Pandas Live on

Videos and updates on Fu Hu of Zoo Vienna

One of our panda pals, Danielle, NY has put together some great links for us about how well Fu Hu is doing at Zoo Vienna as well as his mom and dad.  

First off, Samsung in Austria has offered to donate 1 euro to Fu Hu for every online supporter. Awesome!

All you need to do is go to the Samsung/Panda website, click on the button that says, “Ja, ich möchte Pate werden”. For every person who signs in before May 1, 2011 they are donating 1 euro. The maximum donation will be 10000 euro.

Thank You also to Jeroen Jacobs who has his own panda website GiantPandaZoo who announced the news of Samsung and their money raising venture.

Here is what the zoo tells us about their pandas on Zoo Vienna's panda blog .
December 28, 2010
"Even though the winter and low temperatures can not harm the giant pandas, they appreciate a hay-bed for sleeping.  Therefore at present not only the small young Fu Panda Hu has gets a thick Heuschichte in and around the birthing den, but Papa Long Hui Daily fresh hay storage.  This is both at night and during the day used for an extended nap." This video was from pandanews08.

December 21, 2010
"For a few days Fu Hu leaves again and again the birthing den and padded across the room in which it is located.  This area is for visitors only poorly visible through a door.  "The first mini-round before the birthing den Fu Hu Yang Yang has no shot.  Now it has taken him but even from the birthing den or is it followed her own boss, "says zoologist Eveline Dungan."

How adventurous Fu Hu will be in the next few weeks, has not yet been estimated. writes Schratter weiter. "We do not know whether it still herauskrabbelt regularly from the birthing den and can catch the visitors with the best of luck through the doorway a glimpse of him," said zoo director Dagmar Schratter. It also is unclear when the panda offspring trust in the indoor unit and the visitors as the final. "In principle, it naturally every day be far off. His brother Fu Long has made the first trip out of the birthing den at the same time. The last hurdle to the interior, however, until late January, he has taken," said Schratter further."  This video is from Zoo Vienna's Channel.

Zoo Atlanta has new video of Xi Lan with keeper, Kate

Zoo Atlanta Facebook has just put out this video showing Xi Lan and they provide a nice interview with Kate Roca, one of the panda keepers.

Tian and Mei enjoy their fruitsicles no matter how cold it it outside

Dan Dan the Binary Man on flickr, went by to see Tian Tian and Mei Xiang of the National Zoo this weekend and came back with some cute photos of the pandas enjoying one of their favorite treats, a frozen fruitsicle. 

D.C. was having temperatures of 30 degrees, add on the wind chill factor and now toss out a fruitsicle to the pandas and what do you have? two giant pandas in 'fruity bliss'.  I dont know how you were able to take the cold Daniel, but thanks for getting these. 

Tian looked pretty happy with the colder temps even before he got his treat.

Daniel titled this collage with Tian  '6 °of fruity bliss'

I've seen Tian finish off his 'sicle in no time at all, chomp, chomp and its gone, but Mei quietly
licks hers, savoring every moment.  Tai took after his mom with his.

 





Oh, oh, don't let that piece of apple get away, Mei!

Pandas for Christmas 2010! UPDATED

YingYing816 of YouTube has sent us some wonderful photos as a Merry XMas greeting from China! 

She took these at the Bifengxia panda base.  The first set features Annette with her adopted baby cub, Yau Yau II and second set of Tai Shan, third is Fu Long, 4th is Mei Sheng, and the 5th is Zhen Zhen.  Su Lin was asleep up in a tree and couldn't get a shot of here there but...we do have one of her in her enclosure.  So be sure to keep scrolling down, down and down.

Also I left out the beautifully carved boulder that marks the new living area for all of the overseas pandas that are now returning to China at the Bifengxia base.
I wish I could be there right now myself.

Thanks so much, Annette for sharing these special photos with us.  Merry XMas to you too!

 

Big Holiday Hugs to you Tai

Merry XMas sweet Fu

 

Merry XMas dear Mei Sheng

Merry XMas dear Su Lin

Merry XMas dear Zhen

Oldest living panda Dong Dong, celebrates their birthday

This popped up in the People's Daily Online, thanks to Xi Shan of flickr who sent it our way.  I am not familiar with Dong Dong.  But it is amazing how many offspring they have had in their lifetime.  Wouldn't you like to see their family tree? 

World's oldest panda to celebrate 37th birthday
December 24, 2010

Giant panda Dong Dong is to celebrate its 37th birthday soon, which is said to be equivalent to human being's 144 years old, in Guangzhou Chime-Long Xiangjiang Safari Park, said the Wolong Giant Panda Protection Studies Center on Thursday.

Dong Dong is the oldest living giant panda in the world and it has had 54 offspring all together.

By Ye Xin, People's Daily Online

Vote to help name one of the Madrid panda cubs

I see where both cubs born at Zoo Madrid have already got a sponsor. That is wonderful news for the zoo. Now we get a chance to participate in the naming of the other one.  Here is the article from the zoo's blog.

Also, Jeroen Jacobs, who participated the Pambassador contest at Chengdu, just returned from Madrid and came back with some fantastic photos of the cubs.  You can check them out at his website, GiantPandaZoo.com.

