November 04 2009
Naming poll now closed
Thank you for selecting your favorite name for our cub from the list of five: Fú Shèng (fu sheng): blissful San Diego; Xiǎo Lóng (siao long): little dragon; Xióng Wěi (syong wei): extraordinary bear; Yǒng Xiǎng (yong siang): eternally blessed; Yún Zǐ (yun zih): son of cloud. We received 17,526 votes! The winning name will be announced at a naming ceremony at the Zoo Nov. 17. at 11 a.m.
FIFTH PANDA BORN AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO, AUGUST 5, 2009
Giant panda Bai Yun gave birth to her fifth cub at 4:58 a.m.
The San Diego Zoo has had a love affair with giant pandas ever since two of the black-and-white bears came to visit in 1987. After years of red tape and tons of application paperwork, the Zoo and China agreed on a 12-year research loan of two giant pandas, Bai Yun and Shi Shi. A brand-new exhibit area was built for our panda guests, which has since been expanded and renovated and is now called the Giant Panda Research Station. Although we currently have five giant pandas, our facility can comfortably house up to six!
Today our giant pandas enjoy deluxe accommodations with larger exhibit areas and extra vegetation and climbing structures. You'll enjoy the newer exhibit area too, with its winding, elevated viewing paths that give great panda-watching opportunities into the two main enclosures.
Visiting the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park helps support our studies of wild giant panda populations. Our Applied Animal Ecology Division established its first conservation science program for wild pandas at the Foping Nature Reserve in China in 2006. The program utilizes radiotelemetry to research several important areas to futher our understanding of natural giant panda behavior and ecology. These include: mating strategies and genetic diversity of panda populations, denning ecology, habitat use and movement patterns, and human disturbance.
Which Panda Am I Seeing on Panda Cam?
Look for the "C" followed by a number in the lower left corner of the Panda Cam image. The number indicates the area of the Panda Station exhibit we are viewing (subject to change!):
- 1–3: Su Lin
- 4–7: Zhen Zhen
- 11: Bai Yun's bedroom
- 13, 21, and 25: Birthing Den
- 15: Bai Yun's garden room
- 17: Bai Yun's sun room
- 23, 24, 31: Gao Gao
