Love Panda!!

YaYa and 2010 born cubs, MeiLan, ShuHin and BingDian @ CRBGPB

2012-01-19T23:19:00.001+09:00

Today was my last day at the Chengdu Panda Base,
and I went to say "see you" to all the pandas here.

ErXi and the 2010 born cubs were enjoying bamboo
with YaYa at Sunshine Nursery. YaYa will soon move
to another enclosure, and the 2010 born cubs are
moving to other enclosures also. They only have a
few more days they can spend together.

YaYa has been taking great care of all seven of the
2010 born cubs for nearly a year and a half.
Everytime I was there, the cubs were all over her,
but YaYa never ignored them and was very kind to them.
I loved watching them spending time together
and will miss them very much.

ErXi and the 2010 born cubs have grown up in the
past few months, and the way they eat bamboo is
just like adult pandas. They smell the leaves first,
pick the good part and makes bamboo leaf "sandwhiches"
and bite them in a bunch.

ErXi looks like a miniture version of
his father Shuhin (QiuBang, 秋浜).
It's always interesting to see the resemblance
of their parents, to see how the DNA
passes on to the next generation.

I love ErXi's white teeth.

And how he closes his eyes to enjoy
his favorite food.

Now he has grown up as a panda.
He is not soft and fluffy like he was anymore.

MeiLan was enjoying his bamboo in the afternoon.
I was happy that he was awake for me!

MeiLan is quite picky with food.
He only eats the good part, and throws away
the part he doesn't prefer.

Shuhin (QiuBang, 秋浜) has moved to
Moonlight enclosure from Quarantine
quite a while ago. Now he looks happy
with his outside den. He is ErXi's father.

BingDian has moved from No.14 to
Sunshine Nursery where LiLi had been.
Kouhin (XingBang, 幸浜) moved to
where BingDian was.

I will miss them very much after I go back to Japan,
but will be back very soon!

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Ryuhin (LongBang, 隆浜) and Kouhin (XingBang, 幸浜) in No. 14 enclosure @ CRBGPB

2012-01-16T18:40:00.000+09:00

This morning, I went to No. 14 enclosure to
take care of Ryuhin (LongBang, 隆浜)
and Kouhin (XingBang, 幸浜). The Adventure World
born brothers live next doors, and Kouhin is always
watching what his older brother Ryuhin is doing outside.
I took this picture from Ryuhin's outside den
while we were cleaning.
(And Ryuhin was inside during this time)

"Mmmm, I was looking for my brother Ryuhin.
I didn't expect that you were coming to see me today!"

Kouhin, who only moved to No. 14 enclosure
a few days ago walks around a lot to see if
this place is safe for him. He probably smells
BingDian who was here before him.

After cleaning Ryuhin and Kouhin's enclosures,
I watched how Kouhin was doing outside
from the keeper's room inside. It was freezing cold today.

Ryuhin came to say hello when
we went to clean his enclosure.
"Hi Yumi"
He sticks out his long nose between
the bars to show that he belongs to the
Shirahama family, just like his twin
younger brother Shuhin.

This picture was taken from Kouhin's outside den.
Ryuhin is in the middle far away enjoying bamboo.

Link to Adventure World Shirahama in Japan

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Kouhin (XingBang, 幸浜) moved from Adult Area to No. 14 @ CRBGPB

2012-01-16T18:22:00.000+09:00

On January 13, Kouhin (XingBang, 幸浜)
in Adult area was eating bamboo when
I arrived. He did my favorite angle for me.

He Enjoyed bamboo while we were
cleaning his outside den.

It must be very hard to bite on this thick bamboo stem,
but pandas are good at it. They break the bamboo into half,
peal the outside and eat only the inside part.

"Do you have something interesting for me to eat?"

As we gave him some fresh bamboo leaves,
he waved the bamboo leaves to show how happy he was.

We weigh the feces every day
to make sure that he is healthy.
Today it was over 12kg.

After cleaning his outside den, we let him go outside.

In the afternoon, Kouhin moved to No.14 enclosure
next doors to Ryuhin (LongBang, 隆浜).
He stayed inside for a night and went outside
the next day. I went to see how he was doing
in the afternoon of January 14.
I geve him his favorite panda cakes,
and he seemed to be fine with his new enclosure.

