Its always nice to put a face with those we keep in contact with and today you will get to meet our panda pal, Annette, who lives in China. I think of her as a panda ambassador because she continually stays in contact with many of us living in different parts of the globe through email and other ways, to keep us informed of pandas through news stories and her own videos and photos. For example, those photos and videos of Fu Long and Tai Shan that you just saw from the previous post are hers.
Annette, who we know as YingYing816, has a special connection with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). Now, I know this gets a little confusing when I speak of the different panda bases in China, and that's for another post, but the Wolong and Bifengxia Base are part of the Wolong Nature Reserve where the CCRCGP is located.
They just featured Annette on their website Wolong Panda Club and I wanted to share it with you here. Congratulations, Annette and thank you for staying involved with the pandas and providing that special link for others around the world. The article, Annette Yuan Renews the Adoption of "Ao Yun" follows below. OMG, can you imagine being able to hold a little precious panda on your lap like this!
On March 22, 2010, Ms. Annette Yuan from Canada renews her adotion of
giant panda "Ao Yun". Ms. Annette Yuan likes giant pandas very much.
Since 2008 she got in touch with Wolong Panda Club, she has adopted
three giant pandas of China Conservation and Research Center for the
Giant Panda (CCRCGP) successively. Moreover, where there is CCRCGP's
giant panda in China, where she have gone. Just because of her frequent
visit to the domestic zoos and seeing CCRCGP's employees dispatched to
work there, now she is an old friend of CCRCGP. This time she does not
only renews adopting "Ao Yun", but also will stay four days at Bifengxia
Base to see pandas for four days.
Thanks so much to yingying816 of YouTube for bringing back these videos and photos of Tai, Fu & Wu from their recent visit at the Bifengxia Panda Base in China.
Fu Long was born at Zoo Vienna in Austria and arrived in China at the end of 2009. He has the white tipped rear paw and lives with WuJun who was born at Bifengxia, I do not have Wu's birth date information but he looks about the same age as Fu.
Tai Shan was born at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., moved to the base in February of 2010. Fu will be 3 years old on August 23, 2010 and Tai will be 5 years old on July 9, 2010.
There are more video's of Tai, Fu and Wu at YingYing816's YouTube page, so be sure to check them all out.
Fu Long's head hit by Wu Jun's bamboo
Tai Shan enjoys panda bread while watching the birds
Because Ying does not have an online photo site, I will post all of their photos here, some are after the break. Thanks again Ying, for bringing these to us all the way from China.
Discovery News reports on Mei Xiang's most recent ultrasound at the Smithsonian National Zoo to check and see if she is pregnant with a second cub. Female pandas experience a psuedo-pregnancy.
"Female giant pandas almost always undergo a pseudopregnancy when they ovulate but fail to conceive. During a pseudopregnancy, hormonal changes and behaviors are identical to those of a true pregnancy, making it very difficult to determine if a giant panda is actually pregnant or not. This is the fifth time Mei Xiang has had a pseudopregnancy. Giant pandas ovulate once a year." Conservation and Science, National Zoo (2009).
The zoo hasn't started their entries for monitoring Mei's 2010 pregnancy as they have in years past, so we hope to see that appear on their website soon.
Thanks to alAl of flickr for bringing this information to our attention.
Because the YouTube link begins play automatically I have removed the actual video and am now just providing the link. Mei Xiang's UltraSound by Discovery Networks.
New photos of Tai were posted to Tai Shan's diary at Wolong. One photo in particular caught my eye and at the same time, gave me pause. This one showing Tai, having climbed up a pretty hearty tree and looking out beyond his enclosure. I couldn't help but wonder what Tai's first impressions were.
Here are the other photos that were posted in this set and the dialog that went with it.
The weather is amazing today, there are lots of people coming to see me. Their smiling faces are even better than the sunshine. But my comfortable sunbath was disturbed by Wujun’s groan. I guess Wujun was playing Kungfu with Fulong again. They have to stay in for all day because some workers are planting trees in their yard. In order to make this tree-planting goes well, they had to stay in and apparently missed the sunshine. Poor Wujun, always be kicked by Fulong in Kungfu games. Well I will have to talk to Fulong soon!
We have some great news coming from the Adelaide Zoo, where Wang Wang and FuNi live. It appears they ARE going to have a live webcam for the pandas! This is awesome news.
The zoo has done a great job of producing videos and stories about their pandas even before they were brought to Australia, but there is nothing that can compare to a live webcam that brings the pandas to life right before your eyes.
So, kudos to the zoo for setting this up, as we have learned from other zoos around the world, it is an expensive venture.
No date yet on when the cams will be up, but I will keep you posted. There is a nice interactive architectural drawing of the pandas new area at Adelaide, but you need to double click on the photo below to see it.
CHENGDU GIANT PANDA BASE
Just to show you how much the pandas at the Chengdu Panda base enjoy themselves, here is a cute video of a panda playing. Sorry, I don't have the name of the panda but it will certainly bring a smile to your face. Thanks to earthworm22 who recorded this on January 17, 2010 and thanks also to Xi Shan for sending this our way!
MEI LAN'S PUBLIC DEBUT!
