or playing with Xi Lan now, Lun Lun has remained the picture of motherly love. And Yang Yang is … well, Yang Yang. He’s the funny dad that’s always a hoot while he’s training or just eating bamboo. And with 2008 ending, I look forward to 2009 and the new adventures the year holds for Zoo Atlanta’s giant pandas.
Happy New Year from Zoo Atlanta!
Caroline Jones
Carnivore Seasonal Keeper
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