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Wednesday, February 6
Ever since the mulch change in the dayrooms occurred, we have been asked, “Where is the hammock?” The hammock was removed to help facilitate last week’s mulch change. It would have been in the way, plus it needed a good cleaning. Once the mulch change was completed, we decided to try out a new device, the fire hose ladder. It was an item that I made at the end of last year to fit both in the dayroom or outside on a climbing structure. It’s always good to switch enrichment items up in the panda habitats. This helps make the areas new, exciting or challenging. So the ladder will stay a while, and once it is taken out, maybe the hammock will reappear, or maybe something else will hang there.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II

	Ah, the sweet smell of bamboo...

Monday, February 4
Pandas eat a lot of bamboo – and I mean a lot. Over the past two to three weeks, Lun Lun, Yang Yang and Mei Lan have consumed a little over 30 kg (66 lbs) per day.  As a result of eating so much bamboo, pandas gain weight throughout the day. Yang Yang and Lun Lun typically gain 5-8 kg (11-17.6 lbs.) per day. Yesterday, Lun Lun gained 10.6 kg (23.3 lbs)! By the morning, they have lost most of that weight, typically through defecation. We weigh the adult pandas twice daily to help keep track of how much they are eating per day. (Can you imagine gaining and losing 20 lbs. in a 24-hour period?) Mei Lan's weight does not fluctuate as much, because she is not eating as much bamboo as the adults are, so right now we only weigh her in the mornings. However, over the past week, she has spent more time than usual eating. A few weeks ago, she would go out in the mornings and have a snack of bamboo, then spend the next several hours sleeping. Now, she goes out in the mornings and eats ... and eats ... and eats. She rarely naps until the middle of the day, and some days, she has not napped at all! She must be having a growth spurt. This morning she weighed 36.6 kg (80.5 lbs)! She has gained over half of a kilogram in one week.
Heather Baker Roberts
Keeper I, Carnivore Department

Yes, that's our little Mei Lan- she's growing up fast!

Friday, February 1
Uh-oh! Someone new has gotten her hands on the panda update!  Don't tell the regular keepers that I'm taking a turn. (Just kidding - they know I've taken over the keyboard today.) J.T. has given me great guidance in this new role of panda keeper, except that he lets me forget to change PandaCam periodically. So yes, I'm that strange girl whom you may see picking up poop from time to time. So to introduce myself, my name is Jenny Brink, and I am one of the keepers in the Carnivore Department. I've been a keeper at the Zoo for almost four years now. I began as a seasonal in the Elephant/Carnivore Department, and then spent the majority of the last few years working with a wonderful assortment of birds, small mammals and reptiles in our former Birds and Small Animals Department. As much as I enjoyed the birds and reptiles, when the Zoo realigned some departments, I could not help but to stay with the mammals and get back working with the carnivores.

My primary charges tend to be the meerkats, otters, lions, tigers and clouded leopard, but now, I occasionally work with the pandas. Working with Yang, Lun and Mei has definitely been a change of pace and a very fun and interesting experience. They are great and fascinating animals, but I have to admit, I don't know that I have ever worked with such picky animals! Only in good ways though. One of the things that has fascinated me the most about these animals is the way they pick and choose which bamboo is good to eat. I find myself giving them bamboo, watching them sniff and pick at it, and pray that they like that piece or the next. Otherwise, it is back into the cold, wet cooler I go to find a better smelling/looking/sweeter piece of bamboo. If only they could tell us what it is exactly they are looking for! As for the poop counting, and grading, and weighing ... well, let's just say it's a bit more "hands on" than the big cats! I am proud to say however (as I'm sure someone else has already said) that the last time I was in pandas, Mei Lan was only pooping a few times a day. Now she is filling her very own little bucket. Good girl.
Jennifer Brink
Keeper II Carnivores

	At least Mei took it easy today!

Wednesday, January 30
Today we did one of the dirtiest jobs involved in taking care of our pandas – we changed the mulch substrate in the dayrooms. This is an annual task, in which we remove all of the old mulch by shoveling it into wheel barrows. Then we replace it all with wheelbarrows full of freshly chipped mulch. It's dusty, dirty work, because under all of that mulch is a dirt sub-floor. This makes a nice soft substrate for the pandas, which is important because they spend a lot of time in the dayrooms during the hot summer months.

It took us about four hours to change the mulch. Luckily, the horticulture and maintenance staff help us or it would take much, much longer. It will take a few more days for the keepers to clean all of the dust off everything inside. The mulch layer we put in is about two feet deep. So, you will notice that the climbing structures look shorter. I expect the pandas will notice the difference too. It not only looks different, the whole panda building smells like fresh mulch, which is nice. 
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores

Monday, January 28
Mei Lan seems to have developed a very hearty appetite this past weekend. On Sunday, not only did we see her nurse two times during the day, but she seemed to spend a lot of time munching on bamboo. Her appetite also showed itself this morning, with seven piles of little panda poop for us to clean up. Today, Mei Lan started her morning off with some bamboo and biscuits, followed by a short nap. Later, when Lun Lun lay down to rest, Mei took an opportunity to nurse. She climbed down off the top of the structure, found Lun Lun and had a 21-minute nursing session. A growing girl needs all the nutrients she can get.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II

