Bird Cams Around the World

We need a baby panda smilie!

They are saying both look healthy! 1st born weighed 109.2 gms and 2nd born weighed 132 gms!

Panda Updates
Saturday, September 3
We are here in the giant panda nursery and are so excited to report on the birth of Lun Lun’s second set of twins!

We received the call that Lun Lun was having contractions early this morning and all rushed to the panda building. We didn’t have to wait long before she gave birth to a very loud, very healthy-looking cub. As usual, she is such a great panda mom that she picked the cub up right away and started taking care of it. Because we had seen two cubs on ultrasound, we anxiously awaited the birth of a second. As we all know, there are never any guarantees that giant pandas will give birth, even after we have seen cubs on ultrasound, because they can sometimes reabsorb a fetus. Lun Lun didn’t disappoint us, though, and 47 minutes later, Cub B was born! Talk about excitement!

Photo by Zoo Atlanta

Because giant panda cubs are so altricial, (meaning that they are born in a very dependent and helpless manner requiring extensive care from their moms to survive), and because we know that it is difficult for giant pandas to provide this extensive maternal care for more than one cub at a time, often resulting in the death of one of the pair of babies, we were prepared to go into the twin-swapping mode that we utilized last time. We are so grateful that Lun Lun is such an amazing panda and that we had such great experiences from the last time she had twins, and Mei Lun and Mei Huan taught us so much!

The first cub that we were able to swap out was actually her firstborn (called Cub A for now). This is because Lun Lun set Cub A down on the floor of the den when she delivered Cub B. This can be a very dangerous time for the newborn cub, because the mom is so focused on taking care of the newest arrival that she can inadvertently roll on or sit on the firstborn. We were able to get Cub A out of the den while she focused on Cub B. Cub A was rushed to our cub incubator and assessed to be very healthy, weighing in at 109.2 grams! While we have a cub with us in the nursery, we take the opportunity to examine it for any obvious problems, weigh it, and we keep it very warm and moist (by keeping the humidity and temperatures in the incubator high), and it is snuggled under warm, soft blankets. This is to mimic the conditions of being held so snugly by Lun Lun. Cub A stayed nice and warm in the incubator, and we suspected that Cub A had nursed because he/she (too early to tell) seemed very content. Despite being so fragile, the cubs definitely let you know when they are ready for the next meal, and Cub A was no different, starting to get restless after about two hours in the incubator. We took this as a sign to try the swap, and when Lun Lun was in a position near the doorway, we removed Cub B and placed Cub A back with her for some mommy time!

Again, we have had experience doing this from when we did this with Mei Lun and Mei Huan, and it certainly helps to have our very knowledgeable and experienced colleagues here from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding who have had years of experience doing this! So, we finally were able to meet Cub B, and boy, does he/she look great also. Very strong, and, of course, loud, and weighing in at 132 grams! Hopefully, all will continue to go well here, and we know everyone out there is pulling for these babies! Anytime we can help to conserve endangered species like this through our research and breeding efforts, as well as excellence in animal care, it is a huge success!
Dr. Hayley, Dr. Sam and Dr. Kate
Zoo Atlanta Veterinarians

Thanks, Swinwk!

If I googled correctly, 109.2 grams = 3.85 ounces and 132 grams = 4.65 ounces.
Teeny weeny precious!

Oh My! Sooo adorable!
Thanks, Beth!

They are all doing well, including Lun Lun !!! See "Panda Update" below:

Panda Updates
Sunday, September 4
We have officially entered Day 2, and the cubs are doing well. We breathe a little easier after the first 72 hours. Not to say that they are not still very fragile, but the first 72 hours are very critical for establishing good nursing with Lun Lun. At this point, we are looking for positive weight gain, normal feces and urination when cubs are stimulated to go, and that Lun Lun is feeling good, producing a good milk supply, and is starting to eat and drink well.

The addition of two brand new, state of the art incubators from the Dräger company has been so amazing! We are able to control the temperature and humidity to within one-tenth of a degree (%), which is very important for these babies. We are forever grateful for this donation!

The cub swaps are going very well also. Lun Lun has “been there and done that," and so have we, so we have established a great routine already and Lun Lun has been very accommodating. We are swapping the cubs every two hours to make sure that they each get enough mom time, but if one seems hungry before the two-hour mark and we have confirmed that the other cub has nursed (determined by very close observations done by our nursery keepers), we may swap a little sooner also. During the swap, each cub is weighed, checked to make sure it appears hydrated and pink, and checked to see if it has to go to the bathroom. Once the cub that just left Lun Lun is settled into the incubator, the cub that has been in the other incubator is returned to Lun Lun. This all happens pretty quickly, and while the veterinarians and Chinese colleagues are working with the cubs, our dedicated keepers are making sure Lun Lun gets a chance to eat and drink. Pandas will not take care of their own needs very well during this neonatal stage, so we help her out and she has been doing very well. That's all for now -- take care and watch us on PandaCam!
Dr. Hayley

Panda Update:

Panda Updates
Monday, September 5
Panda cub update for Day 3! The cubs and Lun Lun continue to do well. It’s been three years since the last time I took care of panda cubs, and let me tell you, I’m still amazed at how tiny they are when they’re born. Another thing that amazes me is the set of pipes those little cubs have. Their vocalizations can be very, very soft, or if they’re hungry enough, very loud. Let me tell you, they will let you know when they are hungry. Lun Lun, like always, is such an awesome mom! After now having had seven cubs, she always amazes me with how her motherly instincts go right into effect about taking care of those little cubs.

Panda Update without the cute photo!

Panda Updates
Tuesday, September 6
Cub update for September 6: We’ve made it past the critical 72 hours, and the cubs are just about back at their birth weights. Much like humans, and many other mammals, newborns lose weight right after birth and then slowly gain it back. One of the behaviors that I’ve found very interesting is the way Lun Lun breathes on the cubs to keep them warm. Since giant pandas are used to colder air temperatures, mother giant pandas will exhale, or pant, on the cub to circulate the warm air around them. Sometimes it can look concerning as she is panting with her head down, but this is all to help care for her tiny cubs.

How neat ... I didn't know that!