Drama at the Panda House – Bao Bao, a Tree and a ‘hot wire’ but staff “are confident that Bao Bao will come down when she is ready”

Photo by PoPville flickr user angela n.

From Smithsonian’s National Zoo:

“For everyone wondering about giant panda cub Bao Bao, she chose to spend last night outdoors in a tree. Staff determined that Bao Bao touched a ‘hot wire’ in her yard yesterday afternoon. This is a safe warning system used by Zoos for containment. Her reaction was to climb up a tree where she feels safe. This behavior is predictable. Bao Bao is perfectly fine and like all Zoo animals, she is still learning the boundaries of her habitat. Keepers decided to give Mei access to the outdoor yard overnight and she choose to stay with Bao Bao, a likely scenario for a mother panda to stay with her cub in the wild. A keeper stayed overnight in the panda house just in case they decided to come inside. The staff are adjusting the pandas’ routine today and are confident that Bao Bao will come down when she is ready.”