Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

This forum is for discussion and photos of panda bears

Moderator: Panda TA's

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Sun Dec 05, 2021 3:48 pm

2021-12-05_174930.jpg
^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Michelle E.
November 5, 2021
If you’ve visited Zoo Atlanta or watched PandaCam, you’ve likely noticed that the Zoo’s giant panda habitats have several structures in them – what we call “furniture” for the animals around the Zoo. The outdoor giant panda habitats feature a lot of rocks in various conformations and wooden climbing structures. The variety of “furniture” offers the giant pandas choice in how they would like to lounge: Would they like to curl up on a log shelf, or stretch out on some rocks warmed by the sun? Recently, Lun Lun chose an option I have not often seen! She climbed the rocks in Habitat One (closest to the dayrooms) and perched on top of them for a while. It was such a strange position that I went to see if she needed bamboo or leafeater biscuits, but she didn’t come over for them. She just stayed on her rock, doing what pandas do best – appearing perfectly comfortable in the most uncomfortable-looking positions. It’s always fun to see the pandas think outside the box and use their environments in new ways!
Michelle E.
Keeper III, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Sun Dec 05, 2021 4:11 pm

2021-12-05_174945.jpg
^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Trish J.
November 8, 2021
As animal care professionals, it’s our job to make sure the animals we care for are in good health. One of the many ways we accomplish this is to obtain animal weights on a regular basis.
A challenge comes with ensuring we get consistent weights on our arboreal red panda, Jackie. Since red pandas spend most of their time up in the trees, we (Jackie’s care team) work to maintain a positive relationship with him, built on trust. This way, Jackie comes down from his tree and willingly gets on his scale for us. Then we can measure his weight and make sure he is within the optimal weight range for a healthy red panda.
He is usually a superstar and is rewarded with his favorite diet items, such as grapes or apple chunks!
(photo: Sophie R.)
Trish J.
Keeper I, Mammals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2021-12-05_175014.jpg
^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Gavin Johnson
November 17, 2021
Have you ever watched a giant panda eat? If so, you are aware that their ears move when they chew. This is because their jaw muscles are attached to the top of their head, at the sagittal crest, which is a part of their skull. This gives them incredible jaw strength allowing them to crush through tough, thick bamboo culms in one bite!
This adaptation is not just specific to giant pandas and can be found in other animals as well. It is a great feature to look for in your next trip to Zoo Atlanta.
Trish J.
Keeper I, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Sun Dec 05, 2021 4:16 pm

2021-12-05_175042.jpg
^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Michelle E.
December 3, 2021
Sometimes, you can only work on “giant panda time,” and that certainly included one recent morning! Lun Lun had slept in the behind-the-scenes dens, and when she woke up, she grabbed some of her overnight bamboo and starting eating again. Fabulous! Terrific! A happy bear! We were glad that Lun Lun seemed so content with her bamboo. We prepared the outdoor habitats with leafeater biscuits and bamboo and shifted Yang Yang into one and Xi Lun and Ya Lun into another. All the while, Lun Lun continued munching away in her dens. Great! Fantastic! We cleaned the dayrooms and set one up with bamboo and biscuits for Lun Lun. Huzzah! Yay! Time to shift her over and clean the whole building behind the scenes! However … when we walked over to the dens to shift her into the dayroom, we found she and her full stomach had fallen asleep. There went our plan for the morning! Instead, we cleaned everything behind the scenes except the dens she occupied, and after an hour or so, she awoke and was ready to move into the dayroom and seize the day … or seize the fresh bamboo, at least!
Michelle E.
Keeper III, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Tue Dec 14, 2021 4:26 pm

2021-12-14_165016.jpg
:huggie: ^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post

Trish J.
December 13, 2021
When giant pandas have twins they are fraternal twins, not identical twins. It is similar to a dog or a cat having a litter. They have the same birthday, but have different individual characteristics.
So how do we tell the panda girls apart? A quick way to tell Xi Lun from Ya Lun is to look at her eye patches. Xi Lun’s right eye patch has a dramatic drop downward at the top, and both of her patches swoop out at the end. Also, her snout has a line all the way across it, whereas Ya Lun’s has more of a dot rather than a line.
(photo: Trish J.)
Happy identifying!
Trish J.
Keeper I, Mammals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2021-12-14_165036.jpg
:hug: :rh: ^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post

Megan H.
December 6, 2021
Giant pandas are able to hold and break down incredibly large pieces of bamboo. However, I am often impressed by the dexterity that they have as well. Because of their pseudothumb – an enlarged wrist bone that acts almost as an extra digit – they are able to pick up small things off the ground with ease. In this photo, Yang Yang is showing off the use of his pseudothumb. If you look closely, you may be able to see that he is holding a leafeater biscuit in each of his paws. There is another biscuit in his lap that he will be able to pick up with his paw without even needing to readjust his posture!
Megan H.
Keeper I, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Sun Jan 02, 2022 8:19 pm

2021-12-25_120603.jpg
:hug: ^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Trish J.
December 17, 2021
Oftentimes when people hear that I am an animal care professional, they follow it up with “How did you get that job?” It is a profession that doesn’t necessarily have a perfectly mapped out plan, but if you’re interested, here are a few tips!
Most animal care professionals have a Bachelor’s degree, often in the sciences, although other areas can also translate well into this field, such as psychology. So, consider your degree if you want to start a career at a zoo.
If you want to work toward a full-time zoo position, it is usually required that you have some exotic animal experience. The most common way to get this is to volunteer or intern at your local zoo. It’s also a great way to find out what species you might want to work with, what your team would be like, and even how a typical day is run.
Once you’re ready to apply, get a friend or mentor in the field to look over your resume. And a good cover letter never hurts.
Being an animal care professional is a demanding job, but it is also rewarding, and for many keepers (like me), it is a dream career.
(Photo: Heather R.)
Trish J.
Keeper I, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

User avatar
queenie
Topic Assistant
Posts: 511
Joined: Feb 14, 2018
Location: The Heartland, USA

Re: Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta ~ Lun Lun-Yang-Ya Lun & Xi Lun Family

Post by queenie » Sun Jan 02, 2022 8:19 pm

2021-12-25_120549.jpg
^ click 2X biggest, then go to return arrow on top left screen, back to post
Megan H.
December 20, 2021
As the year comes to an end, a pastime many of us enjoy is watching college football and all the bowl games that ensue at the end of the season. If you’ve been paying attention today, you know that Yang Yang participated in his sixth-annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Panda Pick ‘Em this morning! Yang Yang has a tradition of making a pick for which team he “thinks” will win. This tradition has taken place since 2016, and his record is … up for improvement. So far, he has chosen a winning team for the last five Chick-fil-A Peach Bowls, and two of his picks have been correct. This year, he was looking to redeem himself by choosing either the Michigan State Spartans or the Pittsburgh Panthers. Check out our post from earlier today to see his pick!
For his pick, we had two identical boxes set up for him to choose from. Each box was identical in its contents. The only difference was which team’s logo was painted on the exterior. Traditionally, whichever box he chooses to dig into first is his pick. Keep up with who wins the game to find out if he was right!
Megan H.
Keeper I, Mammals
Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ~ ASV Matt. 6:26
Member since: 08/16/06 with Previous Posts: 4386

Post Reply

Return to “Pandas”