Print Page - A Link to the Atlanta Panda Cam

I was hoping someone would capture photos of the cub when she does something particularly cute the way Klaasend can do. I don't know how but have started a folder in My Pictures of the cub and would like to have lots of pictures of her.

She has absolutely stolen my heart. I watched with interest the Pandas at the National Zoo and even went to see them several times but none had the effect of this Baby Girl. 8)

For one thing, she is just such a little pest to her mother I have to laugh. Also she gets hiccups which my first born did too both before and after he was born. Can drive you nuts!

So if you catch Lun's cub doing something particularly adorable and will capture and post the photo here, bet lots will save it.

~Anna~

Here are video clips of 9-year-old Lun Lun and her cub, including the birth at Zoo Atlanta on Sept. 6, 2006, at 4:51 p.m.:
http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_videos.htm

And here are some stills from the panda cam that the zoo site offers:
http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_giant_panda_cub_gallery.htm

Here is a very nice development timeline:
http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_giant_panda_cub_timeline.htm

The panda cam link is in the very first post of this thread. (Thanks BTGirl.)
Warning: The panda cam can become addictive, especially as the cub becomes more frisky, starts walking, etc. The cubs are so cute!

Panda Cubs at a Glance:

Panda cubs' eyes are closed until the age of 2 or 3 months.

At birth, the cubs are mostly a pinkish (skin) color with a sparse coating of white fuzz. They are about the size of a chipmonk; newborn cubs weigh an estimated 4 oz.

The black markings begin to appear at 10-12 days; there's a full coat of fur by about 25 days.

The cubs don't start walking until about a month after their eyes open, so that would be 3 or 4 months old.

This cub appeared to learn to roll over during the week of Oct. 2. She also is climbing all over Lun Lun. As Anna has noted, the cub occasionally has the hiccups. She is keeping Lun Lun awake!

Mama nurses her cub for up to two and one-half years. The cubs begin to feed on bamboo at 13-14 months.

The mother normally fasts for days after giving birth, and eats very little for weeks.

It was not until Sept. 25 that Lun Lun left her cub alone long enough for the zoo geepers (!) to grab the cub and do a quick physical. Then we learned that the cub is a girl. During this exam, she was found to weigh 1.4 lbs and measure just over one foot long. There are cute pictures of this exam from the site linked above.

The father is Yang Yang. He has no involvement with either Lun Lun or the cub; this would be the case in the wild. The males roam more and farther than the females.

Following the Chinese tradition, the cub will not be named for 100 days.
Thus, the name will be announced on December 15, 2006.

This is the fifth cub born in U.S. zoos in the last six years. Lun Lun was artificially inseminated after several unsuccessful mating seasons.

Giant Pandas are an endangered species. Only an estimated 1,600 to 3,000 giant pandas remain in the wild today, with approximately 200 additional individuals living in captivity.

I'll try to get myself emotionally prepared to tackle posting some pictures later ...

Panda cub opens eyes for first time
Atlanta Journal Constitution
POSTED: 11:55 a.m. EDT, October 12, 2006

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Zoo Atlanta's panda cub opened her eyes for the first time on Thursday.

Zoo officials made the discovery during a physical examination of the 36-day-old unnamed female cub.

"She's probably able to see now," said zoo veterinarian Dr. Maria Crane. "We noticed she's paying more attention to her environment."

Crane said it's hard to know how much Lun Lun's cub is actually seeing. The newborn appeared slightly startled at one point during her checkup when she noticed staff intently watching her.

The cub, whose name will be chosen in two months, has grown a little more than 16 inches in length in the past week and gained just under a pound, growing to 3.8 pounds.

"She's a very solid cub," Crane said. "Her growth is nice and steady, and that's really a testament to how well Lun Lun is taking care of her."

< end >
***

And the cub is smart, smart, smart - I think that's an EARLY eye opening.

Saturday October 14, 2006

Lun Lun and her cub are doing excellent today. Her appetite continues to increase. She has been spending more and more time away from the cub, which has allowed keepers to resume some of the normal training sessions that were conducted prior to the cub's birth. During these sessions, she has also been more receptive to participating in enrichment activities. Lun Lun has been very motivated to train and continues to do very well with it. The cub appears significantly larger each day. She is moving her legs more readily and lifting her head. Nursing sessions have become longer and the time between the sessions has been increasing. We are continuing to monitor Lun Lun and her cub around the clock.
Tom Smith
Lead Keeper Large Mammals

Thursday, October 19
The cub had her fourth health check today. She continues to thrive. Her weight was 2.24 kg (4.9 lbs). She gained over a pound (514 g) in the last week. Her length was 43 cm (17 in) from her nose to the tip of her tail. The cub’s teeth are now visible under the gum line. The first teeth usually erupt when the cub is around 75 days old.

Obtaining a weekly weight on the cub is important to track her growth, ensure that she is receiving adequate milk, and ensure that her development is normal. Her weight and measurement information will also contribute to the global database on giant panda infants. Zoo Atlanta is using a more hands off approach in managing Lun Lun and her cub than some other institutions, particularly those in China. Thus, it is important to collect regular weight and measurement information on this cub, so that her development can be compared that of cubs managed differently.

The cub nursed right before the exam. Lun Lun shifted into the adjacent den readily and participated in a training session while her cub was away. The exam took less then 10 minutes. When Lun Lun was given access to her cub after the exam, she did not return immediately. She spent a few minutes grooming and then returned to her cub. Lun Lun then picked up her cub and licked her.
Dr. Rebecca Snyder
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Thursday, October 26
The cub received her fifth health check today. She is strong and in excellent health. She weighs 2485 g (about 5.5 lbs) and measures 46 cm (about 18 in) from her nose to the tip of her tail. Her coat is becoming denser and coarser, which is typical for giant pandas, and two of her teeth are close to erupting.

The procedure went very smoothly. Lun Lun shifted into the adjacent den as soon as she was asked. She participated in a training session while the cub was examined. Lun Lun was calm while the cub was away and did very well with training. She cooperated with injection training, which requires her to present her shoulder to the keeper, who then inserts a needle and injects a small amount of saline solution. Both Yang Yang and Lun Lun are trained for injections. This allows us to inject them with anesthetic drugs for their annual physical exams, rather than having to dart them. The periodic injection of saline (usually once a month) ensures that the pandas are used to the procedure and helps us maintain the behavior. Lun Lun had not been asked to perform this behavior since June 28, but she responded to the request right away today and held still for the injection.
Dr. Rebecca Snyder

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down, and orders a sandwich. He eats the sandwich, pulls out a gun, and shoots the waiter dead. As the panda stands up to go, the manager shouts, "Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter, and you didn't even pay for your sandwich!"

"Hey, man, I'm a PANDA!" the panda shouts back. "Look it up!"

The manager opens his dictionary and reads:

Panda:
A tree-dwelling marsupial of Asian
origin, characterized by distinct black
and white coloring. Eats shoots and
leaves.