Po as well be called one of the panda bears

"It was one of the most anticipated unknowns. How do you call the two baby pandas ? One of these unknowns is already solved. Now, they have met the 100 days, according to Chinese tradition should elapse from birth to the "baptism" and that the pandas have consolidated their development, the time has come.

Paramount Pictures Spain  Zoo Aquarium de Madrid  Paramount Pictures Spain has sponsored a panda bear cubs in the Madrid Zoo Aquarium of baptizing one with the name of PO, which means "innocent nature" in Chinese, referring to the famous protagonist of the movie Kung Fu Panda.

The Zoo Aquarium in Madrid considered that the name of PO is right because as the good-natured panda gets to be a master of kung fu by his effort and determination, the birth of two baby panda is the result of months constant and tireless work of technicians and zoo keepers.  Moreover, Kung Fu Panda tells how the spirit of collaboration among actors leads them to a happy ending, and the collaboration between Chinese and Spanish sites (Breeding and Conservation Center of Chengdu Giant Panda and the Zoo Aquarium in Madrid) has made the reproduction of these important and rare animals, a worldwide symbol of conservation."

 Paramount Pictures has given Spain the second choice for the name of the other cub.  Here are the names and click on the link below to vote for your favorite.

XI BAO  -  Honey, Honey

XI HUAN - Cheerful, fun

SHU YA - Knight of Sichuan

DE DE - Affectionate nickname Madrid

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE

Happy Holidays for pandas and panda pals everywhere

Will Lin Ping be staying on at the Chiang Mai Zoo?

I remember when Lin Ping was born, the zoo didn't waste anytime in thinking ahead and mentioned that they would try to extend her stay at the Chiang Mai Zoo beyond the arrangement of two years for a panda cub. 

So, it appears they are actively pursuing this with China.

Lin is a darling to many around the world, so I know if they are unsuccessful in keeping her in Taipei there will be many who will be saddened to see her go. 

Talks to extend panda cub's stay

Published: 23/12/2010 at 04:20 PM; Online news: Local News

China is being asked to allow the giant panda cub Lhinping, a celebrity at Chiang Mai Zoo, to stay in Thailand for two more years.

Zoological Park Organisation chief Sophon Damnui said on Thursday that  his agency and the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti have been working to extend the contract signed with China  to keep Lhinping  at Chiang Mai Zoo for another two years.

There are only a few months left before the cub is sent to China under the existing contract.

The cub was born on May 27 last year to Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang, two giant pandas on a 10-year loan from China since 2003.

The minister had visited Beijing twice for talks on extending the cub's stay  with China’s deputy forestry minister,  Mr Sophon said. The topic of  a panda research centre in Chiang Mai was also discussed.

He said China would send representatives to inspect the living conditions of the  giant pandas and their baby in Thailand. The  delegation is scheduled to visit Chiang Mai Zoo between Jan 8 and 14.

Thai authorities would discuss the proposed extension of the cub's stay during the Chinese representatives’ visit, said Mr Sophon.

Chiang Mai Zoo has been trying to separate Lhinping from her mother Lin Hui so officials can examine the cub. Normally, separating a panda cub from its mother is done when the cub is one year old.

More than 1.2 million tourists visited the Chiang Mai Zoo this year, which brought about 71 million baht in revenue to the zoo.

Of the visitors, 600,000 went to see the pandas and the zoo earned about 24 million from the panda display zone, he said

Christmas with Mei Xiang and Tian Tian

We have heard rumors that the National Zoo was going to be sending their adult pair of pandas to China in exchange for a younger male and female and we have heard maybe just one of the two would go to China leaving them to bring in another to complete a mating pair.

Seeing that the 10 year contract for keeing Mei and Tian ended this December, we have been waiting waiting to hear what the results of the negotiations with China were going to be.  This is what the zoo just released to the media concerning their negotiations with China, I have included the Washington Post's article. 

Thanks to Dan Dan the binary man of flickr for the photo of the panda statue at the National Zoo.

China grants National Zoo extension of pandas' lease

By Michael E. Ruane

A photo gallery accompanied the article.

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 22, 2010; 8:22 PM

The National Zoo said Wednesday that China has granted an extension of its lease of Washington's two giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, while details of a new agreement are worked out.

Zoo Director Dennis W. Kelly was in China last week seeking to negotiate a new panda arrangement to replace the 10-year, $10 million lease that expired Dec. 6. China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos.

The zoo said no new agreement has yet been signed, but details are being worked on and a new arrangement could be unveiled next month. The zoo's two adult giant pandas have been in Washington since Dec. 6, 2000. The extension was granted Dec. 6.

Although the zoo has had the two pandas for a decade - and has tried almost annually to achieve a pregnancy - experts have been disappointed that the only offspring produced was Tai Shan, the beloved male born in 2005.

He was sent to China, according to prior agreement, Feb. 4 to join a breeding program.

The zoo badly wants cubs for research purposes. And recent science suggests that if a female panda has not become pregnant for several years, it is increasingly unlikely that she will be able to get pregnant in the future.

