Hello again! This week has been wonderful here in Ya’an and at Bifengxia. On the 15th, China celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, a harvest festival. During this time, families gather together and celebrate the moon. As you can expect, Ya’an was very lively! Decorations were put up in all the shops and several booths popped up all over town.
On the left is a beautiful very ornate mooncake we saw on display. On the right is the moon cakes we actually ate 🙂
https://youtu.be/Nl0nWivaHzM
At the base, the girls and I have been doing maternal behavior observations. We pretty much watch a mother her cub all day. Best job ever! It has been quite interesting seeing how each mother interacts with their cub. This week, I watched Qiao Qiao (sounds similar to Chow Chow) with one of her cubs (she has twins) and found her to be quite entertaining.
Qiao Qiao and her cubby sleeping
Qiao Qiao’s cubs are currently 4 weeks old, and growing fast. The cub I watched is particularly vocal when seeking its mother’s attention. Qiao Qiao is a very affectionate mother, and likes to keep her cub close to her for the most part, even when she has to go to the bathroom! She is a little more relaxed however when attending the cub after it vocalizes. For the most part, she lets a few cries occur before attending to the cub. But there is one exception, during feeding time. Feeding time is “me time” for Qiao Qiao, and almost nothing will keep her from eating.
Qiao Qiao’s “me time”
Xi Dou on the other hand, seems to be a very relaxed mother . . .
Xi Dou sleeping
Her cub is currently 5 weeks old but Xi Dou doesn’t feel the need to always carry her cub. Instead, she gives her cub some space and allows it to be a bit more independent. Of course that means we get to enjoy seeing this little tyke overcome a few hurdles, such as turning over!
Xi Dou’s cub decides it wants to turn over . . . A little sit up should do the trick!
Nope, didn’t help at all . . . Eureka!
https://youtu.be/p9Xhu9qzw8A
Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peak into the maternity dens of Qiao Qiao and Xi Dou.
-Sofany
Thank you, Sofany! It was very enlightening to share your perspective on the parenting styles and also the Moon Festival. It is great to share other cultures because the more we understand the more we realize that we are all one race – HUMAN-. I look forward to your next post and thanks again!
Thank you JoAnn! So happy to read that you enjoy our blogs. The pandas we have met are all so unique. I hope my posts are able to give you even just a glimpse at the personalities we are lucky to observe.
I always enjoy hearing about pandas! And Cheetos, too! Thank you!
Are both of Qiao Qiao’s twins spending time with her? Or is one being raised in the nursery and one with her? Do you know if she is being milked? Same question regarding Xi Dou and her twins.
They are twins swapping them so the mom gets time with both but they do spend some time in the nursery as well. They are milking the mothers.
Thanks once again, Meg, for taking time to answer our questions!
Thank you for responding! Your e-mails are the highlight of ny day whedn I receive them!