Monday, October 30
The cub was more active today and is becoming a little bit mobile. Once while Lun Lun was away, the cub spent about 20 minutes using her legs to push herself around in the next box. She didn’t get far and mostly just moved around in a circle, but this behavior is a good sign that she is strong and becoming more aware of her surroundings. We expect this behavior to increase and become more coordinated over the coming weeks as she starts to learn to walk. By the time she is four months old, she will be able to walk well.
Dr. Rebecca Snyder
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

From the 10/26 checkup:

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/cli2/panda_cub_exam5_ZA.gif)

After the 11/02 checkup:

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b367/cli2/pandacubexam_5.gif)

Here's the AJC "Panda Blog" for 11/02:

Quote

Snerk! Panda cub fit as a fiddleBy Mark Davis | Thursday, November 2, 2006, 10:13 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

She’s gained weight. Her teeth are round little nubs. Her nails are as sharp as roof tacks.

She is, in other words, in great shape.

The baby giant panda at Zoo Atlanta underwent her weekly exam Thursday morning. It’s a routine procedure designed to monitor the cub’s development — a chance, too, to wow her handlers. Their assessment? The child is longer, stronger, more prone to let people know what she’s thinking.

“Snerk!” The 57-day-old baby grunted once and fixed eyes as bright as black marbles on her handlers, three energetic young women who came to poke and probe. She’d just been removed from the heated space she shares with her mom, Lun Lun, and looked vaguely irritated.

Maria Crane, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, gently thrust a glove-clad index finger in the little creature’s mouth. White jaws clamped shut, a furry vise. The latex snapped softly as Crane removed her finger.

“She has teeth,” Crane announced.

But that’s not all. The baby has grown more than an inch; from soft little nose to furry little tail, she now stretches 19.5 inches. She’s put on about a half-pound in the last seven days, making the scales groan at 6 pounds. The ears? Last week, they were beginning to stand erect. This week, they were still rising, and sat atop her head like surprised wooly-worms.

She is doing just what a baby panda should be doing after less than two months on this earth. She’s eating, sleeping, hanging close to mama, and making the occasional editorial comment:

“Snerk!”

Just a few small items -

Yang Yang, the father, is fond of hot sauce! Not that he "eats" it - apparently he likes the smell. The zoogeepers put some on a wool (wool-like?) cloth and he rubs it on himself. McIlhenney (sp?) out of Louisiana made up a special gallon bottle for him. Goodness knows how they figured out that he LIKES it!

Lun Lun, the mother, as of this weekend, has more space available to her, so she can get a little exercise. (In the wild she would be out foraging for food.)

Yang Yang is still totally separated from both mama and little whozit.

Thursday, Nov. 9, checkup - From Atlanta Journal Constitution:

She wasn’t rewarded with a lollipop, but Zoo Atlanta’s Giant Panda cub was an ideal patient Thursday morning while receiving her first vaccination shot, for canine distemper.

Otherwise, she was a typically noisy and active baby, issuing several loud squawks and sudden lurches as she becomes more sensitive to sound and surroundings.

“Visually she’s a little more aware,” zoo vet Maria Crane said, shortly after the 8:15 a.m. checkup. “It looked like movement [in the room] was startling her a little bit. She’s also becoming more sensitive to sound. As I checked her ears, the ear canal opening was a little bit larger. She is a lot more active and she has gained a lot more strength in her front legs.”

The cub now weighs 7.2 pounds, a gain of one pound from last week, and measured 21 inches from nose to tip of tail.

The little panda also had its temperature taken, rectally, and the result was normal: 36.5 degrees Celsius.

The cub’s increased size and activity mean zoo staffers could not take their hands off the animal for its usual “hands free” photo during the exam.

“I really don’t like to not be able to keep them from rolling off the table and injuring themselves,” Crane said. “Touch sometimes makes the animals feel more secure, because she is used to her mother holding her. She seemed to calm down as long as I kept a hand on her back or head.”

Thursday, November 16
The cub received another health exam this morning. She weighlbs.ed 8.07 She measures from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail 22.44 inches long. She is growing at a steady rate. Her haircoat continues to thicken. She can hold herself up on her front legs with her head raised. She is very steady in this posture as long as she does not try to move her back legs at the same time. When she does, she loses her balance and tends to roll over or moves in a circle. This is very normal for young cubs as they develop their sense of balance and strengthen their bodies in preparation for walking. However, she just might like rolling around! Overall, the cub appears to be doing very well and remains healthy.
Dr. Maria Crane
Vice President of Animal Health

More on the weekly Thursday exam ...

She growls! She stands! She charms!
By Mark Davis | Thursday, November 16, 2006, 10:06 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Panda fans, check this out. In the past week, that little-girl giant panda at Zoo Atlanta has:

• Grown nearly 1.5 inches

• Gained about three-quarters of a pound

• Developed strength in her front legs.

Oh, and this: She’s found her voice.

Snarf! The unnamed youngster barked once, and fixed a beady stare at the women who held a tape across her nose, measuring the child’s length from nose to tail. The panda is now 22.44 inches long. Last week, she measured 21 inches.

Haff! She made a little bear cough as her handlers hefted her on a scales. The numbers glowed red — 3.66 kilos. (For you non-scientists, that’s about 8.1 pounds.) Her weight gain is proof that her mama, Lun Lun, is feeding that child right.

Snarf! The panda stood up on front legs as sturdy as posts. She turned her fuzzy head to the right, to the left. She looked at the ceiling, then at her feet. A tough kid.

Dr. Maria Crane, who has been conducting weekly exams since the panda’s birth Sept. 6 — Thursday’s checkup was the eighth for doctor and patient — is pleased with the panda’s progress. The zoo’s senior veterinarian, Crane makes the regular exams to chart the infant’s progress, watch her vitals and add Zoo Atlanta’s findings to a growing wealth of knowledge about the bears.

She also likes looking at her young charge, who at 71 days old has more hair than a wig shop. “She’s definitely getting stronger,” said Crane.

The panda is still a little shaky on her back legs. Her teeth, too, are still under the gums, but threatening to come out at any moment.

And when those teeth come out? Lun Lun will be nursing her child for another 10 months or so.

If you don’t understand the significance of that, go check with a nursing mom.

Saturday, November 18
Our little girl is now 73-days-old. We're getting closer to the 100 Day Naming Celebration and as a result we are receiving many questions about what the cub's name will be. Surprisingly, the keepers haven't come up with any nicknames for her. Behind the scenes, we all have our little variations on Yang Yang and Lun Lun's given names that we use sporadically, like the pet names people have for friends or family members. Oddly enough, we still refer to the tiny giant panda as "the cub" or "the baby." I think perhaps the respect we have for Chinese traditions, like the 100 day naming practice, has seeped into our brains.

