Panda Updates- Friday, August 23

With fall just around the corner, that means we are about to enter panda birthday season! Every year the Panda Care Team makes sure the bears feel extra special on their birthdays. We’ll kick off birthday season by wishing a Happy Birthday to this beautiful mama – Lun Lun turns 27 this Sunday, August 25!

Some of the examples of enrichment and special treats the Panda Care Team likes to prepare for the birthdays include large fruit-flavored ice “cakes;” festively painted boxes filled with leafeater biscuits, vegetables, and fruit; party streamers; and other fun enrichment items. All of these items are made with the pandas’ natural behaviors in mind. They enjoy tearing and shredding the cardboard and paper with their strong jaws and teeth, and Lun Lun especially loves to use the cardboard strips to make a cozy nest for her late morning nap. The pandas love the fruit-flavored ice cakes, not only because they taste good, but because pandas also love cold weather and snow, so a cake made of ice is a perfect treat.

Be sure to tune in to PandaCam presented by Cricket on Sunday to see Lun Lun’s birthday festivities. Check in between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. – our birthday girl has been enjoying sleeping in lately, and it’s her choice whether she prefers to be a “morning bear” or not. So if you don’t see her at that time, be sure to check back later in the day!

-Panda Care Team