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What is Yun Zi doing?

Posted by Jeroen Jacobs | Date: 2012 02 25 | In: San Diego Zoo

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As of January 24, 2012, giant panda Yun Zi has moved from the main viewing exhibits and is currently living in the bedroom suites at the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Trek. He is enjoying his extended vacation and being around his keepers, who dote on him all day. Yun Zi is being pampered daily with enrichment toys to keep him busy and extra training sessions with his favorite keepers. He is putting in all his effort to excel in his studies and training. Yun Zi is trying to make his parents proud by following in their footsteps!

Currently, Yun Zi is training to be a candidate for our hearing study. He is learning to be patient and sit in one place (called a “station”) until he hears a tone. When he hears a tone, he then needs to touch his nose to a red circle (the target) to let the keeper know he heard it. If he does not hear a tone, he needs to remain in the station position. This study is very important to our researchers as we test the sound frequencies and levels of a panda’s hearing. Pandas can be stressed by different noise frequencies; if we know their range of hearing, we can determine which levels are a bother to them. Yun Zi is also learning how to put his arm through a special sleeve, called a “blood draw sleeve,” so the Zoo’s vet technicians can safely take a sample of blood from his arm without the use of anesthesia. Yun Zi is currently excelling in all of his training and seems to enjoy the extra time with his keepers.

Yun Zi might not be on exhibit for a while, and it all depends on his mom. In the past, this is the time when all of our teenage bears move out to an off-exhibit area so their mother could prepare for breeding season. If you remember last year, this was the time when Yun Zi moved out and got his own apartment, so to speak (see post Yun Zi Gets Own Apartment)! This helped us prepare for the time when Bai Yun selected her “date night” with Gao Gao. It is very important that Bai Yun and Gao Gao are housed next to each other so we can detect any signs of estrus. It is an exciting time to watch both adult bears flirting with each other.

Bai Yun is the only one who can decide when she is ready, and this can be any time between now and April. We only have a small window of three days when Bai Yun can show us she is ready to spend time with her “husband.” We are all excited for a potential date night between Bai Yun and Gao Gao this spring. Keep your fingers crossed for the sound of little paws this fall!

Jennifer Becerra, senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Source: San Diego Zoo
Photo Credit: Rita Petita @ flickr

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