However, this does not mean that we haven't put thought into the potential name. The members of the panda team, along with other zoo staff, were given the opportunity to choose names for a zoo-wide staff name vote. Because Zoo Atlanta will submit two of the ten names for the online poll hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on their website at ajc.com), staff were able to vote on suggestions that had been contributed internally. We all tried to come up with names that were cute and appropriate, did not sound like either of the parents' names and had sensible Chinese/English translations. Ultimately, the submissions were narrowed down to several good choices. Watch for those, along with all of the other submissions to the 10-day poll being hosted on ajc.com starting Dec. 1. We are hoping all of you panda watchers out there will vote! Happy Naming!!!
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

This little girl definitely has an attitude! She stands firmly on her front legs and has the nerve to make angry Panda sounds at those she finds annoying her. Nothing one bit shy about this young lady!

Kon Kon is Vietnamese for baby so I wonder if it is also in Chinese. That would be a good name. But I am sure whatever they chose will be very nice for she has to have won their hearts long ago.

It is so comforting to watch the mother and baby interact for they are so content and accepting of each other. An exact miniature of the mom, too.

Having kids who look nothing like me, I can't help but be a bit envious of that.

.

Here are the 10 nominated names for the baby panda. Includes meaning and the name of the nominator (?).

Xiao Tao, 小桃
(shao-tao) “little peach” Panda Express (restaurant chain)

Mei Tao, 美桃
(may-tao) “beautiful peach” WGCL-TV. CBS.

Mei Lan, 美兰
(may-lan) “Atlanta beauty” WSB-TV. ABC.

Mei Li, 美丽
(may-lee) “beautiful” WAGA-TV. Fox.

Ming Xing, 明星
(ming-shing) "bright star" WXIA-TV. NBC.

Ping Bao, 平宝
(ping - bao) “peacefulness & precious treasure” AJC

Cheng Ya, 成娅
(chung-ya) “pretty Atlanta girl from Chengdu” Zoo Staff

Ming Yue, 明月
(ming-yuu) “bright moon” Zoo Staff

Chang Jiang, 长江
(chung-jung) “Yangtze River” Chinese Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Tai Ji,太极
(tai-ji) “Tai Chi" (philosophical foundation of Taoism) Chinese Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

You, too, can vote - go here:
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/panda/pandapage.html

Voting will continue through 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 10.

One of the daily updates states this:

Quote

So to help you decide [how to vote], here's what little there is to tell you about the cub that you may not know or recall. She was born in the afternoon of September 6, and that day was indeed a full moon.She is the only cub born outside of China this year, and so is unique and special. While she is born an Atlantean, she will eventually go back to China, which will likely be her home. Since both parents hail from Chengdu, this may give our little girl dual citizenship. Who knows? But she is very quiet most of the time, not too fussy, and already showing her mother's curiosity in her environment. Both her parents are very intelligent, so we have high hopes for her. Now it's up to you to help us choose the best name possible. I know which one I'm voting for!
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

From the FRONT PAGE of The Atlanta Journal constitution:

Panda cub to make public debut soon
By Mark Davis | Thursday, December 7, 2006, 10:29 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Coming soon, to a sunny, public spot: Zoo Atlanta’s baby giant panda.

The unnamed cub reached a milestone Thursday morning during her weekly examination. She stood, shakily, for a few seconds, her furry fanny rising like a balloon.

That means she should be walking soon, said Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s senior veterinarian, who conducted the checkup. And when she starts walking, the cub doubtless will follow her mama, Lun Lun, into a public viewing area.

That should happen, Crane estimated, in about four weeks — perhaps sooner.
“There is a high possibility” that people wanting to see the adult Lun Lun early next year might get a bonus glimpse of her youngster, Crane said.

When she does make her debut, the kid will be sporting some teeth, too. Examiners discovered eight more teeth had erupted from her gums in the past week, meaning the cub now has 12.

Other findings:

• The cub now weighs 10.8 pounds. That’s about one pound more than her weight seven days ago.

• She’s now 25.25 inches long. Last week, she was two inches shorter.

• Her fur gets ever thicker, dense enough to ward off the worst chill on a Chinese mountainside — more than enough to keep Georgia’s winters howling in frustration.

• Her eyes are still developing, and are keener now than they ever have been.

• She’s stronger than ever, too. She wiggled like a puppy in a sack during the eight-minute exam.

Crane, probing the cub, couldn’t hide a grin under her surgical mask. “We’re very excited that she’s doing as well as she is,” Crane said.

When zoo officials, dignitaries and others gather next Friday [Dec. 15] at the zoo to witness her naming, the star of the show should be in fine shape.

Here is a link to an extra video of her exam yesterday. She is VERY assertive but has that cute little happy face.

http://www.ajc.com/ Scrroll down and itis on the left. She takes a swipe at acouple of folks measuring her snout. I know she is getting teeth and it won't be long before she can actually hurt folks but for now I think it is just adorable the way she will have her little fits and defend her small person against the much larger humans without one bit of fear of them.

And she can't even walk yet.

She is going to be a handful but does have a pleasant look to her expressions.I wonder if she would respond to being petted, that is stroked, eyebrows rubbed, things you would do to a puppy.

But the idea is to preserve them as bears and not to try to make dogs of them and pets. She can stand for a few seconds when she really wants to so we know what that means. I can't wait to see her walking around.

She seems a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and I attribute that to the excellent care she is getting and also to her excellent mother.

But I watched those at the National Zoo, just not nearly this closely and I would never have guessed she would be so full of herself so young. This one is destined to be a star! Oh, how I wish we could keep her.

.

http://www.zooatlanta.org/animals_panda_cam.php4

See Memere's post above. They have limite access to 10 to 5, Monday through Friday. I wonder what the Chinese think of this as I believe that would be night time there.

I miss checking on her if I awaken during the night. I do think, however, that she is going to be just fine and she surely seems as healthy as can be.

Don't you love it when she takes a swipe at the cameraman during her exams, lol! Spirited is our girl! She knows she is adored and loved and can get away with just about anything at this point. She is ahead of schedule and will walk this week I do believe. She may walk out to her naming ceremony!!

.

SHE WALKS!
Tomorrow, Dec. 15, is NAMING DAY!

Thursday's exam report, from The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Panda baby takes first wobbly step
Thursday, December 14, 2006, 11:29 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Panda fans, post this on your message boards: She’s walking.

Zoo Atlanta’s 99-day-old giant panda cub rose on four shaky legs Thursday morning and took a few tentative steps — a first for the youngster.

She wobbled like a drunk in a windstorm, but there was no mistaking her intentions: She’s ready to move on her own, nearly in time for her naming ceremony.

It happened while Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s senior veterinarian, conducted her weekly exam of the cub, born Sept. 6. Joining her was Dr. Zhang Zhihe of the Chengdu Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in Atlanta for the cub’s 100-day naming ceremony, taking place Friday.

She’d been sound asleep, curled as tight as a comma, when Crane reached into her den. The cub slowly came awake while technicians weighed and measured her.

