Panda Update – Monday, May 7

I know we just had a giant panda update about Yang Yang, but with how playful he has been recently, it’s hard not to write about him every day! Lun Lun spent the majority of yesterday afternoon sleeping, and the girls munched down a bunch of bamboo shoots yesterday morning, so they also spent most of the day napping. As always, the best piece of bamboo (or shoot) in their habitat is the one their sister already has, so they wore themselves out wrestling as well.

Yang Yang was up when I arrived, and when I went near his den to tell him good morning, he jumped up, grabbed his pseudothumb in his mouth, and shook his head back and forth. In Yang Yang language, that means he wants to play! After reading Kenn’s recent update, I was hopeful Yang Yang would still be in a playful mood when I was in the giant panda building this week. We spent a good bit of time playing chase, peek-a-boo, and tug-of-war (all with a protective barrier between us, of course) while the lady pandas slept in. For some different play, we also created a very light mist of water in Yang Yang’s den, and opened up the door to a neighboring area so he could choose to go away from the water easily if he wanted to. We were happy to see that Yang Yang loved the mist and immediately began self-anointing in the water. Once he had enough of that, we got out the bubble machine, and he had a good time chasing bubbles and popping them in his mouth. These play sessions with Yang Yang are one of my absolute favorite parts of my job. I’m telling you, nothing puts a smile on your face quite like starting your Monday off with that goofball.

It was safe to say that Yang Yang was ready for a snack and a long nap after his playful morning. He was pretty worn out!
Danica W.
Swing Keeper I, Mammals