San Diego Zoo Live Panda cam ~ Gao-Bai Yun-Wu Family
Meet the Pandas
Bai Yun "White Cloud" (pronounced “by YOON”) Date of birth: Born: September 7, 1991, Wolong China
Sex: Female Weight: approx. 233.5 pounds
Gao Gao "High High" or "Tall Tall" "Big" (pronounced "Gow Gow") Date of birth: Estimated 1990-91 in the wild~
(Due to his current health, a few posts down he'll be in the background so thought a good place to give his early history ~ I believe he found his place @ SDZ)Gao Gao is our adult male panda. In the winter of 1992, Gao Gao was rescued from the wild with bite wounds on his left ear, and he was having trouble walking. He was brought to China’s Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve Rescue Center in Sichuan Province. It was estimated that he was less than a year old. Since a panda cub typically stays with its mother for up to 18 months, Gao Gao needed some help.
In 1996, he was returned to the wild. But within a few months, he began wandering into local villages and raiding their crops. It became apparent that Gao Gao was not a good candidate for release, so he was relocated to China’s Wolong Panda Conservation Center, an organization that the San Diego Zoo has worked with for more than 15 years.
In January 2003, Gao Gao arrived in San Diego and spent 30 days in quarantine at the Zoo’s hospital, where veterinarians determined he was in good health. Today his weight is around 180 pounds (about 82 kilograms), which is a bit small for an adult male panda. He is missing a part of one ear, due to his earlier circumstance. ~~ Gao Gao is known for his energy and high level of interest in the world around him, in other pandas, and in his keepers. He seems to enjoy the presence of his keepers and is cooperative and willing to work on his training, even if he does get easily distracted. ~~ Just as pandas in the wild do, Gao Gao scent marks his enclosure and his off-exhibit bedroom areas. Scent marking is important for male pandas, as they define their territory by marking trees and rocks, and Gao Gao doesn’t hesitate to claim any place as his own. ~~ Gao Gao has proven to be a successful mate for Bai Yun, our adult female. He fathered five of her cubs: Mei Sheng, Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Yun Zi, and Xiao Liwu. But like all male pandas, Gao Gao is an uninvolved father. After mating, the pandas return to their solitary lifestyles, and panda females raise their cubs alone.
Hua Mei "China USA" Date of birth: August 21, 1999, San Diego Zoo~ She was born to Bai Yun (mother) and Shi Shi (father)
Sex: Female ~ Moved to China February 2002~(joined breeding population 2004~gave birth to 3 sets of twins + 4 cubs =10!)
Mei Sheng "Born in the USA or Beautiful Life" (pronounced may-shun) Date of birth: August 19, 2003, San Diego Zoo
Sex: Male ~ Moved to China: November 2007
Su Lin "A Little Bit of Something Very Cute" Date of birth: Born: August 2, 2005, San Diego Zoo
Sex: Female ~ Moved to China: September 2010 ~ On July 7, 2011, Su Lin gave birth to her first cub!
Zhen Zhen "Precious" Date of birth: Born: August 3, 2007, San Diego Zoo
Sex: Female ~ Moved to China: September 24, 2010
Yun Zi "Son of Cloud" Date of birth: August 5, 2009, San Diego Zoo
Sex: Male ~ Yun Zi is the fifth cub born to mother Bai Yun and the fourth offspring of his father, Gao Gao ~ Moved to China: January 9, 2014
Xiao Liwu "Little Gift" (pronounced “sshyaoww lee woo”) Date of birth: Born: July 29, 2012, San Diego Zoo ~ Sex: Male Weight: on Sept. 17, 2013: 53 pounds ~ Our sixth cub is currently the smallest Bai Yun and Gao Gao have had, but he has a big hold on the hearts of panda fans worldwide!
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SDZWho can resist the endearing face and lumbering ways of giant pandas? The San Diego Zoo has had a love affair with giant pandas ever since two of them came to visit for 100 days in 1987. In 1996, we worked out an agreement with China to house two adult pandas and their young offspring. We have three giant pandas: Bai Yun and Gao Gao; and Xiao Liwu, born at the Zoo in 2012. Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu can be seen in their habitat at Panda Trek, near the Giant Panda Research Station. Due to age-related health concerns, Gao Gao will remain behind the scenes in the panda habitat. Our Giant Panda Team of keepers and researchers observe and study giant panda biology and behavior, in an effort to learn all we can about these endangered bears. You can watch our pandas daily on Panda Cam, too!