She stuck out a sturdy left front leg and dug her claws into a fiber mat examiners had placed on the exam table. The right front leg followed. And then…

The left rear leg reached out, shaking. The right leg followed. She quivered all over for a moment, then rose. The cub swayed on her feet. With Crane hovering like a worried mom, the cub took one step, another, a third. She flopped back down on the mat, looking sort of winded from all the exercise.

Zoo officials were as tickled as if one of their own youngsters had grabbed a stool and pushed it all around the kitchen. They’ve been predicting the cub will be walking by early next year or sooner.

“She tried to walk off the end of the table,” Crane said.

That’s not all. Her nails, shiny and hard, got clipped for the second time. Crane left them long enough so the youngster can get plenty of traction should she decide to take a turn around her den.

Here are the vitals:

She weighs 12 pounds now, a “significant gain” of more than a pound in the last week.

She’s about 26.5 inches long — more than an inch of growth in the past week — but that’s just an estimate. Her wiggling makes getting an accurate reading about as easy as threading a needle on a roller coaster.

Her fur now seems as thick as that of her parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang.

In short, said Crane, she’s ready for her naming, taking place at a 10 a.m. ceremony. When everyone stands to cheer her name, maybe she will, too.

Panda's Name: Mei Lan

From the 12/15/2006 Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Atlanta, America, the world: Meet Mei Lan.

That’s the name officially given Friday morning to the Giant Panda cub born at Zoo Atlanta.

Translated from Mandarin Chinese, it means “Atlanta beauty.” It is pronounced “May-lan,” and will be the animal’s name for life.

<snip>

The naming, said Susan Elliott, the zoo’s director of public relations, was such a big deal that only a handful of zoo employees knew the name in advance. They had to sign a promise not to blab. Mei Lan is the only panda born outside China this year. Only four zoos in America have pandas.

Here she is getting ready to show off for the Chinese director present for her naming.

She really is full of herself and with good reason! She is just adorable and seems to know it.

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/AnnaBlueSkies/Pandas%20Wolves%20Wildlife/panda_cub_99_crawl.jpg)

I found this photo and think maybe it is in China for no were else on earth would they have so many baby pandas.

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/AnnaBlueSkies/Pandas%20Wolves%20Wildlife/ththxin_401202011703309300578.jpg)

Thursday, December 21
Mei Lan had her usual health check today. She weighs 13 lbs and is 27.5 inches from her nose to the tip of her tail. Shortly, after the exam this morning, she climbed out of the nest box by herself. This is the first time we’ve seen her do this. Her coordination has improved significantly in the last week and she is now better able to position her rear legs under herself. We placed mats in the nest box to give her more traction when she tries to walk, but Lun Lun has been pulling the mats out and tearing them up. So, the mats haven’t been much of a help. Although the smooth floors make learning to walk challenging, Mei Lan is progressing well and at a normal rate.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Does anyone else get the impression that our little girl is in fact very large for her age? And full of herself? I think she is very precocious as she is trying to climb out of the nest, mouthing bamboo which is usually not done this young, etc.

But my favorite exam was the November 22 one when she took swipes at the photographers I think because she does NOT like the flash from their cameras! How wonderful she has such good self esteem to think she has a right to have a say in what is done to her! Note her ire was directed not at her handlers but the interlopers with the flashing lights!

She looks so big and fuzzy and her paws are enormous already. I did not realize how rapidly pandas grew after birth and tend to think she is exceptional in this regard for I watched those at the National Zoo and did not think the cub grew so fast as this. Maybe I am partial because Mei Lan is closer.

Guess you can tell she has stolen my heart!

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/AnnaBlueSkies/Pandas%20Wolves%20Wildlife/meilan_exam122106-upwarddogb.gif)

.

AJC story about today's weekly exam --

Gov gets a gander at Mei Lan
By Susan Wells | Thursday, December 28, 2006, 10:01 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On a day of firsts, Atlanta’s favorite baby, Mei Lan, the 113-day old giant panda, was examined by her first governor. And Gov. Sonny Perdue, a large-animal veterinarian by trade, did his first once-over on a giant panda this morning at Zoo Atlanta.

“What impressed me,” said the governor, “was that this magical animal is so tolerant of humans.”

He helped senior zoo vet Maria Crane poke and prod the little panda, who has gained about a pound and an inch since last week’s physical exam and now measures 28.9 inches from nose to tail and weighs in at almost 14 pounds.

Mei Lan underwent the exam with little protest other than strong wriggling and a few whimpers. Crane put her fingers in the baby’s mouth to check on the progress of her teeth, a topic of great interest because no one has yet charted the pattern of tooth eruption in giant pandas. Zoo Atlanta hopes to record that pattern for posterity. Crane said there were no new teeth today, but those already there are growing.

Perdue said after examining the panda he could now “check that off my Sonny Do list.” He complimented Crane’s professionalism, which he chalked up to her education at the University of Georgia’s School of Veterinary Medicine, which is where he got his degree.He said he was surprised that the baby panda’s pulse was a rapid 140 to 150 beats a minute and that “her fur is so thick you can’t even see the skin.”

He said he enjoyed that the examination was so “gentle. As any of you know if you’ve taken a child to the pediatrician, it can be a wrestling match. But she was very tolerant.”

Today’s was the last weekly, public examination. Crane said the panda would begin to walk any day now and would be harder to handle. Her examinations would become less frequent and less regular.

Zoo Atlanta public relations director Susan Elliott said zoo officials are hoping for a public debut for Mei Lan in mid January.

Friday, December 29
Those of you watching panda cam may have noticed that the small woven fiber mats we were using to provide traction for Mei Lan are gone. At some point, Lun Lun decided they were mighty fine toys and they ended up being enrichment for mom. Unfortunately, that meant no more traction for the cub. If you look carefully beneath the hay in the nest box, you can now see little white traction strips like you'd place on the bottom of your shower or tub. These have been limited in their success in aiding Mei Lan's first steps. We are now trying black rubber mats. These have been left outside the dens to let Lun Lun get accustomed to them. Yesterday, they were placed one in the den area for the first time. Lun Lun hadn't really messed with the mat and later in the afternoon she carried Mei Lan over and deposited her on top of it. We took this as a good sign. Mei Lan IMMEDIATELY got her little paws under her and sped off the mat, apparently happy with her newfound traction. Once on the floor again, she floundered and mom rescued her putting her back on the mat. At this point, Lun Lun decided the mat would be a good toy and she started playing with it. This led to us pulling the mat out for the Mei Lan's safety. We will continue to try and desensitize Lun Lun to the presence of the mat, in hopes that eventually she'll ignore them. Because when Mei Lan gets her feet under her, she can really move!!!

Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III

Thursday, December 28
Mei Lan had another health check this morning. She also had a special visitor. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is a licensed veterinarian and he assisted with the exam. Mei Lan continues to thrive. She weighs 6.3 kg (13.9 lbs.) and measures 74 cm (28.9 in.) from her nose to the tip of her tail. She is in excellent health and becoming more and more alert and active. She’s also becoming more rambunctious during her exams. From now on we will be doing brief exams in her den area where it is quieter and will require very little handling.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Wow, Now she has the Governor of the State of Georgia in her Fan Club. This girl is something else!

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Sunday, December 31
I had a surprising thing happen at the close of yesterday. While I was in the den that contains the nest box doing a quick evening clean, Mei Lan showed up at my feet. She had crawled approximately 10 feet and ended up in front of the den and outside the nest box. And she was just looking at me. It was almost like she was trying to say, "What are you doing?" At that point, I removed myself from the den as not to give Lun Lun the impression that I was going to do anything with her cub. I then watched her for a few minutes. Mei Lan is finally getting her back legs underneath her regularly on the smooth floors. In the past, she has been able to stand when she was on a surface that gave her traction, but last evening she did an excellent job just on the den floors. Though she was still wobbling, she was doing it over and over again. She has continued this today! In fact, Lun Lun was in another area of the den and Mei Lan once again crawled out of the nest box and headed right towards her mother. All this is a great sign that she could be starting to walk more steadily.
JT Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Today's Panda Update from the zoo geepers :lol: :

Monday, January 8

Mei Lan is walking very well now. She is taking coordinated steps and can travel for several feet in any direction. She’s still a lot slower than Lun Lun, but Mei Lan is beginning to follow her mom for short distances. Mei Lan also likes to climb on her mom and investigate mom’s bamboo when she’s trying to eat. Lun Lun is tolerant of this, but sometimes uses her rear legs to block Mei Lan and push her away when she’s being exuberant.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Tuesday, January 9
Mei Lan has started to interact with enrichment items. Yesterday, the keepers put a big, plastic ball in her den. She was interested in it immediately. Even though the ball is almost as big as she is, she approached it right away and batted it with her paw. Enrichment helps keep our animals physically active and mentally stimulated. We also use enrichment to encourage natural behaviors. For example, we scatter the pandas’ food around, so that they have to spend time searching for food like they would in the wild. Enrichment comes in many forms (e.g., objects, scents, food, enclosure furniture, training, and social interaction). For young animals, like Mei Lan, objects or toys are particularly useful because everything is new to young animals and they tend to be curious and want to investigate everything. That’s one of the ways they learn about their environments. It will be fun to watch Mei Lan’s reaction to all the new things around her in the coming weeks.
Watch her play with a yellow rag on the video page!
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

--------

I really miss the 24 hour PandaCam as I always miss it during the day time it seems. This has to be the healthiest baby panda ever and she doesn't seem one bit shy, either.

I have yet to see her walk more than a couple of steps. Will try again tomorrow.

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Mei Lan meets her adoring public
By Tom Sabulis | Friday, January 12, 2007, 10:57 AM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The first Atlantan to see Mei Lan, America’s newest giant panda cub, in person Friday morning during its inaugural public viewing at Zoo Atlanta had a relevant question.

“Why isn’t the mommy going over to the baby?,” 4-year-old Megan Dobso of Fayetteville asked her mother.

The answer was obvious to more than a dozen members of the media who were taping, photographing and observing the cub’s every wobble: While Mei Lan was tentatively exploring her new surroundings, Lun Lun, her 9-year-old mother, was busy eating.

Leaning against a tree limb in the pandas’ temperature-controlled “dayroom” habitat, Lun Lun was so preoccupied with munching bamboo that when her 4-mnth-old cub came to climb on her, she fended off her 16-pound baby with a raised leg or arm, as if to say, “Not now, kid, I’m starving.”

Mei Lan, undaunted, tried repeatedly to get some attention. But Lun Lun wasn’t buying it. So, after 45 minutes of touring the habitat — balancing on a branch and toppling off, walking in what looked like slow-motion, trying in vain to scale an opening back into her den — the baby cub did what tuckered-out youngsters tend to do.

She lay down and fell asleep.

“It’s amazing, she’s so cute,” said Kim Dobso, Megan’s mom. “I get tears in my eyes she’s so cute. We can’t get enough of her.”

The zoo thinks a lot more folks feel the same way, although there was no crowd early Friday. Zoo officials suggest those wanting to see the panda cub come early in the morning to the zoo in the coming days.

IF YOU GO
What: For the best chance to see Mei Lan, be at Zoo Atlanta early in the morning.
Hours: 9 a.m. for yearly members; 9:30 a.m. for the general public. Zoo closes at 5:30 p.m.
Admission: $17.99-$12.99. Free for children 2 and younger.
For Information: 404-624-9453. 800 Cherokee Ave. www.zooatlanta.com

There are two new videos of Mei. One is of her coming up to the glass in the viewing area. She paws at the glass. So cute. But I think already she does not like cameras and may be trying to get it. :shock: The lights possibly annoy her.

She is walking pretty well. Yesterday Lun Lun hid on the other side of a huge pile of bamboo and the baby could not get through it to get to her. I think Lun Lun's days of being able to take a break are coming to an end. The baby will now be able to follow her everywhere she goes.

Link to two new videos

http://www.zooatlanta.org/videos/mei_glass.htm

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Quote from: "Anna"

Anna I have been following this little sweetheart for ages but was a bit miffed when they reduced the pandacam hours as it is now off when I can view it. Your links to the videos and reports help me keep in touch. I followed the baby panda at San Diego Zoo and they still have their pandacam working 24 hours. Hard to see a panda in the dark though!

This is for those that haven't seen the 16 baby pandas.

SICHUAN, China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.
The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July, 2006. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days (see pics)

The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas are due to stop suckling by February, 2007 just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.

Photos to Follow!!

:D :D :D

And these were sent to us compliments of Poster Frijole

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They have so many! And we have to give them Mei Lan, too. And I can't have even one!! :(

I would like to just hold one to see how it feels.

.

I even have a huge stand of bamboo for one to eat, too! :D I have thought about contacting the zoo to see if it is large enough to warrant their coming here to harvest it and how to tell if it is the right kind. Looks just like what Lun Lun eats and is maybe 15-20 ft. tall.

This is one of those OOPS! things I have planted, not realizing it was invasive. Now it is trying to take over and is in one of the Scottie sectors, their grassy lot where it grows too thick to even walk through.

I am told I can contain this is I don't allow it to jump and keep a fifteen foot section of it clear all the way around but it is trying to cross even that. :shock: :shock: :shock: Each year it about doubles the grove and nothing I have tried even slows it down.

And to think I was afraid it was the kudzu that would devour the whole house! :D Maybe Tyler can tell me how to stop the bamboo for the use of lawn chemicals is not good around all these dogs and I just won't do it.

Wish I had the whole lot of it in Atlanta for the pandas to eat. I need to at least call and see if the zoo wants to come harvest it.