He enjoyed the thick bamboo stem again this day.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Farewell ceremony for pandas going to France @ CRBGPB

2012-01-14T20:07:00.005+09:00

Today is a special day for the Chengdu Panda Base in
Sichuan, China and Beauval Zoo in France.
A Pair of giant pandas, YuanZi and HuanHuan
will leave Chengdu early tomorrow morning
to move to Beauval Zoo.
Link to Beauval Zoo in France

This is the entrance of Chengdu Panda Base.
The pair will be loaned to France for a
conservation and research program.

They were preparing for the ceremony in the morning
when I arrived.

YuanZi and HuanHuan will be sent to the
Chengdu airport on this truck.

The container has names of pandas on each of them.
This is the container for YuanZi.

I've never seen one of these before!
Contents "one panda"

The quarantine area is restricted, and only a few people
are allowed to go close.

These picture at the quarantine were taken on January 13, 2012.

YuanZi was wating for apples.

YuanZi
"Give me something to eat!!"

HuanHuan was enjoying her Sichuan bamboo.
After she leaves Chengdu, bamboo will be
supplied from bamboo fields in France.

I took a picture with the French team from Beauval Zoo.
Thank you Delphine and Rodolphe, it was a
great pleasure meeting you here!
I hope to see you soon in France. The second from left is
Zhang Hao who will go to France with YuanZi and HuanHuan.

At 2:30pm, January 14, 2012 a farewell ceremony
was held in Chengdu Panda Base. Journalists were here
all the way from France to see the great moment.

Yay! I got the FedEx panda.

I will miss YuanZi and HuanHuan very much,
but hopefully my friends in Europe will post pictures
on how it goes back in France. My "panda friends"
Jeroen Jacobs and Jérôme POUILLE

will post information about their arrival in France.

Link to Jeroen Jacob's website
Link to Jerome POUILLE's website

See you YuanZi and HuanHuan in Beauval Zoo!

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

French pandas in quarantine @ CRBGPB

2012-01-12T23:32:00.001+09:00

My Pambassador friend David from France is here in Chengdu for the two events that are taking place this week at the Chengdu Panda Base: Opening of Dujiangyan Field Research Center and the pair of giant pandas being sent to France on January 15th, 2012.

On January 9th David went to quarantine to see the pandas, YuanZi and HuanHuan that are coming to France. Here are a few pictures that were taken by the photographer who was accompanying him and a video David shot himself.

Pambassador David Algranti and HuanHuan.

YuanZi looking cute.

On the next pictures YuanZi is on the left and HuanHuan on the right.

Keeper Mr. Zhang Hao will go to France with the pandas and will stay in Beauval Zoo for several months to share his knowledge and make sure that the pandas adapt well.

David is happy that these great pandas are chosen.

Here is the video.

David tells me:
“I am sure that everyone will fall in love with YuanZi and HuanHuan as soon as they meet them in France, and I hope it will make people want to come and visit the Panda Base in Chengdu, Sichuan, to meet YuanZi and HuanHuan’s relatives and all the other wonderful pandas. There are over a hundred pandas there. Another great reason to come is Chengdu itself, one of the most modern and exciting cities in China, especially renowned for its delicious cuisine and beautiful popular and historic places (don’t miss Jinli, the Wide and Narrow Lane, DuFu’s Thatched Cottage, Jinsha Museum, and my personal favourite: Renmin Park, where everyone is always dancing).”

Link to the Beauval Zoo in France

Pambassadors David Algranti and Yumiko Kajiwara

Reintroduction Project - Six Giant Pandas moved to Dujiangyan Field Research Center

2012-01-12T01:17:00.000+09:00

This morning a huge ceremony was held in
Chengdu Panda Base Dujiangyan Field Research Center.
This reintroduction center is located in Majiagou,
Yutang Town just outside of Chengdu with a
total investment of RMB 200 million.
They have completed the first stage of construction
and six giant pandas, XingRong(female, 4), XingYa (female, 4),
GongZai (male, 3), YingYing (male, 3),
ZhiZhi (female, 2) and QiQi (female, 2) were moved to
Dujiangyan Field Research Center from Chengdu Panda Base.

Panda Ambassador, Yao Ming gave a speech.
He mentioned in his speech that he is happy
that now the reintroduction project has
started after all these years of rescuing
wild pandas and the progress they have made
in giant panda research.

YingYing moved to Dujiangyan Field Research Center
in this cage.

The Dujiangyan Field Research Center is consisted of
three sections. The first stage is the experimental area
where the pandas get used to the new environment.
After they get used to the experimental area,
they will move on to the second stage which is the
semi-wild reintroduction area.
This is a picture of the experimental area, the first stage.

