Are you ready for some of the cutest pictures EVER? I spent a lot of time around the kindergarten recently since there isn’t any breeding going on. These are Long Xin, Xi Mei, Shui Xiu, and Si Xue’s cubs from last years breeding.
Enjoying the tire swing in the enclosure.
What better way to finish up St. Patrick’s Day then green snap shots from your favorite green organization – US! Here’s St. Patty’s from the panda base.
1. The CCRCGP logo, 2. Bai Yang immersed in his bamboo, 3. The researchcenters sign – where I work, 4. Clovers of course!, 5. The mossy steps I try to break my neck on about 6 times a day, 6. The base bus I take up every day, 7. Baby panda – had to end on this!
Hope you had a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
-Meg
Zhang Ka and cubs
Zhang Ka gave birth to twins on August 20 in a semi-wild enclosure at Bifengxia (BFX). Zhang Ka mated with Bai Yang (such a handsome and the keepers say “experienced” male) on March 22, 23 and gave birth 5 months later. There are two cubs one male and one female. There are three semi-wild enclosures at BFX and some of the cubs born at BFX will be trained in the semi-wild enclosures as part of the reintroduction training program. The plan is to select 6 females for the reintroduction training program and the cub will be raised entirely in a semi-natural enclosure with no (or close to no) contact with humans, with the hope that this will encourage more natural behaviors giving the cubs a better chance for survival once they are reintroduced into the wild.
This birth makes me super excited to go back and get started on our research again. It’s nice to realize that the final goal is to get more pandas out into the wild and our project will help obtain that goal by increasing reproductive success in the captive breeding program.
Congrats to Zhang Ka!
Go here for the full story (in Chinese).