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We're Potty Training now!

Thursday, January 18
Mei Lan hit another significant milestone. Yesterday, we saw her urinate on her own for the first time. Newborn carnivores, including giant pandas, require stimulation from their mother to void urine and feces. Lun Lun has been licking Mei Lan’s anogenital area since she was born to stimulate her to void waste and has then consumed the waste. Giant pandas cubs usually start to urinate and defecate on their own between four and five months of age. Because of this, Lun Lun will gradually lick Mei Lan less and less. This is just another sign that she is growing up.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

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She always looks so pleased with herself! Good panda self-image.

:D

Quote from: "Tibrogargan"

Quote from: "Anna"

Wish I had the whole lot of it in Atlanta for the pandas to eat. I need to at least call and see if the zoo wants to come harvest it.

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Hi Anna - I think I read that if they harvest and offer the sort of bamboo the pandas don't feel like eating that particular day they feed it to the elephants.

My only fear is that if it is all cut down, it might act as a sort of pruning and cause the stuff to spread at an even more rapid rate. :shock:

Sometimes I wonder just what I was thinking but I did think that if it survived at all, it would be fragile in this region. Nothing could be farther from the truth of the matter and it even remains green and lush all winter. It is thick enough to also support a bird nest and while it is very tender when it first sprouts, some of the older stalks are at least two inches in diameter at the base. Interestng sound when the winds blows through it.

And it does constantly attempt to expand, sends off shoots from the roots underground so that a new sprout just pops up several feet from the original clump.

I will try to call them next week and see if it is worth the 2.5 hour drive here to get it. Will take photo to email them so they can see if there is enough but I also know of another larger clump on nearby farm so maybe they could come for both of them at the same time.

I think the pandas only eat the small leaves that shoot off from the main segmented trunk, right? Must take a lot of trunks to fill up a 300 pound panda like the father.

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Hi Anna,

I am sure the Pandas would only eat the choicest parts - more like tip pruning :lol:

Bamboo is the most invasive plant known I think. Would surely survive a nuclear disaster! Your taller canes sound ideal for fencing/screening use, if not used for elephant tucker (food). Had a bamboo like plant in Brisbane called Snowflake Bush. Covered in the most beautiful white flowers every spring and was really a picture. Always chopping it down to ground level but back up it came and spread under ground. Roots like yams. The sap stained everything black too but not sure about the ordinary bamboo.
Hope you post picture of your bamboo stand here and let us know what response you get from the zoo.

Anna asked me to post these photos :lol: :lol:

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Those little thumbnail photos just didn't do it for me!

I wonder if the nose turning has to do with exposure to sunlight. This is often the case with puppies that have a dark skintone. For example, Westies best coloration is skin the color of what I call black pearl or a gray coloration instead of the pink we see so often on them these days. But pups never turn that color until they are outside a great deal.

Also sunlight, the Vitamin D source, helps keep noses good and black in the winter time.

So I am thinking that now that Miss Mei Lan goes outside and everything, she, too, will have a big black nose.

To me, she has a different expression than most, she appears to be smiling and just too pleased with herself. And not to like cameras, probably the flash. In the Nov 22 video and her latest one at the glass in the exhibit area, she is pawing in the direction of what would be the camera. They may have made strange noises to get her attention then the flash she found irritating so she will try to get them!

Very spirited and always has been! Perhaps she knows how popular she is or can sense her own importance. Or is just spoiled with no other Pandas around competing for baby status and all that attention.

Whatever. . .she is one fine Panda Girl.

.

I'm sure you are right, None, and maturation is most of it. But some of these baby Pandas don't look any older than our girl and yet their noses are already turning nicely black. So I am hoping with her going to the outside exhibit areas more, she will be in the sunlight and it will help hers along somewhat.

Today's report sounds as though Lun Lun loves to show her off! She takes the baby back outside for a nursing and play session. Interesting that the mom feels secure enough to feed in the outside exhibit area. A very good sign, I am sure.

Today's report:

Sunday, January 21
This morning Mei Lan was quite active. After a short visit on exhibit, Mei Lan took herself back to the den area. About an hour later, Lun Lun took her back out on exhibit for a quick nursing session and some play. Mei Lan has taken to climbing on Lun Lun even when Lun Lun is trying to sleep. Mei Lan also continues to explore and mouth bamboo, but it does not seem to be more than just a toy to her at this time.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II

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Maybe more than we want to know but a milestone none the less:

Monday, January 22
In addition to Mei Lan urinating on her own for the first time last week, the keepers also found that she defecated on her own on Friday. Lun Lun is still licking Mei Lan’s anogenital area to stimulate urination and defection and to keep Mei Lan clean. This behavior had reduced from 2.5% of the time in the first three months of Mei Lan’s life to 1.4% by month four. Now that Mei Lan no longer requires her mother’s assistance to void waste, the behavior will continue to decline gradually.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

A couple of quick updates on Mei Lan

Wednesday, January 24
This morning the keepers gave Mei Lan a large diameter piece of bamboo for enrichment. The keepers often use large pieces of bamboo to make puzzle feeders for the adult pandas. The keepers drill holes in the bamboo and stuff it with leaf eater biscuits or pieces of fruit. The bamboo that Mei Lan had was not filled with biscuits or fruit, because she does not eat those things, yet. However, she spent about 40 minutes investigating it by smelling, biting and grasping it with her front paws. She was more interested in this piece of bamboo than anything else we have given her so far. Cubs that we studied in China also spent more time investigating bamboo than any other items that were provided for them. This is probably one way that young giant pandas learn about feeding on bamboo.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

Tuesday, January 23
You may have noticed that Lun Lun does not spend a lot of time with Mei Lan anymore. In the first month of Mei Lan’s life, Lun Lun was in contact (i.e., touching) with her 98% of the time. In month two it was 62%; in month three it was 24% and in month four it was 8%. This is a normal trend for giant panda mothers and their cubs. We found similar results for the other mothers we have studied. A cub in the wild Mei Lan’s age would no longer be in a den. She would follow her mother as she foraged and sometimes be carried by her mother to new foraging areas. However, mother and cub would often not be in contact while the mother was foraging. The cub would be nearby, often resting in a patch of vegetation. After cubs are five months old, they are able to climb well and often rest in trees while their mothers forage. Mei Lan is starting to learn to climb. You might have noticed her pulling herself up onto her rear legs. In a few more weeks she will be able to climb vertical structures and then you might see her resting off the ground when her mother is away.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management

From 01/25/2007 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Quote

Mei Lan’s new nickname: Wiggles
By Mark Davis | Thursday, January 25, 2007, 10:52 AM

She’s not a track star, nor is it likely that she’ll win awards for grace in motion.

But if the people at Zoo Atlanta start handing out medals for sheer motion, Mei Lan the baby giant panda might be a contender for the gold.

