Scout and Tong Tong

Hi everyone, Scout here! Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve updated, we’ve all just been settling here in Ya’an and have just about finished our first full week here at the panda base!  The first week has been jam packed as we’re beginning to test everything we’ve learned about panda behaviors and starting to observe stereotypes and maternal care individually instead of in a group which can be pretty intimidating! Meghan’s been so incredibly patient and helpful and we’ll all be sad to see her leave this weekend which means we’ll be officially on our own at that point.

Performing stereotypic observations.

So far one of my favorite mom/cub duos to watch is Shu Qin and her baby. This is her first baby but you can tell by watching her that she’s an amazing mom and I look forward to watching her baby grow!

Shu Qin and her 2016 cub

In other panda news, Su Shan had her baby and both are doing very well! It’s incredible to watch the relationships that the keepers have with the bears, as they are both so trusting of each other. The keepers will go in and check in on both mom and baby to make sure the baby is nursing properly and both are healthy. The photo is of Yang Hua and her 3-day-old baby at the time with the keeper examining both.

-Scout