"We've not had a cub here in the last five years," Kelly said in an interview in July.

"There's some data that suggests that after four [breeding] tries, there's something [negative] going on," he said in July. Pandas generally mate once a year.

"Our male seems to be performing fine," Kelly said. "Seems to be that we're focused on Mei Xiang."

But zoo scientists already are planning for Mei Xiang's upcoming breeding season. She went into heat last Jan. 9, and Jan. 15 the year before. And the zoo said it would not move her during her annual pregnancy watch, which usuually lasts until spring.

A total of nine cubs have been produced in recent years at the four U.S. zoos that have giant pandas. In addition to Tai Shan in D.C., three cubs have been born at Zoo Atlanta - including one last month - and five have been born at the San Diego Zoo.

The Memphis Zoo's panda pair - residents there since 2003 - have not produced any offspring.

 

Sadness, 4 year old Lang Lang dies from illness

None of us wants to hear the sad news when a giant panda passes on and especially when they are still very young.  Bless you Lang Lang.  Here is a photo of Lang that Chet of flickr took during 2007 volunteer trip to work with the pandas.

Olympic Panda Dies of Illness at East China Zoo

    2010-12-17 15:48:31     Xinhua      Web Editor: Yu

A 4-year-old giant panda died of epilepsy Thursday at a zoo in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, zoo officials confirmed Friday.

Lang Lang, who was among the eight "Olympic pandas" on display in Beijing in 2008, fell ill on Nov. 9, said a spokesman with Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo.

"Lang Lang suffered seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. His condition was stable after treatment and he began drinking and eating as normal on Nov. 16," said the spokesman surnamed Qin.

However, the panda suffered another seizure on Dec. 1 and was in a coma for more than two weeks until he died at 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 16, Qin said.

Panda experts and vets from the Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces kept a 24-hour watch on Lang Lang, hoping to save him with massage and other therapies.

Prof. Yao Huochun, of Nanjing Agricultural University, said they had ruled out brain damage, leaving "severe essential epilepsy" as the most likely cause of Lang Lang's death.

Panda researchers from Nanjing and the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan carried out an autopsy Friday morning, but no result was published until midday.

Lang Lang's body would be shipped back to his ancestral home in Sichuan.

Wolong center director Zhang Hemin said Friday epilepsy could be common among elderly pandas. Two pandas died of the disease in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, in 1989 and 1995 respectively, but both were over 20 years old.

"The disease could be hereditary when found in a young panda like Lang Lang," said Zhang.

The Nanjing zoo has put Lang Lang's two sisters, Cui Cui and Duo Duo, under 24-hour observation though they appear perfectly healthy.

The panda trio were loaned to the Nanjing zoo under a two-year contract with Wolong center from April 2009.

Lang Lang was the fourth Wolong panda to have died away from home. On July 5, panda Shui Ling died of illness at Beijing Zoo. Two weeks later, panda Quan Quan died after inhaling toxic gas at Jinan Zoo in the eastern Shandong Province. On Sept. 9, Xing Xing, 14, died at a zoo in Kobe, Japan, after vets sedated him to collect sperm for artificial insemination.

Keeping the panda cubbies warm in Madrid

Winter brings all kinds of challenges for Zoo's and their animals. Zoo Madrid came up with a clever idea to keep their two panda cubs warm over the winter. And along with the story they provided a sweet video.

 

The premiere new home pandits
Now take a "cradle" made expressly for them

The threshold of 3 months, the baby panda at the Zoo Aquarium in Madrid continue to grow steadily, and exceed 4.5 kg and measure about 50 cm. Have grown so much that their carers have decided to move from the incubator they occupied a large cradle in which they are most comfortable.

The pundits have accepted the change well. At present, the offspring are perfectly, h ave begun to take its first steps and has a great curiosity about everything around them. Continue to feed breast milk, which is reinforced with a bottle of milk they drink several times a day as they meet the six months begin taking solid foods.

The cradle had been made by operators of the Zoo, is big enough to live in it for the next few months, because until the end of winter the bears can not get out to the pasture with his mother. This spectacular growth, have increased their weight from birth to 30 and just over 3 months, because the cubs have to be developed at full speed to their survival is not threatened, because the newborn have been developed only in utero. From now on, the pundits were waiting for the period of his life perhaps more exciting. Packed with games and discovery.

Unique video following those who worked at the Wolong panda base

I came across this video while looking for another on a Chinese website, tudou.com.   It is all in Chinese but because of its historical significance I decided to post it because many of you have only heard about the famed Wolong panda base.

Due to the massive earthquake that shook this region in 2008, many of the buildings and enclosures for the pandas were destroyed.  Massive landslides continued long afterwards, endangering the staff and the pandas, so it was decided everyone including the pandas would need to be moved off the base and relocated to different locations across China. 

The Bifengxia Base which is not too far away from Wolong, near the city of Ya'an, has taken over as their primary base of operations until another base can be built.

The Wolong base sat among prime giant panda habitat in the Sichuan Province.  There is some beautiful footage showing the base nestled among the mountains with the Pitao River running beside it.