Mei Lan underwent her weekly checkup Thursday, rolling around, batting at just about everything that moved and sticking her furry nose into any cranny she could sniff out. Her handlers tried to get the usual measurements that indicate how well the cub is doing.

It wasn’t easy getting her vital statistics, said Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, but it was sort of fun: Who can get mad at a panda whose nose is stuck in a traffic cone? Yes, a traffic cone: It’s one of the “enrichment toys” the zoo has given the panda to keep her interested in her surroundings.

“She’s showing really good growth and development,” said Crane, who has been checking on Mei Lan since the cub’s birth to Lun Lun Sept. 6. “She continues to do well.”

How well? Mei Lan weighed 18.2 pounds — almost a pound more than her last checkup. From wiggly nose to wriggly tail, she measured 34 inches. She’s walking better every day, too, and frequently ventures to the panda pen’s outside viewing area.

Mei Lan also recently reached another milestone, the bathroom variety. The cub is learning to urinate and defecate on her own. In the past, Lun Lun had to help the kid along, licking the cub’s private parts to get Mei Lan to evacuate.

(Parents, think of that the next time you make a face at junior’s diaper.)

In science-talk, Mei Lan is meeting all developmental platforms.

Crane translated: She’s doing great.”

Anna here is the link & phone # for bamboo donation.

http://www.zooatlanta.com/support_us_donate_bamboo.htm

Bamboo Donation

Our giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, have vigorous appetites, dining on bamboo 10-16 hours a day. They require a variety of bamboo species and, with a 220-pound-a-day consumption, a significant supply. We are always seeking donations of bamboo from private landowners.

We can only accept bamboo that has been harvested by Zoo Atlanta in order to ensure it meets our harvesting standards.

To inquire about donating bamboo located on your property, please call the Bamboo Hotline at 404.624.5884.

Anna - I came over here today specifically to see about your bamboo donation idea. I'll be glad to call the zoo at the number Yapperz posted, but I don't know a thing to tell them?

For openers, get a mileage check from where you are to the zoo's address. And some idea of the volume you have up there. Let's see if it's geographically feasible in the zoo people's opinion.

I don't know a thing about bamboo, but if you post a picture, I can get them to the SM page when I call. Apparently there are a number of varieties.

The bamboo isn't dormant during winter?

From today's Atlanta Jouranl Constitution:

She rolls. She rollicks. She runs. Mei Lan can do just about anything these days. Except sit still. That’s just asking too much of Zoo Atlanta’s 5-month-old baby giant panda.

Zoo officials conducted their weekly checkup on their furry dynamo Thursday morning. Mei Lan was as docile as a bag of kittens. Dr. Maria Crane, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, reached for her measuring tape to get the youngster’s vitals — length, girth, paw size, that sort of stuff. She tried once. Mei Lan rolled over. She tried again. Mei Lan bounded to a corner. Crane tried a third time. The cub skittered off in another direction. Crane gave up, and instead issued a scientific observation: “She’s grown.” Last week, Crane estimated the cub was 32 inches long. What else do they know?

• Mei Lan now weighs 21 pounds, gaining another pound in the past seven days.

• She’s fast. When Crane finished her exam, she left the cub in the corner of her sleeping area and headed for the door. Mei Lan scooted past her, arriving at the door first.

• She’s strong — and headstrong, too. When Crane took the cub’s temperature with a rectal thermometer, the doctor added another fact to the zoo’s growing volume of Mei Lan findings: “She really didn’t like that.”

• The cub is as healthy as her mom, Lun Lun, and dad, Yang Yang. She follows Lun Lun about like a fat little shadow. She climbs logs and rolls in buckets. She swats and gnaws on her toys. She ripples with energy and curiosity.

• She’s spending more time outside every day. As soon as zoo officials can reasonably expect her to remain outdoors for extended periods, they’ll schedule a formal debut for Mei Lan, said Susan Elliott, Zoo Atlanta’s spokesperson. The zoo also will sell timed tickets for people to see the cub and her parents when Mei Lan has her coming-out in Atlanta society, Elliott said.

“We’re so excited with her,” Elliott said. “Everyone is just thrilled with her progress.”

Boo consumes gardening shed!

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Guess it is just harder to show the size of the clump than I realized. This is all old growth from last year as I do not have any new shoots as yet being at higher elevation.

And this is one of the fighting hawks. The other one flew away. :shock: It was sort of scary. I am always afraid they are after my Yorkies. :(

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Well, I didn't know how invasive it was when I planted it. I have read that if there is a fifteen foot barrier where none is allowed to shoot, that will contain it. So far so good but yes, it is an annual struggle. The new shoots really look strange when they first sprout, too.

Fortunately, they are very tender and easy to cut or mow down.

I also planted some sort of invasive trees, poplars of some sort. Come to think of it I think they were from Australia. They are getting huge and sending up little shoots as well.

Then there is the English Ivy eating the back of my house. And the wisteria.

<sigh> Vegetation gone wild around here.

Quote from: "klaasend"

Anna - my husband says bamboo is almost impossible to get rid of.

That hawk is pretty :D

It is much smaller than the other one involved in the fight. I worry about the Yorkies because a lady near here had an OWL take hers right off her deck one night. :shock:

And I think all birds of prey are protected species. They try to get the baby purple martins when they hatch which makes me upset. Purple martins are wonderful mosquito control, too. But can't do anything to them.

Not sure what I would do anyway. :? 8) :? But I do watch the Yorkies closely and wish these two would move away.

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Poplar trees do grow here but I think they originally came from England, along with a lot of other pests - rabbits, black berries, etc. etc.
Some councils consider poplars are weeds. Their roots go for water pipes and drains so hope they are not near any of your house drains.

That Hawk looks about the size of the ones here which take baby lambs and would certainly swoop on Yorkies or other small dogs. Are you sure they were fighting? Some birds of prey mate in midair and it is spring over there......

You have a bamboo forest. Maybe the zoo will bring the pandas to you? Wouldn't that be great? It certainly looks enough bamboo to phone them and offer it to them.

Oh, Tibro, wouldn't that be just awful if they were mating? A nest full of hungry little growing hawks to get my Yorkies??? That photo does sort of look like a girl and was definitely much smaller than the other one.

Yes, they should bring the pandas to me, that's a wonderful idea. Just let them stay as long as the bamboo lasts, lol!

Those trees maybe from Australia are advertised as growing up to fifteen feet in a year if that rings a bell. I am pretty sure the literature claimed they were native to Australia. And they are really huge already. Water lines should be OK but I don't want them to take over.

Maybe they will run together with the bamboo, haha.

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Beautiful hawk !! I love them.

