“Are you done yet?”
LOL! That’s what the National Zoo cub seems to be wondering during his recent fourth exam!
A mummy again!
Just read the news at the San Diego Panda Weblog …
Hua Mei’s a mummy again, she gave birth to twins two days ago on 29 August!
*faint with joy*
Panda Handstand
No, Hua Mei’s not the only one who does handstands.
Meet Daddy Tian of the National Zoo (the cub’s father).
Actually, he looks like he’s doing his morning exercises.
Ignorance is bliss
Sometimes, I think it’s a blessing not to remember. At least, not consciously.
Take mother, for instance.
About three Saturdays back, she suddenly told me, “I miss your father.”
A while later, “ask him to come and see me.”
Quite a while after, “He’s on his way, right? You’re here already.”
To which I replied, “He can’t come to see you anymore. But he asked us to come and see you. Is that alright?”
A brief nod, then no more mention of father. One of the care-givers did tell us that there was one day, something mother said made them think she’s aware. Apparently, she told them, “My other half is no more.”
But it’s not always so sombre when we visit mother. In fact, visits with her are always filled with laughter.
Yesterday, after arriving at GT Heritage and settling on the sofa next to her, I happened to be too close and caught a whiff of her mouth.
“Your mouth smells.”
“Of course, it smells,” she replied without hesitation. “I just finished eating.”
Later, when my brother’s weekly phone call came through, I heard her repeat his question.
“What am I doing? I’m sitting here.”
Yes, she’s come a long way since her minor stroke following father’s death in April. More than a long way. Thank You, Lord.
For VaLz
She said cannot see the Animal Planet panda cam, so I saved this picture for her.
Cute, hor?
Speaking of names …
In the wild, giant pandas wouldn’t care if they had names. But when they enter the world of the humans, they get humanised and are given names.
I was particularly interested in what Hua Mei’s twins were called. It was hard to find out as they are back in China where it’s not as easy to get giant panda news as it is in the States. As it turned out, I chanced upon this web site called Pandas International. In one of their monthly newsletters, they announced that they’d adopted Hua Mei’s twins and named them Da Hua Sheng for the first-born, and Hao Yun, for the younger one.
Recently, someone asked about her twins’ names on the San Diego Zoo’s panda weblog, and according to the answer given, their names are Hua Ling and Mei Ling, which are combinations of their parents’ names (Hua Mei, mother, and Ling Ling, the male giant panda she mated with).
Hmm …
Two sets of names. Which is the right set?
After a couple of emails with Suzanne Braden, one of the directors of Pandas International, she explained that giant pandas usually have official names and nicknames. The latter are usually given by organisations or even individuals who adopt them. Thus, Hua Mei’s twins are officially Hua Ling and Mei Ling, while their nicknames are Da Hua Sheng for the first-born, and Hao Yun.
Hmm …
Both her twins are boys, yet, their names are quite feminine. I think I like their nicknames better.
Of course, now there’s a chance their uncle - Mei Xiang’s cub - may share the same name as the elder twin. Well, without the Da in front.
Hua Sheng is one of five names shortlisted for Mei Xiang’s cub. The National Zoo is currently running a contest for visitors to the site to vote for his name. I voted for Hua Sheng. It was only after I voted that I learned that there’s a prize of a trip to the Zoo, with an exclusive opportunity to meet the pandas. And then, a few hours later, I learned that the contest is only for American citizens. Okay, so no chance to win a prize, but I hope my vote is counted.
Mei Xiang’s cub will be named on the 100th day of his birth, a tradition started with Hua Mei. This naming ceremony apparently is a Chinese tradition, but it must be a tradition for China, since I’ve never heard of it before.
100 days = 3 months 8 days, so that should be 17 October thereabouts.
Panda Sex
It’s just been confirmed - the cub at San Diego Zoo is a girl. A while back, it was confirmed the cub at the National Zoo is a boy.
A visitor to the San Diego Zoo Panda Weblog left a comment to ask if the San Diego cub is a girl, would there be a possibility of the two cubs getting together later and producing an offspring. Well, it turns out those two are related! How?
Turns out Mama Bai Yun from the San Diego Zoo and Papa Tian Tian from the National Zoo are half-siblings, sharing the same father, Pan Pan, who has fathered quite a few cubs at the Wolong Centre. So those two cubs share a grandfather and are cousins!
How funny.
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