The video is titled The Wolong panda base for six months and it begins showing a video shoot of all of the cubs (17) that were born that year, a tradition that probably goes back to 1983 when they first began operations at the base.  Then they take us back in time showing the work required to have been able to reach this milestone.  I am sorry I cannot give the date of the video but I think it is somewhere around 2006.  If you can read Chinese and can provide any information about this video please to so in the comments.

There is also some rare footage of the release of Xiang Xiang the male panda that was reintroduced back into the wild and how they followed his movements with a GPS collar.  Sadly, Xiang did not survive. You can read more about Xiang Xiang and his death here.

You will need some time to watch this it runs, 48 minutes, but you will never have a chance to see something so special and unforgettable. 

It is because of these dedicated people and others like them at other panda bases and zoos that we have been able to reach the count of 300 captive pandas which has significance to the survival of the giant panda.  To learn more about this, see the post 300 pandas, gives us a sigh of relief. 

Thank You to each and everyone of them. 

Be patient in loading the video because of its length.  I hope you are able to view it.

 

Following the amazing life of 30 year old panda, BaSi

Thank You to Chet of flickr who contacted me so that I could share their wonderful photos and videos of BaSi's birthday celebration.  I would have loved to have been there to share this day with you and the many others who did make it to Fuzhou, China.  I will introduce these photos and video in another post.

First of all, I want all of you to know the story of how BaSi first came to being discovered by a young woman who was working on a farm and who has continued to follow BaSi's life to this day, 30 years later.  Chet found this special woman, see photo below, during the birthday celebration this last November and had this picture taken with her.

So nice to meet you Mdm Lee, thank you for all you have done for BaSi. 

Mdm Lee had rescued Basi over 30 years ago.  She still keeps some of the items used in the rescue, and brought them to the birthday celebrations for "show and tell".

Chet also provided this story, which is taken from the book The Visit of Two Giant Pandas at the San Diego Zoo by Georgeanne Irvine, copyright © 1991 by the Zoological Society of San Diego and Georgeanne Irvine,

Photos of BaSi were taken by Chet in May of 2009 and Leo uu in May of 2010 & December of 2008 at the Fuzhou Panda World.

HIGH IN THE RUGGED Qionglai Mountains of central China, a young farm worker raced across the potato fields toward home. "I've found a giant panda that is starving!" she excitedly told her family and the other farm workers as she arrived at the village.

The people felt compelled to help the suffering animal. Giant pandas are an unusual and rare bear species, native only to China's interior mountain ranges. Even one death would be a great loss to the species' survival.

The peasants dropped what they were doing to organize a giant panda rescue patrol. They grabbed a large cage, some rope, and a long pole, then followed the young woman back across the fields and into a forest thick with towering fir, spruce, and maple trees. They crossed a raging stream and entered Basi Gou (Basi Gully), which was covered with dingy yellow patches of dead bamboo as far as they could see.

Near the bamboo and partly submerged in the stream lay a young giant panda, barely alive. The farm worker and villagers quickly pulled the animal from the water and gently dried it with their jackets. The dull eyes of the panda gazed up at the girl as it panted for breath.

Several other rescuers lifted the panda into the cage. The long pole was tied to the top of the cage to make it easy for the villagers to carry the panda out of the forest. Two men - one at each end - balanced the pole on their shoulders so that the caged panda dangled between them. They hiked down the mountain to a Baoxing County giant panda rescue station that had been set up by the Chinese government. There, the starving panda, a female that was named Basi after the gully in which she was found, was nursed back to health.

Basi was starving because in 1983, the year before she was rescued, the bamboo died in Baoxing County and in other regions of the Qionglai Mountains. Bamboo leaves, shoots, and stalks are the giant pandas' main food. Although they will also eat meat, pandas are usually too slow to catch the rats, squirrels, and other small mammals that share their forest habitat.

It is normal for bamboo to die every 40 to 100 years. Before it dies, the bamboo, which is really a woody grass, flowers and drops seeds so new bamboo can sprout. Several years must pass, though, before the seeds grow into tall new bamboo plants that the giant pandas can eat.

Years ago, when the bamboo died in one area, the giant pandas could travel easily to a different mountain to find more living bamboo. But now, new farms and villages often block their way, so many pandas simply starve to death in withered bamboo patches. Then, too, many forests and bamboo thickets have been destroyed to build these farms and villages.

The villagers were pleased that they had saved Basi's life. Giant pandas are considered a national treasure of the People's Republic of China...and they are a critically endangered species.

To think that there are now only about 700 of one of the world's most popular animals alive in their misty mountain homes is frightening. There are so few giant pandas because of habitat destruction, periodic bamboo die-offs, and poaching. Amazingly, even though it is illegal, people still kill pandas for their pelts, which they sell for up to a hundred thousand dollars apiece. In addition, other animals that share the giant pandas' habitat - such as raccoon-like lesser pandas, golden monkeys, and leopards - are also becoming scarcer.

The Chinese government is doing a great deal to save the big black-and-white bears that are known as the clowns of the bamboo forests. Twelve nature reserves- protected areas where the pandas can live - have been established. Anti-poaching units patrol the reserves to guard the giant pandas against poachers and to destroy their traps. Trees and bamboo are being planted in corridors to link panda habitats together. This way, the giant pandas can bypass the farms and villages that block their way from one mountain to another.

