Pambassador @ Zoo Madrid - February 12 & 13, 2011
I travelled to Madrid again, so I could visit Zoo Madrid’s pandas on February 12 & 13, 2011. When the Chinese keepers Deng Tao & Chen Xian showed me Po & De De, I only could notice how big their evolution is in one month. Both cubs are so active and so playful, it became even harder to take good photographs. De De is a little more relaxed, while Po loves to tease and to play with his brother. Po & De De are almost ready to go outside and Zoo Madrid is making preparations for this. We all hope the weather will be better in March so the panda cubs can spend much time exploring the yard.
Panda dad Bing Xing stays himself. He likes to eat, he likes to sleep, he loves to a panda.
Here is Hua Zuiba taking care of De De. When De De was playing with his mother it was a good moment to see how big the cubs have become! Inbetween some nursing moments, De De was walking around the room and explored a small piece of bamboo. Learning how to be a panda…
Hua Zuiba likes to relax while she spends some time away from the cubs. She loves to sleep in her tree and she also enjoyed sleeping on the cave.
Here you can see how Deng Tao & Chen Xian are weighing De De. Both cubs weigh 9 kg.
I was very happy to see how Deng Tao was giving a bottle to Po. Since panda mothers don’t have enough milk for 2 cubs, the keepers need to help Hua Zuiba. The panda cubs’ bottle milk consists of milk for human babies and milk for dog puppies. The Chinese keepers are learning this to the Spanish keepers so they can take over soon.
The Chinese keepers will leave Madrid in the beginning of March and return to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. I would like to thank Deng Tao & Chen Xian (& before Yuan Bo & Chen Min) for their dedication for Po & De De. They have been working very hard for the pandas! And I am sure that Zoo Madrid’s Panda Team will take care of them in the same way! Good luck and see you soon!
Grtz Pambassador Jeroen Jacobs
