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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cubbie Update

        Lun Lun continues to spend more time away from the cub, not only to eat but also to rest. This evening Lun sat up without the cub, then rested against the nestbox.  The cub was cute. As soon as he realized that Lun wasn’t there, he started to vocalize and wiggle his way to his mother. I was mentally joking to myself that he was saying “mom, mom, come back, mom, mom, where are you I need you” as he edged ever closer to her.  He probably moved about two body lengths to get there, and may have slightly startled Lun. She seemed surprised that the cub was touching her on her rump, but willingly turned around to take care of his needs. After he was settled, Lun went off to get some bamboo.

Because it was so chilly this morning, I had the luxury of collecting data on Yang Yang from inside the building (he was in one of the dayrooms). As an added bonus, while I collected data, I also got to watch the cub for an hour. For the first few minutes Lun rested with the cub on her forearm, which gave me a great view of him. Soon, though, Lun went into the adjacent den to eat and left the cub to rest by himself in the nest box. He was quiet the entire time, but certainly wasn’t still. As the keepers have reported, he’s doing a lot of stretching and flexing, so when the time his right, he can begin scooting across the floor with purpose. I find that giant panda cubs are most entertaining once they begin to walk, but there’s something nice about this stage, too. It’s similar to the stage that human infants go through before they learn to crawl. Just like with human parents and infants, it’s easier now for Lun, because the cub can’t go too far too quickly. Once he becomes mobile, Lun will have more to keep track of as he begins to test his environment. 

There has been nothing too exciting to report in the last few days that I have seen.  I am sure it was mentioned in years past, but I often hope that either Lun or the cub does something to give me a good update.  Well, I have been waiting but neither wants to cooperate for my benefit.  Lun continues to eat well, as noted by her eating over 5.5 kg of bamboo last night.  This number will continue to increase as she spends more time away. She typically can be relied on to eat 7-8 kg, if not more, if she likes the bamboo.  The cub is still typically quiet, while Lun is eating. Unless he is on his back.  There are guaranteed to be some loud vocalizations if that occurs. Hopefully by my next update, Lun or the cub will give me a good idea to write about.

Lun Lun is starting to spend significantly more time away from her cub. She sometimes spends this time away eating as has been described in previous updates. But in the last few days she has also spent some of her time away resting. This is normal behavior. Lun Lun did this with her other cubs at around the same age. Wild giant pandas mothers have to spend time away from their cubs traveling to bamboo feeding sites and consuming bamboo. Lun Lun only has to travel a few feet to reach her bamboo, but she still spends time away. The cub doesn't need her to stay warm anymore and he is normally quiet while she is away. I think it is good for him to have this time alone, because it's normal for giant panda cubs to be alone for increasingly longer stretches of time. In the next couple of weeks, I expect Lun Lun to start to become a little restless about being confined to two dens. Then we know it's time to give her more space. We start by giving her access to another den farther away from the cub. Then we begin giving her access to one of the indoor exhibit rooms. Lun Lun will gradually increase the amount of time she spends away from her cub, but she will still check on him regularly and continue to keep him clean and well-fed.

 

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