Watch this video (longer version) showing Mei Lan's first day out of quarantine at the Chengdu panda base that was produced by CCTV in China. Looks like they have placed fresh straw in her new spacious outdoor enclosure and she looks right at home. The video is dated 3/15/2010. Seeing that I like to actually post the videos on the blog, so you don't have to go to the Chinese websites and wait for it to finish buffering it requires a little extra time to put this all together so sorry for the delay. Thanks so much, to CCTV for keeping up with dear Mei Lan and also to bob2cleo for providing the link and translation of the video for us to view. Below the video is the English translation.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM VIDEO
Female news anchor: Let's now turn our attention to another panda, that is, the panda Mei Lan who is newly returned home from abroad. After a period of quarantine and adapting to the food and weather in Cheng Du, Mei Lan is now officially meeting the public. Let's get in touch with our journalist on the site. Please introduce Mei Lans present condition to us.
We've seen Fu Long, Mei Lan and Tai Shan all going to China to be a part of the breeding program and today the Japan Times reports Kohin a 4+ old male who was born at Adventure World in Japan on August 23, 2005 is heading to the Chengdgu Panda Base where Mei Lan just came out of quarantine.
Kohin will go through the same procedure as Mei did and go into quarantine for 30 days. His parents were EiMei and mother MeiMei who passed away in 2008.
Adventure World has been extremely successful with their own breeding program. Yuhin (male) born in 2001, left for China in 2004, twins Ryuhin & Shuhin born in 2003, left for China in 2007.
Be sure to go to the Adventure World website to look over Kohin's photo gallery. Thanks to MrPenta of YouTube for the video of Kohin.
CCTV shows Mei Lan who just recently came to China from Zoo Atlanta is shown here in her new outdoor enclosure at the Chengdu Panda Base, China.
Looks like she has alot of area and play things to climb up on. Would sure like to see her in one of her playful moods scampering about. That's something we will certainly look forward to. Thanks to the CCTV for showing Mei and don't forget to continue to check out Mei Lan's blogsite that Chengdu has set up with photos of Mei.
Thanks to Lai who gave us this translation in the comments. We really appreciate it!
Translation(briefly): The woman: After mei lan come back, it has been 30 days quarantine period. And she make her public deput. The man: This area, Villa number 2 is all belong to her. The second Man(voice only): just after she was back, she is not used to the new life and food. but now she is ok and eating well. And they put the bamboo all over the Villa number 2 so that mei lan have to move around to eat. That is to make her do a bit walking and exploring in her new home. The woman again: meilan is appointed the enviromental ambassdor for the Earth One Hour campaign which will be held on 27/3 8:00pm
Well, I got up early to see 7 month old, sweetheart Yun Zi of the San Diego Zoo live on NBC Today. Wouldn't you know it, he decided to sleep in during the whole interview but the zoo had some great video that they showed while senior mammal keeper, Kathy Hawk continued the interview. Good going Kathy!
Bindi Irwin along with her mom, Terri and brother, Robert toured the Fuiji Giant Panda Habitat at the Smithsonian Zoo this last week.
They got a up close and personal visit with daddy Tian Tian. Bindi is on a nationwide tour to promote the release of her movie Willy 4, Escape from Pirates Cove to DVD this month.
Best of luck to you Bindi, your wonderful dad, Steve, would be so proud!
I am amazed at the state of the art facilities for giant pandas that are now being built around the world. We have had a chance to see the new facility at the Adelaide Zoo, where Wang Wang and FuNi hang out, another was recently added to Ocean Parks' Amazing Asian Animals where they moved Ying Ying and Le Le and now The Shanghai Daily reports that 13 pandas will be moved into a new panda home at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park.
"Among them are 10 pandas sent to Shanghai from Sichuan Province to meet the public during the city's World Expo from May through October, today's Oriental Morning Post reported. Their new home has 500-square-meter "bedrooms" as well as a 1,000-square meter playground surrounded by bamboo covering 10,000 square meters, park officials said. Air-conditioning has been installed in the new quarters, built of environmentally friendly materials. Some "bedrooms" have been fitted with hammocks and others with trees to suit the pandas' individual sleeping preferences. Construction of the panda's new home is expected to finish around the end of March. Currently the 10 pandas from Sichuan are at Shanghai Zoo." Thanks to Xi Shanof flickr for sending this story our way.
ZOO ATLANTA
Congratulations to Zoo Atlanta on receiving 2 Atlanta Marketer of the Year Awards for their 'Give So They Stay Campaign'.
"Zoo Atlanta was a finalist in two categories, General Advertising and Integrated PR Campaign, and won both honors during an awards gala hosted on Thursday, March 11, at the Fox Theatre. Entries were judged on program strategy; tactical execution; creative artwork and video; audience impact and achievement of quantifiable results.
“Zoo Atlanta is delighted to have been recognized by the AMY Awards,” said Marcus E. Margerum, Vice President of Marketing and Sales. “Give So They Stay was a great example of a team effort between Zoo Atlanta’s Marketing and Public Relations and Communications divisions, and these awards exemplify the hard work and commitment that made the campaign so successful.”
Kudos to Marcus and his team who worked so very hard in making this program a success so that the zoo was able to keep the pandas we so dearly love. You can read the complete article at: Zoo and Aquarium Visitor .
CHENGDU PANDA BASE
Finally, I wanted to leave you with this cute video that I came across. It was taken by a tour group called Overland China that hosts tours in China, now I am not promoting them because I know nothing about them, but because it was taken at the Chengdu Panda Base where our sweet Mei Lan just recently moved to, and it gives us a little peak at what the inside of what the base looks like. What made the one video so special though is the expressions of the young children that are visiting the pandas. Have a great weekend.