Scientists are studying giant pandas in some reserves to learn as much about the animals and their behavior as possible. They use radio-tracking equipment and can follow the animals through their daily routines. The scientists sometimes relocate giant pandas from one area to another to disperse the population more evenly. This is done to make sure there is enough food for the pandas and enough males and females near each other to produce cubs.

Whenever the bamboo dies, organized giant panda patrols search for starving pandas to give them food or to take them to rescue stations where they can recover. Some recent studies in India have resulted in what many researchers claim to be a scientific breakthrough in understanding the flowering cycle of bamboo. In the future, scientists may be able to control the bamboo die-offs in China, which in turn will save the lives of many giant pandas.

Nature reserves and zoos in China are breeding giant pandas in captivity to help make sure the species will not become extinct. The few other zoos around the world that have their own giant pandas are trying to breed them, as well. Although Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, the National Zoo's giant pandas in Washington, D.C., have become parents several times, the zoo has had great difficulty keeping the cubs alive.

After Basi regained her strength at the giant panda rescue station, it was decided that she would not be returned to the Qionglai Mountains. Instead, her new home would be the Fuzhou Zoo in southeastern China. There, Basi could be part of an important panda conservation and breeding program as soon as she was old enough to have cubs. The Fuzhou Zoo is well-known for its work with giant pandas, and one of its pandas, Qing Qing, has become a mother several times.

 

 

What all goes into preparing pandas for travel?

Thanks to Daniel of Daniels multiple panda cam feeds on Facebook who has been keeping up with this story from the San Diego Zoo who provided a 3 part series of one of the keepers diary as they prepared Su Lin and Zhen Zhen for their recent trip to China. Thanks so much to the zoo for sharing this interesting information with us.

China Trip Diary: Part 1
by Galene Thomas - November 29, 2010

Giant pandas Su Lin and Zhen Zhen moved to Wolong, China on September 24, 2010. Gaylene accompanied them on their journey and is sharing the trip with us through blog installments.

I did my best to suppress some of the excitement in my voice as I answered “Yes” to the question put before me by San Diego Zoo Associate Curator Curby Simerson in August 2010: “Would you be willing to accompany the pandas on their trip to China?” My efforts to minimize an overly eager reply manifested into a short, quick, loud, “Yes!” It was an honor and privilege to be offered this unique assignment. The many details of it had yet to be worked out, resulting in several months of anxiety and hesitancy to make any personal travel plans. Continue reading Part One.

China Trip Diary: Part 2
by Galene Thomas - December 2,2010

The day of departure arrived, and the keepers and I did our best to focus on the tasks we had to accomplish rather than the goodbyes we had to say. Su Lin and Zhen Zhen entered their crates and settled in. I buckled my seatbelt on the bench seat directly in front of the pandas in the cargo section of the truck, and we departed for the land portion of the journey. Continue reading Part 2.

China Trip Diary: Part 3
by Galene Thomas - December 6, 2010

I have decided that flying with a giant panda is the way to go! Fifteen hours go by very quickly when you have a two incredible pandas to visit with and take care of. Zhen Zhen and Su Lin were troupers throughout the journey. The “What ifs” and worries of what might happen were subdued by the natural behaviors these two young pandas demonstrated in conditions far from routine. The dedicated daily care given to Su Lin and Zhen Zhen, combined with the wonderful travel training efforts provided by the keepers, set this journey up to be a success! Continue reading Part 3.

 

300 Pandas gives us a sigh of relief

I had heard that we were close to reaching the 300 mark for captive pandas earlier this year and thanks to the San Diego Zoo for letting us know it is a reality.   This was a very important step for giant pandas and their survival and big thanks goes out to everyone who worked diligently toward this goal.  Read how significant attaining this goal was. 

300 Pandas

by Suzanne Hall – December 8, 2010
Posted in: Conservation at the Zoo, Pandas

This summer, panda conservation efforts reached a major milestone: the population of pandas in zoos and breeding facilities reached 300 individuals. This goal number, one set years ago by a group of international scientists, is believed to be the point at which the captive population will be a self-sustaining entity capable of acting as a buffer against whatever difficulties might be experienced by the wild members of the species. Three hundred individuals should provide the panda with the resilience to survive even if the wild population disappears.

It’s not an exact science, however. This number is an estimate, not a perfect assessment of the state of the captive population. For example, if the genetic composition of these breeding-center bears does not reflect the composition of their wild counterparts, then the species will still be at a major disadvantage if the wild bears disappear. Unfortunately, we know that some captive pandas, those that have been extraordinarily successful at breeding over the years, are overrepresented in the managed-care population. Pan Pan, Bai Yun’s father, is a perfect example of this. So many bears of the Wolong population are his descendants, as are cubs born at the San Diego Zoo and National Zoo. While this may be good news for Pan Pan and the genes he carries, it’s not such good news for those rare genes hidden inside those males that haven’t mastered the art of breeding in a captive facility. And those rare genes could confer some special form of adaptability that could be necessary for the survival of the species down the road.