They also have their inside enclosures just like they do
in Chengdu Panda Base.

All the journalists were walking with Yao Ming.
I knew that he must be huge, but we can see how
tall he is with everyone around him!

QiQi seemed happy with the new environment.
She went high up in the tree where she could
fall asleep safely. YingYing, GongZai,
ZhiZhi and QiQi are in the same outside
playground together.

QiQi looked so peaceful.

ZhiZhi was enjoying her new enclosure as well.

GongZai walked around his
outside playground to explore the new environment.
He found some apples that the keepers hid
in their outside playground.
The pandas will be trained from now on
so that they could adapt to the new area.

The reintroduction project has just begun.
It will be a long way to go to release pandas
back to the wild where they belong.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

YuanZi and HuanHuan will go to France

2012-01-10T19:34:00.005+09:00

This morning the press conference was held
at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
about the pair of giant pandas that will go to
ZooParc de Beauval in France.

The pair of Pandas, YuanZi (Male) and HuanHuan (Female)
will leave Chengdu for France on a special "panda jet"
on 15 January 2012. They are now at the quarantine,
preparing for their leave.

Dr. Zhang Zhihe, director of the Panda Base gave a
speech that the pair will be loaned to France for a
conservation and research program.
Ms. Hou Rong, Director of the Research Center
talked about the current research progress and that the
population of captive pandas around the world has reached 328.
Mr. Huang Xiangmin, Curator of Animal Management Department
explained basic information about the pair of pandas that have
been chosen to go to France.
Ms. Liu Li, the veterinary who will attend
Yuanzi and HuanHuan to France on the special panda jet
talked about the current situation of Yuanzi and HuanHuan
at the quarantine. Ms. Liu Li will stay in France for six months
until the pair will get used to the new environment.
French Pambassador, David Algranti in the right was
introduced to the media.

This is Yuanzi, born in 6 September, 2008.
I took this picture on 29 September 2011
when he was still at No. 2 enclosure with
Gongzi (the model of Kungfu panda),
YingYing, NiNi, QiFu and HuanHuan.
YuanZi is a very strong active panda
who loves eating and climbing trees.

This is HuanHuan born in 8 August 2008
during the Beijing Olympic games.
This picture was taken on the same day
as YuanZi when she was with her friends
waiting for apples. She has a cute round face
with white fur.

I will miss them very much since I have been
taking care of them from 2010, but ZooParc de Beauval
has beautiful panda enclosures, and I am happy
for everyone in France that these adorable
pandas were chosen.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

RyuHin（隆浜）,KouHin（幸浜）and ErXi（二喜）@ CRBGPB

2012-01-08T23:30:00.000+09:00

This morning, I went to take care of YaYa
at the Sunshine Nursery. YaYa was enjoying
her bamboo with ErXi and other 2010 born cubs
when I arrived early this morning.

ErXi smells the leaves before he eats them,
although I have a feeling that he doesn't quite
understand what he is doing. He's probably just
trying to copy what YaYa does.

"Hi Yumi, how are you today?
I'm happy to be with YaYa,
she teaches me everything I need to know,
like climbing trees, eating bamboo
and how to play with my friends!"

ErXi waved his bamboo to show off that
he has something very interesting.

He closed his eyes to enjoy the taste of
fresh bamboo. (again, I'm not sure
if he really knows how good it tastes)
The pandas at Chengdu Panda Base are
really lucky because they can have
fresh bamboo everyday. There are many
mountains around Suchuan province
full of nature, and tons of them arrive
fresh everyday.

ErXi has beautiful white teeth.
It looks like he had braces.

All the 2010 born cubs have their favorite tree.
They squash into their favorite spot to take a nap,
sometimes pushing their friends away.
I can almost hear them saying
"Hey, I was here first! Don't push!!"

Here is a picture of toys for the 2011 born cubs.
The tiny cubs love playing with toys and are curious
with everything they see.

After doing my keepers job at the Sunshine Nursery,
I went to see KouHin（幸浜）.
He was sleeping in the distance, but as soon as
I called his name in Japanese, he came rushing
towards me as usual.

"Hello Yumi, can I have something to eat?
Is it time for panda cakes?"

As soon as he realized that I don't have
any food with me today,
he went away to eat fresh bamboo.
Sorry KouHin, I'll make sure to bring
something good for you next time!

I went to take care of RyuHin （隆浜）
in the afternoon. He was fast asleep
when I arrived.

