Finally Awake!

Last time I dropped in to Toronto Zoo to see the baby Giant Pandas, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue, the whole family was fast asleep, but when I went early last weekend, the cubs were awake and active.

They were born on October 15, 2015, so they are 8 months old now. They were in their pen with their mother, Er Shun, who was concentrating on a breakfast of bamboo while the cubs rolled and wrestled and played with their dinner!

The adult Giant Pandas, Er Shun and Da Mao, have been on loan to Toronto Zoo from China since 2013, and the whole family, including the two cubs, will move to the Calgary Zoo in 2018 for a 5 year stay.

Giant Panda-monium!

I got up really early last Saturday on a mission to see the baby Giant Pandas and was parking the car at Toronto Zoo by 8:15am, as zoo members get to jump the queue and go in at 8:30, ahead of the crowd. No way I wanted to battle the Victoria Day long weekend crowds on a hot day. I was the first one into the Panda building to see them, but little Jia Panpan (Canadian Hope) and Jia Yueyue (Canadian Joy) were fast asleep! Just my luck. Their mother Er Shun was napping too.

 So I went outside to have a chat with Da Mao, the daddy (presumably) but he had had a hard night and he was catching 40 winks too! He looks pretty relaxed.

So the next step was the inevitable Gift Shop, totally dedicated to all things Giant Panda.

No, I didn't buy any Giant Panda memorabilia, but I might go back to the zoo early one morning to see if the babies are awake. I'd really like to see them while they are still little and look like cute balls of fluff.

March Break

Last week was the annual school March Break, and our wonderful local library hosts a number of events to keep the kids entertained and the parents sane.
The keepers at Jungle Cat World arrived at the library with a selection of their animals to show the kids. First was a white umbrella cockatoo who loved to squawk and flap her wings and raise her crest. She was very affectionate and seemed to like having the children stroke her feathers.

Not all the animals were from other parts of the world. This furry black and white striped creature can be seen all around this area. Yes, I petted a skunk, never done that before! This young skunk had been "deskunked", much to everyone's relief.

However, not everyone wanted to take a chance.

 A fennec fox, at home in the deserts of the Sahara and North Africa. Adapted to the hot dry desert, they rarely drink, getting all the moisture they need from their prey. (BTW, that's a poster behind the keeper.)

African serval cat, predominantly found in Southern Africa. The keeper allowed adults to touch the cat's fur but kept the children away.

 And the last animal to be displayed.... a young lioness. She was eating from the keeper's hand.

The next day, a ventriloquising, juggling, unicycling magician was entertaining the kids. When he asked for assistants from the audience, Isaac waved his hand... Me, Me! He didn't get sawn in half or anything worse.... he merely had to hand the juggling clubs to the magician.

The following day we went to Toronto Zoo. As Zoo members we were entitled to see the twin baby Giant Pandas before the general public, however everyone else had the same idea (I should have known!) and there was a 1.5 hour wait to see them.  So we'll see little Jia Panpan (meaning Canadian Hope) and his sister Jia Yueyue (Canadian Joy) next time. 

TessaDog and baby Pandas

Grand-dog golden doodle Tessa came to stay for the weekend while YoungerSon went ice fishing with his mates (at -25C and -40C windchill they all have to have their heads examined IMHO) and the rest of the family went to visit their other grandma overnight. TessaDog loves coming to visit me because I actually have time to play with her and take her for long walkies (but at -25C she just gets enough time for a quick wee on the front grass, 5 minutes at the most before we both freeze).

When YoungerSon and the Bride came home from their honeymoon, they got a sweet new puppy the very next day. Not even one day to enjoy married life without any responsibilities! Hard to believe Tessa will be celebrating her 9th birthday this summer, she looks and acts like a puppy, bringing her squeaky toy to me so I'll wrestle her for it, and always overjoyed to chase a ball if she can find someone silly enough to throw it. She's very lively. Tessa spelled backwards is asset.... hmmm... I wouldn't go that far.