For this reason and others, it is still critical to work toward conservation of wild pandas. Efforts to protect wild places where pandas live have been underway for some time, as China has increased the number of reserves in the last decade or so. Development of corridors between panda habitat is a hot topic of discussion. And the release of captive-born pandas to good panda habitat is just around the corner.

Three hundred is a good number, a significant step in the conservation of the black-and-white bear. It’s another reason for hope in the gloomy landscape of endangered species preservation. Though the panda is not out of the woods, we may yet see the time when wild numbers also rise to a point that researchers feel the species will be safe from extinction risk. That would be a milestone, indeed.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

Unlike pandas, I prefer it a little warmer

20 degrees in Florida!?  What the heck is this?  So, no landscape work getting done today but it leaves me with time to update you on all things panda.  Am working on a follow-up story to BaSi's birthday party and will have that up shortly also.

So, it turns out our little cubby in Austria decided to stay out of the spotlight and keep warm and safe in his den area with his mommy, Yang Yang during the ceremony that officially announced his name. What a great shot of him on the banner, can't wait til he starts getting around out of the den.  This is the story from the website for Zoo Vienna.   Congratulations to the zoo for seeing their cub make it to their 100th day!

Pandabub "Fu Hu" is named

December 2010.  Since today it is official: The young panda at the zoo say Fu Hu ("Happy Tiger"). His godfather Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner. „

"As the owner-representative of the Schoenbrunn Zoo Society, as well as minister responsible for tourism and business it is to take me a particular pleasure to sponsor Fu Hu. The name of the Panda young I see as a symbol of the excellent cultural and economic relations between China and Austria, "said Mitterlehner at the ceremony at the zoo."

The secret recipe for successful panda breeding in Schönbrunn, the people's love for these endangered species " so Shi Mingde, Chinese Ambassador to Austria, gave the young bears his name officially. "The Chinese compare healthy boys like to tigers.

We wish that Fu Hu growing up as a happy, little tiger in Austria and prepare the people of Austria much joy," said Zang Chunlin, secretary general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the six-piece with a delegation flown in from China. "We are very proud of our recent Panda young especially, because the propagation and rearing naturally in captivity do not come naturally," said zoo director Dagmar Schratter.

How long it takes to get him to see the visitors, it decides itself far, Fu Hu dared not step out the birthing den. "While we can more frequently observed crawling experiments, these carry it around but only in the cave in the district," said zoologist Eveline Dungan.

Am so glad to see Zoo Vienna on YouTube.  Check out these videos.

 

Lani bear up in the trees in China

We have some great new photos of Mei Lan, at the Chengdu Panda Base in Chengdu, China, enjoying the view from above.  Pandas just love to climb things.  So, dear Lani is really feeling very comfortable in her new home seeing that she is now exploring new heights!

Below is the post that came with the photos.  I got a kick out of reading the Dr. Lan's reaction to seeing Mei in the tree.  There are many more photos. so be sure to check them all out.  XiongMao blog

 

Gardeners "Meilan" (2010-12-07 21:51:22) "This winter, Chengdu, always unpredictable weather, misty day yesterday but today, without a cloud, just like in Chengdu days. After lunch, riding a half-hour lunch break and colleagues at the base, a walk in the sun. Just went to Villa II, from a distance see a panda sitting on a tree branch bite to eat. That is not "Meilan" stadium it? Is "Meilan" for a stadium? Because "Meilan" and has been maintained since the return to ladylike demeanor, both in the playground or in the Shoushe lady always walked her step, very few have even trotted a few steps, not to climb the tree to eat the tree rod so crazy move. Can be looked into, yes, that is, "Meilan" She was sitting a red Shu Chashang ivory delight in eating Shugan, finished one and one, seeing the tree soon to be amputated take a look at our gardeners "Meilan" it."

 

Three panda boys and their playful romp

This video will just pull you in and you won't be able to stop watching these three young pandas tumbling, wrestling and chasing each other around. 

Thanks so much, yingying816 who had this posted on YouTube.  I saw where she had been traveling and was posting more of her wonderful videos of the pandas in China.  This one in particular they took while at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park.  It features Ao Yun in water, Wu Yang slide and An An.  Thanks for following these guys around like you did.

 

 

San Diego remodels their outdoor exhibit area, pandas love it!

The San Diego Zoo through the help of many panda fans, recently reopened their outdoor exhibit areas for the pandas after a major remodeling.  They really put alot of thought into this project trying to introduce different enrichment items that the pandas would engage in and from the videos its looks like a complete success. 

Thanks to Doxiemom19 of YouTube who has been keeping up with the pandas in San Diego by recording from the live webcam, so we can all enjoy these fun moments below.  They also have some shorter videos as well on flickr so be sure to check them out too.  This first video is from the San Diego Zoo along with the blog post the zoo put out, thanking all of their fans for their support.

Thank You, Panda Fans!

 Posted at 12:37 pm November 23, 2010 by Kathy Hawk

Friday’s reopening of our giant panda exhibits was a huge success! It was so nice to see Bai Yun, Yun Zi, and even Gao Gao exploring their new areas.  Gao surprised us with his climbing skills: he really seemed to enjoy the new furniture!

