Panda updates – Monday, July 20

Giant pandas are the masters of falling off of things. When I first started taking care of the pandas, I was very surprised at how something so big could fling itself to the ground at full speed, and get up and do it over and over again. Actually, a lot of times when giant pandas are “falling” off of things, it’s completely intentional. You can tell by their body language and demeanor when falling isn’t quite what they had planned, but they’re built for bouncing right back up. Falling is part of their play routine, and if you watch the twins on PandaCam, you know that jumping and falling off of things is Ya Lun’s signature wresting move. I recently caught a clip from PandaCam that I don’t think was entirely what Xi Lun had planned for her tire swing time, but Ya Lun took it as an opportunity to get the upper hand during their wrestling match. Check out the clip on our social networks later today.

Danica W.
Keeper II, Mammals