We are celebrating the birthdays of pandas
Su Lin and Zhen Zhen on Monday, August 3.
Ice "cakes" will be offered to each panda girl at 9 a.m. Come watch the fun at the Zoo or here on the Panda Cam!
Panda webcam Live..
Which Panda Am I Seeing on Panda Cam?
Look for the "C" followed by a number in the lower left corner of the Panda Cam image. The number indicates the area of the Panda Station exhibit we are viewing (subject to change!):
• 1–3: Su Lin
• 4–7: Zhen Zhen
• 11, 15, 17, 27–29: Bai Yun
• 23; 30–32: Gao Gao
• 25: Den
The San Diego Zoo has had a love affair with giant pandas ever since two of the black-and-white bears came to visit in 1987. After years of red tape and tons of application paperwork, the Zoo and China agreed on a 12-year research loan of two giant pandas, Bai Yun and Shi Shi. A brand-new exhibit area was built for our panda guests, which has since been expanded and renovated and is now called the Giant Panda Research Station. Although we currently have four giant pandas, our facility can comfortably house up to six!
Bai Yun ("White Cloud")Female
Born: September 7, 1991, Wolong Giant Panda Research Center, China
Arrived at San Diego Zoo: September 10, 1996
Weight in September 2008: 214 pounds (97 kilograms)
Bai Yun has given birth to four cubs since her arrival at the San Diego Zoo: Hua Mei, Mei Sheng, Su Lin, and our newest cub, Zhen Zhen, born August 3, 2007. But Bai Yun's own birth was unique as well: it marked the first successful birth of a giant panda at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China.
Bai Yun is curious, unpredictable, and mischievous. She enjoys anything scented with cloves or pine, and men's cologne!
Gao Gao ("Big Big")Male
Born: estimated 1990, in wild near China's Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve
Arrived at San Diego Zoo: January 15, 2003, on a research loan from China
Current weight: 168–174 pounds (76–79 kilograms)
Gao Gao’s life had a difficult beginning. An injured young Gao Gao (pronounced gow-gow) was found in March 1993, dehydrated and with the left side of his head bloody where nearly two-thirds of his ear had been torn away. He was taken to China’s Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve and nursed back to health.
Gao Gao is rambunctious, inquisitive, and alert, and loves the variety of bamboo he is offered at the Zoo—keepers say he is a bamboo-eating machine! Gao Gao is the father of Mei Sheng, Su Lin, and Zhen Zhen.
Su Lin ("A little bit of something very cute")Female
Born: August 2, 2005, San Diego Zoo
Weight in September 2008: 161–165 pounds (73–75 kilograms)
Su Lin is the third panda to be born at the San Diego Zoo. Her parents are Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Following Chinese tradition, she was given her name at 100 days of age.
Now out on her own in the panda exhibit daily, Su Lin has grown into a confident panda. Watch her daily on Panda Cam!
Zhen Zhen ("Precious")Gender: female
Born: August 3, 2007, San Diego Zoo
Weight on September 6, 2008: 45.8 pounds (20.8 kilograms)
Our newest panda cub is the fourth to be born at the San Diego Zoo. Her parents are Bai Yun and Gao Gao. The cub received her name on November 26, 2007, the results of an online naming poll. She is now a lively youngster; keepers say Zhen has nonstop energy and quite the independent streak!
*** Move In China ***
Hua Mei ("China/USA")Female
Giant Panda
Born: August 21, 1999, San Diego Zoo
Arrived in China: February 2004
Hua Mei became the first giant panda born in the Western Hemisphere since 1990 when she was born at the San Diego Zoo in 1999. In 2004 she went to live at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in China, per stipulations of the Zoo's research loan with China.
In September 2004 Hua Mei gave birth to twins at the Wolong facility. She had another set of twins in August 2005 and yet another pair in July 2007, making her the mother of six!
Shi Shi ("Rock")Male
Giant Panda
Born: estimated 1970s, in wild in China's Sichuan Province
Arrived at San Diego Zoo: September 1996
Returned to China: January 2003
Died: July 5, 2008
Shi Shi was born in the wild in China's Sichuan Province. In March 1992, he was critically wounded, probably from a fight with another male panda. He was rescued and taken to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center. Because of his injuries, he was not able to be returned to the wild. Shi Shi came to the San Diego Zoo as part of a research loan. He provided us the opportunity to learn about caring for an older panda. Shi Shi fathered Hua Mei through artificial insemination. He returned to China where he lived out his final years at the Guangzhou Zoo. Shi Shi will be remembered fondly by all who knew him.
Mei Sheng ("Born in the USA" or "Beautiful Life")Male
Born: August 19, 2003, San Diego Zoo
Moved to China: November 5, 2007
Mei Sheng is the second cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo. His mother is Bai Yun and his father is Gao Gao. During his time in San Diego he delighted visitors and Panda Cam viewers with his sweet and playful personality.
Mei Sheng moved to China at age four to be part of the giant panda breeding program.
Panda pictures
Fun facts
• The People's Republic of China sent two giant pandas, Basi and Yuan Yuan, to the San Diego Zoo for a 200-day loan in 1987. More than two million people were able to view the pandas during their stay.
• On August 21, 1999, Bai Yun gave birth to Hua Mei, the first giant panda born in North America to survive to adulthood. Millions of people around the world watched Hua Mei grow up via the Zoo's Panda Cam.
• In 1979, the Zoo began working with Chinese zoos to help many of China's endangered animals, including red pandas, takins, and Manchurian cranes.
• A panda narrator is at the panda's main viewing area daily to share the latest news and to answer guests' questions about the "bamboo bears."
• Bamboo is grown on Zoo grounds and at several off-grounds locations to supply the pandas with their daily meals.
• The San Diego Zoo has the largest number of giant pandas in the United States.
Source: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
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