And more cute fur.... the twin Giant Panda cubs that were born at Toronto Zoo in October are getting mobile.

Forest Stroll and a Giant Panda update

A few more photos taken last weekend while strolling through Eldred King Tract which is part of York Regional Forest, just a 15 minute drive from my home. Some areas of the forest are all deciduous, with the leaves turning lovely yellows and reds. Other areas have been planted with red pine. I often bring TessaDog here for a romp.... she runs, I walk.

No idea what this is.... seeds from a native plant, but what? Update: Blogger Hilary says this is the seed of Doll's Eyes or White Baneberry.... but beware, poisonous for humans.

This handsome little chippy stayed completely still, not even a whisker twitch, and thought I couldn't see him, and then darted up to the top of the tree when I ventured just a little too close.

Giant Panda update: I posted about Da Mao and Er Shun at the Toronto Zoo here. Good news! Er Shun gave birth to two teeny tiny Giant Panda cubs on Tuesday October 13th, The first cub arrived at 3:31a.m., and the second cub at 3:44a.m. 

This update from Toronto Zoo: Er Shun is demonstrating excellent maternal instincts and began cleaning and cradling the first cub soon after its birth. Immediately following the birth of the second cub, Toronto Zoo staff from the Wildlife Health Centre, Wildlife Care and two giant panda experts from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, retrieved the cub to initiate the Toronto Zoo's Giant Panda Twin Hand-Rearing Protocol. The cub was then placed in an incubator in the maternity area of the giant panda house, and approximately two hours after its birth the second cub was twin-swapped so it could begin the bonding process with Er Shun. The first cub weighed 187.7 grams at birth and the second cub weighed 115 grams. While this is wonderful news, the tiny cubs are very vulnerable at this size, so the next several hours and days will be critical to their survival.   

The cubs will remain in the maternity area of the giant panda house for several months. As the maternity area of the giant panda house is not visible to the public, Toronto Zoo staff will endeavor to provide regular updates on their progress.

At this time Zoo staff do not know the sex of the cubs and have not confirmed which panda is the father. It may be several months before we are able to determine the sex and paternity of the cubs.

Toronto Zoo photo of the cubs at just a few days old.

Panda-monium! (updated)

A break from travels in Europe to visit the Giant Pandas at Toronto Zoo.

Er Shun and Da Mao arrived on loan (an 8000 mile journey via FedEx MD-11F cargo plane) from China in 2013, and will be here in Toronto until 2018, when they are scheduled spend the next 5 years in the Calgary Zoo. But if a sweet little baby panda should arrive, those arrangements may change. Toronto Zookeepers are keeping their fingers crossed.

Er Shun - female Giant Panda. Born at the Chongquin Zoo on August 10 2007 and was raised by her mother. Her name means Double Smoothness.

Da Mao - male Giant Panda. Born on September 1 2008 at the Chengdu Research Base of Panda Breeding. His name means First of Mao.

Giant pandas diet is 99% bamboo, eating around 100lbs of bamboo a day, and at the zoo they are also offered biscuits, dog chow, apples and sometimes sugar cane or icicles as a treat. And something you've always wanted to know.... they poop about 40 times a day.

The fresh bamboo is shipped to Toronto by FedEx two or three times a week from the Memphis Zoo bamboo plantation.

Er Shun and Da Mao live in separate enclosures most of the time but they have met and investigated each other. Apparently Er Shun was more interested in making friends than Da Mao, who just wanted to go to sleep. Typical man! Giant Pandas only have one short reproductive cycle per year between March and May, and gestation is about 45 days. Newborn pandas are pink, no hair, and blind, and very tiny, weighing less than 200 grams. If twin babies are born, the mother only cares for one, so the keepers have to swap the babies between the nursery and the mother every couple of days.

It would be lovely to have a baby Giant Panda born here. I hope you have a naughty twinkle in your eye, Da Mao!

Update October 13 2015: Er Shun gave birth to TWO baby pandas this morning! Too early to congratulate Da Mao as Er Shun was artificially impregnated too.....