Bird Cams Around the World

Every time lately I have checked on Bao, she has been sleeping. Last night she must have been dreaming because she was rolling and stretching and then would settle back in. This went on for about 15 minutes before she finally found a good spot and position.
Wonder what a little panda cub dreams about. This was from just a few minutes ago.

A little rough housing for the little gals.

Happy New Year! We can’t believe it’s already 2014. Mei Lun and Mei Huan are getting so big and are having fun playing and experiencing new things. Jen Webb, Keeper I, has this update for Cub Confidential:

“The ‘terrible duo’ (or the adorable duo, depending on what they're doing) have delighted the keepers with their ability to pick up on training at such an early age! We've recently noticed that they usually perk up and look our way when we call their individual names. This may not seem like training, but it is! It's very important that the two cubs learn to distinguish who we are calling, especially since they'll be together for quite a while! Because they have started to learn their names, we've started asking the cubs to "shift" (go from one location to another, through a shift door). Sooner than later, the cubs will be too big for us to safely handle. So it's never too early to start learning how to shift out onto exhibit without our help! We've gotten the cubs to shift through a couple of shift doors on their own, but they're still stalling out about halfway to the dayroom because something always sparks their curiosity, and panda cubs have a one-track mind. So we are still carrying them onto exhibit most days. I think pretty soon we won't need to help them because they'll be doing it all on their own! They're growing up so fast!”



That’s great news! Thanks, Jen. Panda cubs really do have a one-track mind! We can tell from PandaCam that Mei Lun and Mei Huan are very curious with their surroundings. Shauna Dankberg, Keeper I, wanted to share this story with Cub Confidential subscribers:

“Recently for enrichment, we gave Lun Lun and the cubs a few carwash strips, which are basically like pieces of felt, and tied them to the mesh of one of the dens. Mei Lun was curious but also cautious with it. Mei Huan was quite nervous about it and backed away right away. After a few seconds of examining from afar, Mei Lun got closer. She smelled it and grabbed it in her mouth. We left for a minute to grab some food for Lun Lun, and when we came back she was lying flat on her back with the carwash strip in her mouth, tugging as hard as she could on it. After a little while, and watching Mei Lun play, Mei Huan came up to examine this new object. Her response wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Mei Lun’s, though. Maybe given another day, she too will discover how exciting it is.”

Thanks, Shauna. We know Mei Huan will soon want to play with the strips like her sister!

Adorable!

Right after I captured this shot the cubbie in front did a little twirl and fell off. Not deterred, she got right back up again! A little later Mom joined them. The most recent scene was Mom dragging one of them off somewhere. Lun Lun is quite a mom!

From the National Zoo - mark your calendars!
Bao Bao is becoming a master at giant panda locomotion! She climbed up on the rockwork in Mei Xiang’s enclosure all by herself.

You will be able to see Bao Bao put her newly acquired skills to the test when she
makes her grand public debut on Jan. 18

The view from the panda cam control room shows a mother’s devotions, including hugs that, in the wild, regulate the body temperature of a young cub. Nursing is often on display; giant pandas don’t eat solid foods until 6 months old. (Tim Flach)

I wish I knew how to make movies. The action was a riot!

Catch Them if You Can! from Cub Confidential



Every time we look at PandaCam, the girls are running and climbing all over the place! How can the Panda Team keep up? Mollye Nardi, Keeper III, knows firsthand how challenging it can be to manage increasingly mobile twins. She has this update for Cub Confidential:

“The cubs are becoming better and better climbers, which means they are getting harder and harder to contain when they are not in the panda dens or on exhibit in the dayroom. For this reason, we tried something new on Tuesday. For their morning bottle feed, instead of taking them out to feed them, we bottle-fed them through the mesh while they were in their den. They seemed a little awkward at first, trying to grab on to the bottles as they sat up on their own. Mei Lun caught on quickly and drank up quickly. Mei Huan was a little slower. Once Mei Lun was done, Mei Huan pushed her over, making sure she was nowhere near her bottle, and eventually finished hers.”

Thanks, Mollye! Don’t ever get in the way of a panda cub and her food!

This panda update was written by keeper Nicole MacCorkle.

Like father, like daughter. Panda cam viewers may have noticed something interesting about Bao Bao’s resting habits—she frequently sleeps on her back, which is the preferred position for her dad Tian Tian as well. Early on a recent morning, she was observed sleeping on her back, scratching her belly exactly the way her dad does. For that moment in time, she looked just like a little mini Tian Tian!
Bao Bao’s coordination and climbing abilities are improving each day, and now she spends considerable time just exploring her enclosures, always under Mei Xiang’s watchful eye, of course. It won’t be long now until Bao Bao begins exploring the great outdoors as well, and that’s when all of the fun and extreme panda cub cuteness will really begin! Mei Xiang will really be busy keeping up with Bao Bao and all of her adventures in the new year.
Bao Bao will make her public debut Jan. 18. The panda house at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat will be open from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. from Jan. 18 to Jan. 20. Beginning Jan. 21 it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cute Pics from Cub Confidential

"The little corner of this structure seems to be Mei Lun’s and Mei Huan’s favorite spot, with just the right amount of space for a panda cub to snuggle up! If they aren’t up there, you might find one of them lounging in the hammock!"

What nice photos of the girls. I do love the Gigi, the one with the door shot. My thinking was that she want to do some ballet moves to limber up at it.

I couldn't imagine what was going on on the other side of the door. At first she was sitting there and her mouth was moving, so I figured she was "talking" to someone or something. It went on for quite a while and then they switched to the other side of the door and she was just having a conversation with whomever that panda was. At first I thought maybe the Bao was on the other side being examined.