Panda Update – Monday, February 13

You might have noticed that Lun and her little munchkins are in the dayroom for longer and longer periods each day. We want the dayroom to be a fun and safe place for the cubs to be. However, up until not too long ago, all they knew were the interior dens. So the cubs naturally feel completely relaxed when they’re not in the dayroom. To encourage them to explore the dayroom and feel comfortable enough to take naps out there, we close the access doors (with mom of course) to the dayroom whenever we have an opportunity. Lately, it’s been for the whole morning until around Noon or 1 p.m.

Since we give the cubs formula three times a day (to supplement the milk they get from mom), it often times works out that after lunch, they get access to the dayroom from the end of the shifting hallway after their second bottle. The girls are usually quite content to hang out in the end of the hallway, but visitors can still catch glimpses of them. Since they stay out in the dayroom all morning, we want them to feel like they can relax in the afternoon. Soon enough, they will eventually be out all day with mom Lun Lun! It’s a gradual process, but we don’t want to rush anyone.
Jen W.
Keeper III, Mammals