Panda Cub Updates

Friday, January 6
Po started eating bamboo leaves recently and just like Xi Lan at this age, he is a big eater! Also like Xi Lan, he likes to eat a couple of leafeater biscuits and then eat a couple of mouthfuls of bamboo. Although Po likes biscuits with his bamboo, he will eat bamboo without them as well. I would estimate that Po is consuming the leaves from 3-4 pieces of bamboo each day. As a result of all of this eating, we are also finding more feces from Po as well. We are finding 4-6 piles of Po feces per day (compare this with ~ 30 piles per day from Yang Yang). Po’s most current weight is 25.8 kg.
Heather
Carnivore Keeper II

Friday, December 30
We offer the giant pandas a variety of enrichment to keep their days interesting. One such type of enrichment is frozen produce - usually a frozen apple, banana or sweet potato. Po has gotten little pieces of frozen banana before, but this time we decided to give him a good chunk of a frozen banana. He spent over 30 minutes in the moat of habitat 1 (his favorite place out there) alternating which paw was holding the cold treat as he sucked on the yumminess inside. He teeth aren't big enough and his bite strength not strong enough to chomp down on the frozen fruit like his parents and big brother. So, he just resorted to the baby panda way of eating and sucked on it until he consumed it all! Too cute.
Jen
Keeper I, Carnivores

Wednesday, December 28
The pandas are doing well and sure do appreciate it finally becoming colder. In the dayrooms we gave the pandas Christmas trees to enjoy, and it was pretty humorous to watch. Kenn and I managed to hang two pieces of a Christmas tree from the structure in Dayroom 2 for Xi Lan yesterday morning. I was hoping that he would destroy them in his turbo destructive way. We let him into the dayroom and he walked really close to one and then never went near them again. That is until the afternoon when he finally noticed them. He was climbing to the very top of the structure and grabbing the tree and then trying to hang from it. When I went in to clean up for the evening, I had to completely take the tree down so I could hang it correctly. He had wound the chain three times around the structure. Silly boy! I am glad he had a great time with his Christmas tree. Happy Holidays!
Sheena
Keeper I, Giant Panda

1/5/12~Po is Busy Being Cute~4.30 min.< Video link


First he's up playing with a squished jolly ball, near his Christmas tree bed~~after dropping it he goes after his blanket and looks like he covers himself up with it {chilly Po:question:}~~after he drops it he goes after a piece of bamboo near Mama Lun and looks adorable taking it part ways up to chew on it We see what looks like Daddy Yang going by the window at times....The actual time he went from one thing to another.

cont. Covering Up


awwwww

Panda Cub Updates

Monday, January 9
Today started off just like any other day. I had to look everywhere to find Po in the morning. I located him high on the mesh, next to the ceiling once again. He was just hanging there looking at me. Once I knew he was alive and well, I went to check on the other pandas. I then continued with my normal day, a little ahead of schedule I might add. I set up the yards with bamboo and began shifting the pandas on exhibit. Yang Yang shifted out like a rock star, as did Lun Lun. Po on the other hand was completely holding up the show, as he decided to dawdle around in holding awhile. When he was done dawdling, he decided to climb the mesh again. When this bored him, he came down, but went right back up the climbing structure we have in holding. From this vantage point, all he would do was sit and stare at me. When this happened, I decided to go ahead with my day and just check back on him. I assumed he would become bored just sitting on top of the log, now that his entertainment was in the other hallway. I was wrong. It took another 30 minutes before he slid down and slowly made his way to the shift door leading into the habitat. I thought for sure I had him there, but alas, I was wrong again. He made a detour and headed down another hallway, only to sit at the wrong end, once again staring at me. I wasn't going to wait him out this time. Enough time had been wasted this morning already. I went outside with some biscuits and called him out. It took about five minutes, but he finally emerged into the daylight. I gave him his reward for shifting, but had to race back inside to shut the door to prevent a reverse shift. With this completed, I was finally able to shift Xi Lan on exhibit, who had been waiting patiently for his little brother to "clear the runway,” so to speak. Long story short, it’s not fun for me when what should be 5 minutes of shifting actually takes around 45 minutes. But maybe it’s fun for Po.
Kenn
Lead Keeper of Carnivores