We called him inside to feed him his favorite apples,
and to my surprise, he came inside immediately!
We gave him apples and then gave him a shower to clean him,
then called him outside again so that we could feed him
with fresh bamboo.
"Can I have some bamboo?"

"PLEASE?"

He tried to climb the walls to come close to me.

RyuHin was very happy with his fresh bamboo.

He has some fur missing on his right ear.
Could it be from a few years ago when
RyuHin's twin younger brother ShuHin （秋浜）
pulled out his fur? RyuHin looks special
because he has some fur missing on his
black eyepatches.

He bites a big mouth full of bamboo leaves.
RyuHin doesn't eat panda cakes, but instead
he eats a lot of bamboo.

This is my favorite angle.
He looks like his father EiMei（永明）in
Adventure World Shirahama.

French Pambassador David arrived this evening,
and we will go to the Panda Base tomorrow together.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

MeiLan, KeBi, ShuLan, Sunshine Nursery and KouHin @ CRBGPB

2012-01-07T22:16:00.000+09:00

Today was my second day at the Chengdu Panda Base
and I was lucky to see MeiLan awake this time!
MeiLan was taking a nap in the afternoon,
but soon he woke up and started to eat fresh bamboo.
"Hello all my fans around the world, I'm doing fine here in Chengdu!"
He reacted very well when the keeper called his name
with a Chinese (Sichuan) accent.

"Many people think I'm always sleeping,
but there are times that I am awake if you watch me carefully!"

He was excited with his fresh bamboo and lied down to enjoy the rest.

KeBi who lives next doors to MeiLan
woke up as well when we went to feed him with
his favorite panda cakes.

He also lied down to enjoy fresh bamboo.

KeBi seemed to be happy covered all over with bamboo.

He suddenly stood up and found an extra panda cake
that was hidden underneeth his fresh bamboo.

KeBi never lies down when he eats panda cakes.
He sits down so that he can run away from his
enemies at any time.(Although he doesn't actually
have to be aware of enemies here at Panda Base...)

ShuLan lives next doors to KeBi,
and she enjoyed her afternoon snack too.
ShuLan is MeiMei's twin sister who passed away
in 2008 in Adventure World Shirahama.

"I can eat apples and panda cakes at the same time!"

ErXi was enjoying bamboo with YaYa.
It's amazing how easily he can break bamboo
so that he could eat all the leaves he can.
Last time I was in Chengdu, he was still having
difficulty eating bamboo which shows how
strong he has become in the past few months.

"Everyone says that I look more like my
father ShuHin! Do you agree with this?"
To me he looks like tiny ShuHin and he
reminds me of ShuHin when he was young.

I love watching him with such a happy face!

All seven of the 2010 born cubs are spending time with
YaYa. YaYa is taking great care of them.
She is such a great mother.

KouHin was eating bamboo when I went to see him,
but as soon as I called out his name in Japanese, he got too excited
and showed me his joy with his cute little dance.
And I was sooooo happy that I missed taking pictures of him!
I'll try again tomorrow!

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Fisrt day at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in 2012

2012-01-06T18:24:00.001+09:00

Hello everyone!
Last night I arrived at Chengdu very late at night around 11:30PM
on the ANA nonstop direct flight from Tokyo Narita Airport to Chengdu.
The flight was very comfortable with a nice meal, and above all
it's so convenient that I don't have to change at Beijing or Shanghai
anymore. Anyone from Japan, I strongly recommend this ANA direct
flight to Chengdu!

This morning when I arrived at the Chengdu Panda Base,
the 2011 born cubs were playing outside with their favorite toys.

"Go go!! Run fast!!"
It's amazing how big they have grown in the past months.

The cubs gathered around, some pretending they are eating
bamboo although they can't because they're not ready for it yet.
They learn behaviors from mother pandas around this age.
Some are watching one of the cubs enjoying her ride.

One of the cubs came very close to say hi.
She brought a leaf for me as a gift.

The 2011 bornn cubs are being fed by
keepers. I wonder what it tastes like?

And this is ErXi, the 2010 born cub.
He enjoyed apples directly from his dish.
I guess his appetite is always the same.
He was so excited that he didn't notice he
had plenty spilt on his cute tummy.

"Hi Yumi, long time no see!
Haha, I love apples!!"
He ate three apples in a row
which shows how greedy he is as usual.

This is ZhenQiao eating bamboo.
She spent most of her time with YaYa.