Friday, January 25
Why don't we talk about poop again?! We have mentioned in past updates that Mei Lan's poop is changing as she is maturing. Since that is happening, we are now rating her poop the same way we do the adult pandas' poop. The rating system helps us to keep track of what the pandas are eating at the time. A dry, mulch-like poop tells us the panda is eating the culm of the bamboo. A smooth, avocado-like poop indicates the panda is eating the bamboo leaves.  Runny poops can mean that the pandas have eaten too many biscuits and not enough bamboo. Mei Lan's poop is still smaller than her mother's and still has a distinctive odor (panda poop generally does not have an unpleasant odor), but overall, her poop is very similar to adult panda poop.
Heather Baker Roberts
Keeper I, Carnivore Department

Wednesday, January 23
Yesterday when I was collecting behavioral data on Lun Lun and Mei Lan, it really struck me how big Mei Lan has become. She sat next to her mom eating bamboo for a while, and her head was at the level of Lun Lun’s neck. She also climbed on her mom while she was trying to sleep, and Mei Lan’s body covered most of Lun Lun’s body. Mei Lan weighs 35.4 kg (78 lbs). So she is about a third of her mom’s weight. Lun Lun’s weight ranges from 100-105 kg (220-231 lbs).
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores

Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Freezing cold weather -- not the friend of most Zoo animals (or keepers). One would think that our pandas would like it, but in reality, they don't. It was hard to say if Lun or Yang would have enjoyed playing in the snow that fell over the last few days, because they were unable to go outside. Safety is the main concern, and the habitats were not suitable for animals to go into them because ice was present. Ice could cause problems on the parts of the exhibits that slope downhill into the moat if one of the pandas slipped and started tumbling downhill. I don't think Mei Lan would have cared much about being out, either. Last week, Kate and I were trying to shift the girls outdoors in the afternoon, and Mei just would not go out. It was in the low 40s that day, but she didn't like it. Lun went out to eat her bamboo without a problem, but Mei just stopped at the doorway and turned around, heading back indoors. She did this multiple times, but the cold kept her in. I guess that like her parents, she's just going to be a "warm weather panda."

One animal that did like the snow and cold was our red panda Izzy. When I went to take care of her in the afternoon last week, she was having a good old time. It had started snowing, which must have made her very excited, because she was jumping in the air, trying to catch the snow as it fell. It was a good laugh, seeing her jump with her tongue trying to catch the snowflakes.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II, Carnivore Department

Friday, January 18
Earlier this week I attended the annual Giant Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP) workshop on research. Zoo Atlanta hosted this meeting in 2007. This year it was hosted by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Washington D.C. The main purpose of the meeting is for research staff from the U.S. zoos that house giant pandas to present recent findings. This helps us keep up-to-date on the latest findings, identify areas for collaboration, and helps reduce duplication of efforts. Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) also attend this meeting to discuss research progress. USFWS requires U.S. zoos housing giant pandas to conduct long-term scientific research on pandas. All of the zoos conduct research on the giant pandas at their institutions and on giant pandas in China. It’s an impressive effort, which is additional to the 1.1 million dollars each zoo sends to China each year for the conservation of giant pandas in China.

We will be telling you about some of our recent findings, which were presented at the SSP meeting, in future updates.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores

Wednesday, January 16
Last week, after my update about “how the pandas were up to nothing,” they did something. So I figured I would update you all today. When Lun Lun and Yang Yang get startled by something, they both react by staring in the direction of whatever caused the problem and start to huff. A huff is a noise made when a giant panda is anxious or feels there is a mild threat. Huffing is usually followed by honking, a noise often used when they are distressed or frustrated. This all happened Wednesday afternoon. Yang Yang, Lun Lun and Mei Lan were all in outdoor habitats, and something set off their alarms. I’m not sure what startled them, but Yang ran into his cave and huffed and honked, while Lun sat up on a structure and did the same. All of this noise caused Mei Lan to wake up and take note. She shot up the climbing structure to make sure she was safe. This only lasted about 15 minutes, as I was able to calm Yang  and Lun down with biscuits, and once all was quiet, Mei Lan decided it was OK to come out of the tree and eat some bamboo.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II

Monday, January 14
It has been rather quiet and uneventful for the past few days in the giant panda building. Today, Mei Lan has been asleep since 9:00 this morning. Lun Lun and Yang Yang are on their usual eating and sleeping schedules. It’s days like these when updates are difficult to write since nothing is happening. But for animal keepers, days like these are the best, because it is the most rewarding when the animals in your care are happy and satisfied.
Heather Baker Roberts
Keeper I, Carnivore Department

	Foraging for leftovers...

Friday, January 11
Currently, Lun Lun and Mei Lan are sitting side by side eating bamboo leaves together. They are sharing the same piece of bamboo and look very cute. Lun Lun has to share everything with Mei Lan lately -- her bamboo, her time, her biscuits. She rarely gets any time to herself. It's all about Mei Lan. When Lun Lun tries to sleep, Mei Lan decides it's time to play. When we train Lun Lun, Mei Lan climbs on her, tries to take her rewards and does everything she can to focus attention on herself. When Lun Lun is eating, Mei Lan wants what she is eating or wants to nurse or wants to play. I guess all mothers go through the same thing, but I often feel sorry for Lun Lun. Although, Lun Lun does benefit from having a cub as well. She does seem to enjoy playing with Mei Lan when she is in the mood to play.
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper I

Wednesday, January 9
All is quiet in giant panda land today. Yang Yang and Lun Lun are eating the Rivercane bamboo well (devouring it is really more like it), while Mei Lan eats her normal small amounts at a time. All three pandas are enjoying the overcast Atlanta day outside – taking naps in between getting their bamboo fills. I guess it’s just another normal day as a panda keeper.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II