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.
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.
Male reporter: Since 10:30 am today, Mei Lan has been officially meeting with visitors from the public. I am presently situated at Villa no.2 of Cheng Du Base, the villa which has been specially allocated to Mei Lan. Let's take a look at our today's protagonist, Mei Lan, who is at this moment taking large bites of bamboo. She has been eating since she made her public appearance at 10:30 this morning, showing a great and healthy appetite, which is good news, in view of the fact that she was not quite accustomed to the various aspects of the home environment when she first got here. She was displaying some stress-related signs, including fear of bright light and the surrounding noise, a moody and anxious temper, as well as the refusal to eat and drink. To make a complete adjustment, she has had to overcome three main barriers. Firstly, in terms of her diet, well, I am holding here a mysterious food, called the panda cake. In order to get her to eat the panda cake, the workers, being aware of Mei Lans love for sweet food, had come up with the idea of dipping it in honey. Once Mei Lan had a taste of the sweetness of the honey, she was successfully led to take the first bite of the bread. Everyday, her intake of panda bread should ideally reach 500 grams. She is also fond of this type of local bamboos with broad leaves. Besides the change in diet, she also has had to adjust to the weather in Cheng Du, which is relatively humid, compared to the weather at Atlanta. The keepers have dealt with this problem by keeping her in the indoor room initially before slowly letting her out into the open space, to allow for gradual adjustment. Finally, the workers at the base also needed to help her to get over her uneasy mood. They did this by playing a sort of game with her, in which they would hide her favourite food in the various corners of the playground, to encourage her to make the effort to find them, and through the attraction of food, distracted her from her initial anxiety, helping her to feel increasingly at home in her new environment.
Now, let's talk about Mei Lan's fans, for Mei Lan is after all a panda who enjoys great popularity, having just recently returned home from abroad. Though it is already 12 at noon now, there are still enthusiastic visitors who are reluctant to leave, continuing to remain by her side. Lets take a quick interview with one of them.
Reporter: "Hi, I see you have a camera with you."
Visitor: "Yes, I am taking photos of Mei Lan. I am an avid fan of pandas. I am taking photos of Mei Lan to be posted on my blog."
Reporter: "What do you think of Mei Lan?"
Visitor: "Mei Lan is extremely lovely, she is a very beautiful girl. Soon, she will be an adorable mama, bearing lots of cubs, to help propagate the species."
The reporter continued: Not only does Mei Lan receive a lot of admiration from her fans, she also receives a lot of attention from the various organizations across the world. This is the signboard for Mei Lan taking on the role of the ambassador for EarthHour conservation movement. Why would Mei Lan be selected as the ambassador for this movement? I think firstly it must be due to her status as a panda who is newly returned home from abroad. Secondly, it must be those appealing, chubby cheeks of hers, and her adorable looks, which have charmed a good many people and made her a widely popular panda. She has also sent a special message, which is a uniquely Mei Lans message, to encourage people to participate in the conservation movement of 2010...."