QiQi, ZhiZhi, WenLi (DaDa) and YaLi (XiaoXiao)
were enjoying their favorite panda cakes.
QiQi and ZhiZhi will move to Dujiangyan Panda Valley
tomorrow for the reintroduction program.
I would like to talk about this program at another occasion.

QiQi stood up beautifully on her hind legs and
walked around sometimes. She looks very special
with a cute small eye patch.

QiQi tried to grab her apple.

QiQi enjoyed her apple with a smile on her face.
She eats so quickly. Is it because she was born
77g that she had to hurry so that her friends won't
take food away from her?

XiangBing on the right and ShuRong on the left
enjoyed their bamboo also. It's good to see that
they still have a close connection.

This is YuHin, born in Advenrure World Shirahama, Japan.
He was fast asleep and I couldn't see him awake today.

RyuHin also born in Advenrure World Shirahama
was sleeping too, but he woke up for a few seconds
to scratch his head. This is the only picture I could
take of him awake.

KouHin and MeiLan were away today
somewhere behind the bush.
I hope I could see them tomorrow!
I will be in Chengdu for 2 weeks.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

First day in Adventure World, Shirahama

2011-12-19T21:19:00.002+09:00

Hello everyone!

It has been over two months since I last updated my blog.
I am back in Japan now, and today I went to Adventure World
Shirahama.

This is the entrance of AWS.

There are panda statues everywhere
which makes me excited even before
seeing the REAL pandas!

They decorated the pandas with
Christmas decorations.

Pandas hanging on Christmas trees.
I should try this too at home!

Eimei （永明） was sleeping in his
outside playground when I arrived.
Eimei is on the left.

"I'm soooo sleepy today.
Well, in fact I'm sleepy everyday around this time. "
He must have eaten a lot before I arrived this morning.

"Leave me alone. I need some privacy!"

In a few hours, Eimei woke up and asked the keepers for
bamboo. He was waiting by the door for a while, sometimes
watching me. "Can I have something to eat??"

Eimei closed his eyes to enjoy his bamboo.

"Hahaha, Yummy!!"
He has a long nose and mickey mouse ears
as usual. He is adorable.

Eimei is 19 years old, and he is still very strong and healthy.
He walks around a lot to keep fit.

Rauhin（良浜）, the mother of the 2010 born twins
was smelling her feet in her inside encosure.
"Do I smell? Am I alright?"

Aihin（愛浜） was in her inside enclosure
in the afternoon. She seemed so happy
with her bamboo all around her which
looks like a long skirt.

Aihin has a cute round face.

I love it when pandas close their eyes
to enjoy their food.

Meihin（梅浜） and Eihin（永浜） in their outside playground
in the afternoon. Meihin on the left and Eihin on the right.

All the girls in AWS have round faces.
This is Meihin（梅浜）, female.

And all the boys have a long nose
just like their father Eimei.
This is Eihin（永浜）, male.

Kaihin（海浜） and Youhin（陽浜）, the twins
born in 2010 have grown so big in the past few months.
I came to AWS in October, but today
they looked so huge! It reminds me of how big
ErXi must have grown in Chengdu Panda Base
while I am away...

Kaihin drinks his milk very quickly
so that he could have some of Youhin's.

Kaihin.
"Awwww, I can almost reach the window"

"Maybe I could get out of here if I try hard"

"Ohhh no, I can't go out today. Maybe one day."

Youhin takes her time on her milk,
just like Ryuhin (Longbang) in Chengdu Panda Base.

She enjoyed the moment of satisfaction.

In the evening, Kaihin and Youhin were called to go
to their inside enclosure. They pretended they were sleeping
and the keeper took time so that they come down from the
wooden play equipment on their own.

Kaihin and Youhin playing on the wooden equipment
after they finally came inside.

This year they have artificial snow in their inside enclosure.
Kaihin and Youhin are very excited with this new toy.
They roll around and sometimes taste the white fluffy snow.

Kaihin
"This is really cold!! What should I do with it?"

Youhin
"I love rolling around in snow!!"
Youhin can even make a small snow ball.

I will go to AWS again tomorrow and then head back to
Tokyo in the evening.
I hope it's not so cold as it was today.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi and JiaoQing @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-09-25T23:00:00.000+09:00

This morning the 2010 born cubs were
active and playful as ever.
ErXi enjoyed playing with the blue bucket where we
sometimes put bamboo shoot in it.
"Helloooo Yumi, how are you today?"

JiaoQing came to disturb ErXi.
He's not interested much in the bucket,
he was just asking ErXi to play with him.