But I know what you mean about your pooches. I have three very small ones too, a pommy, chihuahua, and a chi-ommy. Whenever I have them out I am right there with them and when I see the hawks come, which will circle over head I run the pooches inside.
We also have Eagle nesting grounds right here along the river. Between the hawks and Eagles many a townsperson has lost there beloved pooches and even young cats. I had always assume eagles were more into the fish and mice...but I guess not..eeek! Whenever I see the dark shadows fly over head while I have the little ones out, I yell to the kids "shadow of hell alert!!! " lol

I love bamboo, where I use to live we had it, it is hard to control, but if you have no reason to control it it is fantastic. I was thinking of growing some here to block our piggy neighbors yard from my view, but I also remember a lawsuit involving neighbors and bamboo lol.

Thanks, Tibro!

I will check out that website. This is the only photo I have of one of the invasive trees, it is the one in the forefront that is not leafed out as yet. Without leaves, hard to tell much but I sort of remember what they look like.

The trees were pretty expensive as I recall and I only got about half a dozen or so but they are some sort of really fast growing things. I wanted lots of nice shade for the dogs and at certain locations like over my gate.

Thanks for the great link. May have been false advertising that the trees are even from Australia but will see what I can find. Like the bamboo, it is likely a case of letting nature run its course and nothing I can do to deter them. Maybe if I tell the trees I want them to spread, they will stop it as I have noticed the things I want to spread don't and the things I want to stay contained, spread!

:D Not really limited by space, fortunately.

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Quote from: "Anna"

Another view of the smaller of the two hawks. Now I am concerned it is a female that they are mating! :evil:

The nerve!

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Well if those birds were that close to my house guess who wouldn't be coming out of her house :lol: .

Anna you need to be careful with your puppies they will kill them :shock:

My father used to race pigeons when I was younger and we would actually see the hawk attack his birds in the sky when he use to let them out for a fly around (don't ask).

Hey maybe Hawkgirl can help :lol:

(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d118/Sanddrops/Hawkgirl.jpg)

Hawkgirl is a new one for me, San! Yes, maybe she could but then maybe she is on the side of the Hawks!

Yes, I have seen the hawks tackle the baby purple martins for whom I provide housing in midair and kill them, feathers going everywhere. The purple martin parents become frantic as I do. They will as a group sometimes try to chase the hawk away.

I think the purple martins will return around March 27 so guess the hawks are here in anticipation of this. It is so odd but they return every year on about the same day. :shock:

Yes, I know they will kill and carry away the Yorkies and even the Westie pups. Must use covers or tarps over them now I suppose. Doing battle with Mother Nature it seems.

Maybe that is a new avatar for me, Hawkgirl! :D :D :D

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PANDA POOP TO BE MADE INTO PAPER

Process includes boiling, bleaching and drying under the sun

BEIJING - There's a new Chinese saying: When life hands you panda poop, make paper. Researchers at a giant panda reserve in southern China are looking for paper mills to process their surplus of fiber-rich panda excrement into high quality paper.
Liao Jun, a researcher at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base in Sichuan province, said the idea came to them after a visit to Thailand last year where they found paper made from elephant dung. They thought panda poop would produce an even finer quality paper, he said.
The base is currently in talks with several paper mills on how to turn the droppings of Jing Jing, Ke Bi, Ya Ya and dozens of other pandas at the base into reams of office paper and rolls of wrapping paper, said Liao.
They hope to have a product line available by next year, he said.
"We are not interested in doing this for the profits but to recycle the waste," said Liao. "It's environmentally friendly. We can use the paper ourselves and also we can sell whatever is left over."

The center's 40 bamboo-fed pandas produce about 2 tons of droppings a day, but Liao said he was not sure yet how much paper would result.
What about squeamish customers who might consider the paper unsanitary "People won't find it gross at all," Liao said. "They probably won't even be able to tell it's from panda poop."

The Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand already sells multicolored paper made from the excrement produced by its two resident pandas. Making paper there involves a daylong process of cleaning the faeces, boiling it in a soda solution, bleaching it with chlorine and drying it under the sun

Quote from: "Tibrogargan"

2 TONS??? Ya know what?? I never thought of those cute little things ever Poo-ing lol
I don't know how I would feel about the paper though, I guess I would have to REALLY curb my dogs from eating paper at that point. EEWwww

China is letting the National Zoo in Washington keep its cub at least ANOTHER TWO YEARS! Also, interesting info about the money involved in this program.

China Extends Panda Cub's Stay in D.C.

By LUBNA TAKRURI
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chinese officials on Tuesday granted Tai Shan, the National Zoo's popular giant panda cub, an extra two years at the Smithsonian Institution park with his parents.

Under a panda loan agreement with China, any cub born at the National Zoo would be returned for breeding sometime after its second birthday. Tai Shan turns 2 on July 9 but will remain with his mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian at least until 2009.

Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong presented the zoo with a giant green laminated passport to extend Tai Shan's stay.

"As an envoy of goodwill from the Chinese people and a symbol of friendly cooperation between China and the United States, Tai Shan will continue to bring more happiness and delight to the American people," Wenzhong said.

The cub, now 125 pounds, took a few bites of a celebratory "cake," made of his favorite orange Popsicle and chopped fruit, before the cake rolled down a hill. He soon had both paws on it again and was chomping away.

The zoo's agreement is to give the Chinese government $10 million to keep the adult pandas over 10 years since their arrival in 2000. John Gibbons, a National Zoo spokesman, said that the zoo agreed to pay an additional $600,000 for any cubs born to the pair. The money goes to panda conservation efforts in China. The zoo was not charged any more to extend Tai Shan's stay.

An estimated 2.25 million visitors have gone to the zoo to see the cub since his public debut in December 2005.

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On the Net:

National Zoo Giant Pandas: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/

Memphis Zoo has pregnant panda ...

Updated: 7:56 p.m. ET May 23, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A panda at the Memphis Zoo is definitely pregnant, officials there said Wednesday. Ya Ya, a giant panda, was artificially inseminated in January after she and a male companion failed at mating the old-fashioned way. Since then, the zoo has closely monitored her as the potential due date drew near for the 6-year-old panda.

"I'm excited, but I'm also cautious because we have a long way to go before the birth," said Chuck Brady, the zoo's president.

Panda pregnancies cannot be confirmed until shortly before the delivery date. Gestation lasts about 133 days, which means Ya Ya could give birth soon.

An ultrasound showed that Ya Ya's fetus recently began growing, The Commercial Appeal newspaper reported. After the insemination, she was in a period called a "diapause" in which the fertilized egg doesn't mature in the uterus.

Zoo officials have been watching Ya Ya round the clock this month for behavioral changes such as pacing, agitation and becoming more secluded.

"We've just entered into the growth phase," Brady said. "This is a critical stage, and we'll have to monitor Ya Ya carefully."

She and a male panda, 8-year-old Le Le, are on loan to the zoo from China. Ya Ya and the cub will be off exhibit for about three months, zoo officials say.

Pandas are notoriously poor breeders _ one reason their species is endangered — and females have only three days a year in which they can conceive.

Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

The Monkey Lounge => The Monkey Lounge => Topic started by: BTgirl on October 11, 2006, 01:03:46 PM