Results tagged “sandiegozoo”

On Gothamist Contribute, someone pointed out Johnny Cupcakes, a website devoted to selling t-shirts (and a few other things) with cupcakes on it. Excellent, we thought. But better than just a cupcake shirt is the panda eating a cupcake shirt! The shirt is $31.99, which is a bit steep but unlike the 15-18 cupcakes you could get for the same price, it's a little more permanent and less damaging on the waistline.

Gothamist's head is about to explode, because the San Diego Zoo has just confirmed that Bai Yun has given birth! Bai Yun has been the most productive panda mom in America, as she's given birth to Hua Mei (who later had twins after watching panda porn) and Mei Sheng (although zookeepers weren't sure which male was the father). Gothamist will now have to visit San Diego Zoo again, now that the new Panda Research Station can hold up to six pandas. Six! Gothamist must start our letter...no, email campaign to bring pandas to NYC now!

The National Zoo's veterinarians confirm that the baby panda born a scant three weeks ago is a boy! Today was the first day the zookeepers spent some time alone with the cub, who weighs 1.82 pounds and is 12 inches long, and is described as being "very solid and sturdy and extremely cute." We assume that in future visits, the world can expect adorable and extensive photographs of the baby (like this one of San Diego Zoo cub Mei Sheng). Baby Boy Panda won't be on exhibit until October, when he is three months old, and there will most likely be a 100 days naming ceremony around that time, too. So, this is as good as a time as any to mention that the Amtrak Acela has increased the number of trains that go to DC. We'll be there with our panda ears on.

HUZZAH! The National Zoo's 7 year-old panda, Mei Xiang, has given birth "a baby the size of a stick of butter"!!! (Panda babies are pale and pinkish; imagine a larger hamster... the black and white markings aren't evident till later...for examples, see this newborn photo of Mei Sheng from San Diego, and ones where he is older, 1 and 2.) DCist says the panda exhibit will be closed for three months while the zoo keepers keep on eye on the new mom and baby. And all signs point to Mei Xiang being a good panda mom - she's been tending to the baby. No word on what Tian Tian, the male panda, has been doing, as his job was done once Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated, but we imagine he's been sleeping and eating as usual.

This will make Oakland the fifth U.S. city with pandas. There are pandas at the National Zoo in DC, San Diego Zoo, Memphis Zoo, and Zoo Atlanta. Gothamist's favorite panda posts: Our visit to the San Diego Zoo, DC pandas mating, and the panda transformer; plus all our other panda posts.

Thanks to the nice people at the zoo's publicity department, Gothamist got a chance to speak with zoo keeper Kim Bacon, who has been at the San Diego Zoo working with the pandas since 1998. Some fun things we learned about adult pandas Bai Yun and Gao Gao and baby cub Mei Sheng:

San Diego's, and possibly the world's, cutest baby turns one today: Panda cub Mei Sheng celebrates his birthday with his first snow and some treats (probably a block of ice with carrots and apple slices frozen in it). Gothamist has been keenly interested in Mei Sheng ever since he appeared like a little bug last year. This photograph of Mei Sheng seen above was actually taken by Gothamist, on a historic first visit to the San Diego Zoo (more coverage, including an interview with a panda keeper, to come); he was just hanging out in a tree branch...and then fell asleep, while still up there. So, little Mei Sheng, Gothamist will be having a drink and a fiber-rich biscuit in your honor tonight.

Monkeys have been getting a bad rap lately, so Gothamist thought it was nice of Michael Cosentino at Meccapixel to show them - their marmoset brethren, really - some love. It looks like there will be a series of Central Park Zoo photos coming to Meccapixel, so look out.

Gothamist on Hua Mei's sex education.

Ed: It's been too long since a panda-related post, so this one's for you, TMFTML.

In another move of making sure America is everywhere, the San Diego Zoo's panda was named Mei Sheng, which means "Born in the United States." You may or may not remember that the last baby panda, Hua Mei's name means "China U.S.A." Mei Sheng's name also can mean "beautiful life;" he could also be called "Made in the U.S.A." – with the help in the very best artificial panda insemination technology involved. In fact, it was only recently discovered which panda was his father, thanks to DNA testing. The intrigue!

Unnamed San Diego baby panda is offered a panda biscuit, which it could not eat because its teeth have not erupted yet. Now, we know the folks at the San Diego Zoo love the pandas, but this is a tease. And it makes Gothamist want to develop some panda baby food products, like Panda Peas and Panda Bamboo with Apple Flavor.

The eleven week baby boy panda at the San Diego had a another routine check-up. He weighs in at a sturdy nine pounds and researchers say in a week or so, he will get teeth. Reuters notes that he is trying to stand on all four legs in this photo, but the San Diego says "he would tire himself out and fall asleep." You can sometimes see baby panda on the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam. And here are photographs of panda from previous exams.

The baby panda at the San Diego Zoo got his 51 day check up and according to zookeepers, he's doing well, at 5.3 pounds and 17 inches. Gothamist expects him to get a name on his 100th day in a naming ceremony, which is typical Chinese tradition.

Gothamist has the best readers ever: We received multiple emails asking why we hadn't posted about the exciting news coming from San Diego. Yes, the news that Bai Yun the panda is pregnant...with twins! And in a plot twist worthy of a soap opera, zoo keepers aren't sure who the father is - they inseminated her on two occasions with the sperm of two different pandas, Shi Shi, who is now in China, and Gao Gao, the panda male currently in San Diego. Truthfully, Gothamist was wary of posting about it is because panda pregnancies are very delicate, especially pregnancy with twins, and we didn't want to get too excited about it. From our panda knowledge, one twin tends to be ignored as the panda mother can only pay attention to one. But the San Diego Zoo is a top notch facility, and we're sure that as we speak, they are trying to force Bai Yun into bed rest with tons of bamboo and carrots. See for yourself with the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam.

SARS affects yet another trip - the L.A. Times reports that San Diego native Hua Mei's trip to China has been delayed. Hua Mei is a giant panda, who was born in 1999 to Bai Yun, and has lived in San Diego since. As most pandas in zoos are on loan from the Chinese government, part of the agreement between the San Diego Zoo and China is that any pandas born in the U.S. must be sent to China after a certain number of years. With SARS concerns, Hua Mei's trip back may be delayed for months. Here's hoping that other San Diego Natives and zoo visitors will take advantage of that and say hi to her.

for me.