If you observed the panda enclosures in the summer at the San Diego Zoo, you know that when it gets hot the pandas are sometimes very unobliging when it comes to open viewing. As the weather chills down alittle, we have noticed more of our panda bears and their daily activities. Gratefully we are now seeing more of Su Lin; instead of taking her catnaps near the front wall on the grate, she’s catching some z’s on her climbing structure in the open air. Even if we only get a brief glimpse of her, it’s much better than nothing at all. Zhen Zhen is also more energetic these days; we are noticing more spurts of energy and more playing.
This is Bai Yun’s fifth little one, she is a master at managing her cub and still continuing with her routine. Our keepers are still able to weigh her when they get the chance to ensure that she is healthy; it’s natural for her to have lost weight due to nursing. The keepers increase her amount of food and treats to help that along. So far everything’s going as planned with our cub’s weight, thanks to Bai Yun’s perfect mothering skills.
For those of you who have seen the streaming video feed, we’re also seeing Bai Yun in her sun room more often. She won’t be needing California senior care anytime soon. She’s even taking her baby outdoors to enjoy the weather for longer chunks of time. This is Bai Yun’s new culture; even with her other cubs, she has toted them outside so she can eat for longer periods of time, and she doesn’t have to leave the bear cub unattended. She sometimes takes the baby outside with her at night for a midnight snack. Perhaps the kitchen lighting isn’t ideal. Also, if it’s been a warmer day, she waits to take the baby out until it has cooled off a little more.