Bai and Yun Zi were hysterical; we put out some loamex mulch in their cave, and they had so much fun rolling in the pile and getting very dirty! But that was not all: they entertained us by playing on the new climbing logs and exploring the new plants. I held my breath thinking little Yun Zi was going to go on a plant attack!

As a keeper, it is so rewarding to be able to take a exhibit space and turn it into a wonderful, enriching environment for the animals in our care. This all could not be possible without the generous donations of our panda fans through the Zoo’s Animal Care Wish List. The monies you contributed helped pay for the rental of the crane to set the new climbing logs in place, new plants, two new shade trees, and beautiful green sod.

I did want to mention it was a team effort working for almost three weeks getting our exhibits ready for the public. With this is mind, I want to thank our horticulture, and construction and maintenance departments, and sun bear and nursery keepers; they all pitched in to make our exhibits beautiful.

Remodeling our exhibits was truly a labor of love for our black-and-white kids. On behalf of all of our Zoo staff, we cannot thank you enough for your donations!  Please stop by our exhibits and enjoy seeing our pandas in their new exhibits. You helped make this happen!

Kathy Hawk is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Bai Yun through the Years.

It's been a whole year for Wang Wang and FuNi in Australia!

Wow, where does the time go?  Hard to believe its been a whole year already.  Congratulations to the keepers and staff at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia and we have really enjoyed all of the wonderful videos and stories about their pandas, Wang Wang and FuNi.  Thanks so much for reaching out to your panda fans.

I am still catching up, this video was posted on November 24, 2010.  Don't forget, you can watch both pandas on the zoo's live pandacam.

December 2010 photos of Mei Lan at Chengdu

Speaking of the Chengdu panda base from the previous post, there are some new photos of Mei Lan posted on the sina.com/blog.   Mei Lan was born at Zoo Atlanta, September 6, 2006 and is now living at the Chengdu base. 

She has the sweetest eyes, they just draw you in.  You are looking as beautiful as ever Mei.  There are many more pictures of her, just follow the link above. 

Giant Panda "Mei Lan" photograph (Photo)

Long time did not concern "Meilan", and that "the United States powder" to be mentioned protest. Currently, Mei Lan has reached 98 kg (216 lbs) body weight, back to base when the weight ratio of just 12 kg.

Panda twins getting a helping hand

I remember when Tai Shan was first born, how amazing it was to see the first photos of him.  Now, they take photos so close, you can count every piece of fur on their little bodies. 

Here is a nice article with some very special photos, that precedes a special that will air on the BBC2 this Tuesday night at 8 pm, all about the birth of twins at the Chengdu panda base.

Panda of tiny feet on the baby ward: The clinic that is giving an endangered species a giant future.

By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 3:51 PM on 5th December 2010

Pale, blind and weighing just a few ounces, this fragile newborn looks much like a mouse. Yet it is part of an amazing breeding programme saving the giant panda from extinction.

Just five days later, the cub appears remarkably relaxed lying on its back in an incubator. It has developed its distinctive black-and-white markings, even if its fur is still sparse.

Watched over by vigilant experts and given the kind of care found in the best maternity wing, the panda is one of 136 born in captivity at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province, China.

The vets there have boosted survival rates by actively intervening when mothers have twins – the case in half of all panda births.

 

Mothers almost always abandon one cub because they lack the milk and energy to care for two.

So the vets remove one cub at birth and place it in an incubator, while the mother cares for the other.

Then the twins are switched up to ten times a day so the mother feeds and cares for both while being under the impression that there is only one.

While in the incubator, the absent twin receives a top-up of formula milk, while the other gets its share of mother’s milk. The twin-swapping technique has finally opened the way to a 100 per cent survival rate in newborn captive cubs.

BBC producer Sorrel Downer was given unprecedented access to the Chengdu base while making the film Panda Makers, to be screened this week.

She said: ‘We filmed 17-year-old Li Li successfully giving birth, to the tremendous relief of her keepers. In the past she had only given birth to stillborns or cubs that died in days. ‘While Li Li’s first healthy baby cub was already suckling, she produced a second. The vets quickly removed it to the warmth of the incubator. ‘The cubs, Wen Li and Ya Li, both survived. We watched as they got fatter and fatter, and as their eyes opened at around two months. At four-and-a-half months, we witnessed their first uncertain steps in the garden.

‘Li Li’s bond with her twins was strong. She was very maternal and restless when they were away. Wen Li and Ya Li now have their own pen which they share with two other cubs.’

The base was founded just over 20 years ago with six rescued pandas and is now the world’s leading breeding centre. Until 50 years ago no one anywhere had bred a giant panda in captivity. Now there are 300 captive-born pandas worldwide, which experts believe is a stable breeding population and enough to start the process of reintroducing the endangered animals to the wild. Sorrel said: ‘There are those who argue that panda conservation is a waste of money. 'But if we cannot protect the giant panda, the icon of global conservation, what chance do we have of protecting those species which do not intrigue us, entertain us, and command such passionate adoration the world over?’