Panda Cub Updates

Wednesday, January 11
Due to all the fun happenings around the Zoo that have kept everyone busy, it has been a while since I’ve taken a day off from the meat-eating carnivores to come and work with these cute black and white fur balls. It couldn’t have ended up as a better day. We started out very busy and pretty behind schedule due to some preparations for future tree work around the red panda exhibit, but, as is not always the case, the pandas could not have been more accommodating to our slight change of schedule. Everyone was a dream this morning – or I should say spent the morning in dreamland. They loved their henon and yellow groove bamboo and after feasting to their hearts’ content, it was time to nap – and nap they did. Thank goodness! It gave us all the time we needed to catch up and then have a relaxing lunch. For those of you familiar with our updates and our routines, you know that sometimes all the pandas want to do is eat, and then eat some more, sometimes making us run around quite a bit. But not today. I made sure to give everyone a big thank you at the end of the day. I’m sure they didn’t care, but I thought it was deserved.
One last fun note. I knew that Xi Lan was becoming more and more like his dad from what I’ve seen in the past and what my fellow keepers have shared with me, but he definitely showed it tonight and put a big smile on my face. Nothing ends the day better than seeing a big happy panda rubbing on the mesh and grabbing at his paw in excitement while he flips around on his climbing structure, demanding attention and laughs from everyone around. He is such a goofball like his dad!
Jenny
Keeper III, Carnivores

Friday, January 13
I had the pleasure of collecting data on Lun Lun and Po earlier this week during a big play session. One of my favorite parts of my job is watching mothers play with their young. If you are a frequent panda cam watcher, you are familiar with panda play sessions. But you are missing one of the best parts, which is this cute and funny blowing noise that cubs make when they are excited. It’s basically just heavy breathing through the nose, but everything is cuter when a panda does it. They sound like little steam engines chugging around. Po was doing a lot of it while playing with his mom and it’s a sound that always makes me smile.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Mammals

Panda Cub Updates

Monday, January 16
For us regular folk, the weather in Atlanta these days is kind of cold and dreary. For a panda, however, it is great weather. All the pandas are outside today enjoying this great panda weather. It is cold, but not too cold. In addition to cold, it has been rather cloudy. This works to the pandas advantage in several aspects. Their thick coats make them feel rather comfortable when the mercury dips down low, and with it being cloudy, their bamboo doesn't dry out, allowing them to enjoy it for a longer period of time. The keepers really like the latter aspect. That being said, all the pandas have been very well behaved today. As I write this, they are all snoozing their day away. Yang Yang is actually sleeping flat on his back, completely spread eagle. I have worked with these guys for ten years now, and have never seen this before.The other pandas are in their usual sleeping positions and postures. Xi Lan out in the middle of everything, Lun Lun on the climbing structure and Po is of course on his favorite storm drain cover. There must be something to that spot, as it has been a favorite spot of all three of our cubs. To each his own, I guess.
Kenn
Lead Keeper of Carnivores

Wednesday, January 18
Po is becoming such a big boy! His latest weight is 26.6 kg. This week we have removed the step that Po has been using to access the drinker in one of the dayrooms. We have seen him drinking from that drinker without using the step several times lately. Overnight, he and Lun Lun have been playing with the step, so it is starting to get a little frayed. Although I am sure it is a fun toy for them, we would like to keep it in good condition for the next cub. Yang Yang and Xi Lan destroyed our original step last year, so this one is fairly new and still in good shape (Xi Lan started it, Yang Yang finished it). So, we will put it away in storage until we need it again. Ah, they grow up so quickly!
Heather
Carnivore Keeper II

Panda Cub Updates

Po wishes you a Happy Lunar New Year >

Wednesday, January 25
It's that time of the year! Vaccines! Little Po is getting geared up (actually, he isn't doing anything, but we're the ones getting geared up) to receive his vaccines next week. We'll also do a quick physical just to make sure he's doing just fine and keep a close eye on him afterwards to make sure he doesn't have an adverse reaction to the vaccines. In order to receive his vaccines and physical, we'll have to manually restrain him for a few minutes. For the adult pandas, we're able to give vaccines voluntarily by asking the pandas to present their shoulders. This is something they have been trained to do and are really comfortable doing. Obviously little Po isn't trained to present his shoulder, yet. We're still working on mastering shifting on and off exhibit on command! So we'll have to hold him. That may sound like an easy task, but he weighs over 27 kg and so it's not as easy as one might think! Po may look small, but he's very strong for his size. I expect all will go smoothly and after it’s over we will shower him with treats. Because let’s face it - who likes getting shots?!
Jen
Keeper I, Mammals

Monday, January 23
Yucky weather! That's been my thought lately. Although I know we need this rain, I am not a fan of muddy pandas (and the muddy mess they make on my nice, clean floors!). That being said, everyone has gotten to spend the last couple of days inside. I don't think they mind, really. The boys (Yang Yang & Xi Lan) love getting attention so they actually enjoy being off exhibit in the dens because they get to see and interact with us more. Lun Lun doesn't seem to care, as long as she has her bamboo she's happy anywhere! I can't wait for the sun to come out and the yards to dry up a bit, though! All of this muggy/cloudy weather means our building never completely dries after cleaning. But again, I think the only ones who notice/care are us keepers.
Jen
Keeper I, Carnivores

Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. The first day of the Chinese New Year – which began at midnight on January 23, 2012 – is the most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by over 1.3 billion people in China and by millions of ethnic Chinese around the world. It’s a celebration that lasts for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the Year of the Dragon.

Po & Lun get treats through the window