Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“Watch the lion cub swim tests from this morning! As you’ll see each cub had a slightly different reaction to the water, but all passed and will be on exhibit in a few weeks!

Naba’s two older cubs will be on exhibit starting Friday afternoon!”

Photo by Abby Wood,Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

” It’s been a busy few weeks at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat. Bao Bao is now going outside with Mei Xiang regularly in the morning. She has been busy exploring, and Smithsonian Channel captured her first attempt at climbing a tree. Now she climbs high in the trees in Mei Xiang’s yard without any hesitation, which is exactly what giant panda cubs would do in the wild. As with any new climber, she’s had a few falls, but panda cubs are built to withstand them and Bao Bao is no exception. In addition to the keepers, Mei also has an ever watchful eye on her cub and is always ready to help if Bao Bao needs her. Part of going outside is learning to come back inside. But Bao Bao has not quite mastered shifting back inside at the end of the day. Sometimes she follows Mei straight inside and other times she chooses to stay up in the trees.

Bao Bao may not be shifting inside like an adult panda yet, but she started tasting more foods aside from sweet potato. Keepers have started giving her mini fruitsicles—small versions of the frozen fruit-filled treats Mei Xiang and Tian Tian recieve. Bao Bao enjoys them, but so does Mei. She usually helps Bao Bao finish the last bites of her fruitsicles.

The panda house will be closed Wednesday, April 23, but pandas will be outside in the morning and early afternoon as usual.”

From the National Zoo:

“Last week, keepers started introductions between Shera and Naba’s cubs! Keepers watch these interactions closely in the event that the cubs need to be separated. Fortunately, everyone has been getting along fine.”

Photo: Connor Mallon, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“It’s a great big world outside and soon it will have a little Bao Bao in it! Seven-month-old Bao Bao will have access to her mother Mei Xiang’s larger yard this week beginning each day around 8 a.m., weather depending. Bao Bao will be given the option to explore outside with her mother if the temperature is at least 35 degrees Fahrenheit with no precipitation. Although Bao Bao will have the option to go outside, she may decide to stay inside the panda house. It may take several weeks before Bao Bao is venturing outside with Mei Xiang regularly.

In preparation for Bao Bao’s outdoor debut, keepers have cub-proofed the giant panda yards. Giant pandas are very adept climbers, and cubs especially spend time climbing trees. The trees in Mei Xiang’s yard have been collared, and some tree limbs have been trimmed for Bao Bao’s safety. Keepers have placed bales of hay around the grotto and yard to cushion any potential falls.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

From the National Zoo:

“One of the keys to raising a healthy giant panda cub is mother’s milk. Since her birth on August 23, Bao Bao has grown from 4.8 ounces to just over 20 pounds. She’s packed on the pounds almost exclusively by nursing from Mei Xiang; she’s only recently started to eat sweet potato and maybe a little bamboo. Zoo scientists can learn much from panda milk, and with help from keepers they are banking small samples from Mei Xiang. In this update giant panda keeper, Juan Rodriguez, explains how keepers collect milk samples from Mei Xiang.

With the birth of Bao Bao, Mei Xiang has been producing a lot of milk, so we developed a procedure for collecting the extra milk. This would allow us to not only study the nutrients in giant panda milk, but to have some milk stored in case future cubs were to need supplemental feedings. We knew collecting milk would be a complicated process, but we were fortunate enough to be able to see how our colleagues around the world do it. (more…)

Photo Credit: Abby Wood, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“We are very sad to announce that Pandora, our giant Pacific octopus, died yesterday. She was curious, charismatic and taught all who visited the Invertebrate Exhibit so much about octopus behavior.

Animal care staff estimate that Pandora was about 5 years old. (The median lifespan for giant Pacific octopuses is about 3 to 5 years.) Pandora came to the Zoo in November 2011 when she was about 1.5 years old. She lived at the Zoo’s Invertebrate Exhibit for 27 months—longer than any of her predecessors. Pandora was a wonderful ambassador for her species and will be greatly missed!”

Photo credit: Karen Abbott, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“Healthy and well-fed! That was the ruling animal care staff gave to Naba’s two-and-a-half-week-old cubs during their first veterinary exam yesterday. The complete physical involved listening to the cubs’ hearts and lungs; checking their mouths, eyes, legs, and feet; and feeling their bellies. Both cubs weigh-in at about 9 lbs. Keepers gave the cubs a touch-up on their identifying shave marks (one on the shoulder, the other on the base of the tail). As the cubs continue to grow and develop, animal care staff will be able to determine whether we have boys, girls, or one of each!”

Photo Credit: Karen Abbott, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

From the National Zoo:

“A few days ago, African lion mother Naba spent some time away from her cubs and enjoyed a special oxtail treat with her sister, Shera. Keepers took the opportunity to get their first in-person look at the cubs. Their report: they are adorable! In order to distinguish the two, keepers shaved a small mark on each cub. The smaller, who weighs 7.6 lbs, has a shave mark on his/her left shoulder. The larger cub, who weighs 8.26 lbs, has a small shave mark at the base of his/her tail. Animal care staff have not yet verified the cubs’ sex. (Just shy of 2 weeks old, the cubs’ genetalia have not fully developed.)

When Naba returned to the cubbing den, she groomed and nursed the cubs. She didn’t show any signs of stress. Keepers gave her the option to move the cubs to a different set of cubbing dens, but Naba choose to keep them where they were. Watch our little lion family grow on the Cub Cam.”