Chet’s Chatter

New picture

Posted on 31 July 2005 @ 10:15 in Stress Busters

Another one, this one showing more of the cub (who turned 3 weeks on the 30th):

Another one

Posted on 30 July 2005 @ 22:16 in Stress Busters

Latest Pic and other panda news

Posted on 30 July 2005 @ 12:08 in Stress Busters

Just caught this at the Animal Planet pandacam:

Over at the San Diego Zoo, they’re getting ready to welcome Mama Bai Yun’s latest litter. At a recent ultrasound, two heartbeats were heard, but one is getting fainter.

Full story here:
Zoo begins countdown to pending panda birth

Mama Bai Yun had one cub in 1999 (Hua Mei), and one-half of a pair in 2003 (Mei Sheng). If she has twins this time, the zoo keepers will have the opportunity to share cub rearing duties with her. They will be following the system used at the Wolong Panda Conservation Centre – cubs are swapped every few days so each gets some time with mummy. This is done because giant panda mums do not have the capability to take care of two cubs at the same time – they use one paw to hold a cub and the other to feed with. In the wild, the weaker of the two cubs are usually left to die (so sad), or when it fails to be born, is re-absorbed back into the mother’s body.

Her soon-to-be cub/s will also be the first to be born from natural mating, and not artificial insemination.

Quote from the “Zoo begins countdown to pending panda birth” article:

“Now that these adult pandas have the routine down, zoo officials said they see a future full of babies.”

Haha …