* Natural World Special: Panda Makers is on BBC2 on Tuesday at 8pm.

Atlanta's newest panda cub gets his media debut

The news media had access to Zoo Atlanta's newest panda cub.

Thanks to Daniel of Facebook for the collage he put together of the many photos that were published today.

 

Here is a video of his exam, thanks to myfoxatlanta.com for the embed code to move the video here.

Zoo Atlanta's Baby Panda Makes His Media Debut

POSTED: 12:05 pm EST December 2, 2010

UPDATED: 1:01 pm EST December 2, 201

ATLANTA -- Veterinarians at Atlanta's zoo say the new giant panda cub weighs in at just over two pounds and is healthy and growing fast.The male cub was born Nov. 3 and made his media debut during his weekly checkup Thursday.

This is the third cub for Zoo Atlanta's Lun Lun (loon loon). She was inseminated earlier this year with the sperm of her partner, Yang Yang. The cub won't be named until he is 100 days old, following Chinese tradition.

He won't be placed in public viewing areas at the zoo until he can walk, usually around 4 months old.Until then, panda fans can watch the cub's growth on the zoo's online panda cam.Zoo Atlanta has had Lun Lun and Yang Yang for a decade.  Source: CBS Atlanta.com

Bifengxia panda base expands for returning pandas

The Bifengxia panda base officially showed off the 16 cubs that were born this year at the base on November 19, 2010 and at the same time announced the opening of a a new living area that they will use to house returning pandas from abroad to better enable them to observe how they are adjusting to their new environment. 

As a side note, many of you have asked about Tai Shan's live cam that was announced by Pandas International a few months back, so this may explain why we haven't heard anything about it, seeing that he has moved to this new area.  Unfortunately, I still haven't heard anything new on a cam for Tai or any of the other pandas that are in this new area.  As soon as anything develops, I will let you know.

Two articles follow below about the new living area.

Thanks to Xi Shan of flickr and hugwildlife of YouTube, for sending me these articles when they first came out.

Congratulations to the base for the success of 16 panda cubs born this year. 

"The "Paradise for Overseas-Born Pandas," a cluster of new pens at Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base in Ya'an City, in a clearing away from other panda houses, can accommodate more than 10 pandas."

Returned pandas from abroad move into new homes in SW China
November 19, 2010

Six giant pandas who were born and grew up abroad before returning to their ancestral home in China moved into new pens Friday at a research center in the southwestern Sichuan Province.

The "Paradise for Overseas-Born Pandas," a cluster of new pens at Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base in Ya'an City, in a clearing away from other panda houses, can accommodate more than 10 pandas.

Among the first inhabitants were five U.S.-born pandas -- Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Tai Shan, Hua Mei and Mei Sheng -- and Austrian-born Fu Long, said Tang Chunxiang, a researcher at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.

Hua Mei, the first U.S.-born panda, returned to China in 2004.

The most recent returnees, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen, arrived in September.

Tang said separate living quarters for the pandas would enable researchers to observe more closely how each was getting along in a new environment.

The Wolong center has sent 14 giant pandas overseas for joint breeding programs since the first one traveled to San Diego, the United States, in 1996.  Peoples Daily Online

Paradise open to returned pandas English.news.cn 2010-11-20 08:38:06

BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- It was foggy and cold on Friday morning at the Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an, Sichuan province.

But the 100 people attending the ceremony marking the completion of the "paradise for overseas returned pandas" and the debut of 16 panda cubs born this year were in a festive mood.

They cheered when the ceremony began at 10 am and the 16 panda cubs accompanied by their keepers arrived.

Held by their keepers, the cubs whose average age was less than 6 months had a group photo taken with representatives from the embassies of Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Austria, Japan and Australia as well as those from the Kobe City Oji Zoo in Japan, Schoenbrunn Zoo in Austria and Adelaide Zoo in Australia.

As the center has overcome three hurdles hindering the expansion of the captive panda population - it is difficult for pandas to become ruttish, then pregnant and for their newborn to survive - it has witnessed the birth of 175 cubs in the past two decades, according to the center's Deputy Chief Li Desheng.

He said 154 of them survived and the center is home to 165 captive pandas.

Since the center sent the first panda to the San Diego Zoo in the US for scientific research in 1996, it has established ties of cooperation with zoos in the US, Japan, Thailand, Austria, Australia and Singapore.

Pandas from the center gave birth to 13 cubs overseas and nine survived, Li said.

The center recently finished rebuilding seven dens which can hold more than 10 pandas and renamed them "paradise for overseas returned pandas".

"The dens, which have the same facilities as those for other pandas, are so named because we hope all the six pandas which have returned from overseas can adapt to the environment in the center," Li said.

The six pandas living in the "paradise" include Hua Mei, Mei Sheng, Tai Shan, Fu Long, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen.

Born in the San Diego Zoo in August 1999, Hua Mei, female, returned home in March 2004. She was the first panda born overseas to return to China.

Born in the San Diego Zoo in August 2003, Mei Sheng was the first panda conceived overseas through natural sex. He returned in November 2007.

(Source: China Daily)