ErXi was playing with the holes on the
bottom of this bucket.
I wonder what it looks like from a
panda's point of view?

Then he came out, ran to a small tree,
climbed it and showed me how proud he is
of himself.

This morning, ErXi found some bottled
drinks that the tourists might have dropped.
Pandas usually do not eat or drink
things they are not used to, but it could be
dangerous.
Please be careful of your belongings when
you come to the Panda Base!
(Or any other zoos)

ErXi was climbing the small tree
over and over again.
It broke down suddenly, and he seemed
very surprized.
"What did I do wrong?"

"Can I play with it, or can I eat this?"

JiaoQing ran towards ErXi to ask
if he wanted to play with him again.
ErXi :
"I want to play with my wooden toy!"

JiaoQing rolled around into the bush,
bit some leaves and spit it out.
"Mmmm, this doesn't tasted so good"

JiaoQing was dirty all over with
seads on his face.
He looks so small when he does
this pose.

"Haha, I love rolling around and being dirty!"

"Bye Yumi, see you!"

ErXi was also happy rolling around alone.

The 2010 born cubs are very active and strong.
ErXi climbed another tree, hanging on his favorite
spot with his legs.

He went in the pond to cool down.

"It's cool in here, and I love it!"

Then ErXi was ready to climb
the tree to take a nap.
"See you Yumi!"

ErXi squeezed on JiaoQing's favorite spot.
They stayed on the same spot when I left.

"Bye Yumi. See you!"

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi and JiaoQing @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-09-24T17:34:00.000+09:00

Last night I came back to Chengdu
and this morning I went to the Sunshine Nursery
to take care of ErXi and JiaoQing.

It has been 10 days since I last went to see them,
and it seems that they have grown even bigger!!
When I saw first saw ErXi, I almost thought he was
ShuHin (QiuBang), the father of ErXi!

ErXi was a bit shy to see me this morning.

He climbed trees, fell down and rolled around for a while.

He looks so strong!

This morning, ErXi was entertaining everyone
on his own. He showed off everything he could
do alone without the help of his friends.

ErXi likes to show off his white cute teeth.

He is still very cute even though he is
quite big and heavy.

"Can I eat this?"

He thinks he can tear up anything.

ErXi went to disturb JiaoQing, and JiaoQing barked at him!
JiaoQing was enjoying his time alone this morning.

It seems that the 2010 born cubs were ready to
take a nap. ErXi quickly got rid of me and climbed up
the tree where I could never follow him no matter how
much I wanted to.

"HaHa, can you come up Yumi?"
I like the way he climbs up the tree
and stares at me from above
to make sure that I am watching him.

It's amazing how pandas could sleep like this
high up in the trees, taking the balance.

ErXi dreaming of apples and watermelons.

This is the "Panda Tree" in Sunshine Nursery.
All the 2010 born cubs love this same tree.

JiaoQing was taking a nap on the ground close to
the door that leads to LiLi's outside playground.
They were staring at each other for quite a long time
accross the bars.

"Hellooooo, I haven't seen you in a while!
What have you been up to?"

"You can rub my tummy if you want to!"

"Woof!!" JiaoQing barked at me,
just like he did to ErXi.

"I am sleepy today. Can you leave me alone
and come back another time?"

JiaoQing was tired of me too,
and went up on the tree where I could not
follow him. He probably wanted his time
alone today.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Happy Birthday RyuHin (LongBang) and ShuHin (QiuBang) !! @ CRBGPB

2011-09-10T23:02:00.000+09:00

September 8 was RyuHin (LongBang) and
ShuHin (QiuBang)'s birthday.
The twin handsome boys were born in
2003 in Shirahama Adventure World, Japan.

I went to celebrate their birthday today.
First I went to say happy birthday to RyuHin,
the elder brother. RyuHin does not eat panda cakes
unless we put honey on them, so I cut the
panda cakes into small pieces and dipped
honey all over, then decorated his favorite
apples and bamboo shoot just like I did for
KouHin (XingBang).

RyuHin was taking a nap in his outside den.
Although we called him to come inside a few times,
he prefered to stay outside.

Finally after a few minutes he
slowly came inside.
"What is going on today?"
He seemed a bit surprised, and stared
at his special birthday cake for a while
from far away.

"Mmm, this is interesting.
Is it a toy or am I allowed to eat it?"

RyuHin reached out his hand and grabbed the bamboo shoot
first. He ate the bamboo shoot and apples, but spat out the
panda cakes as usual. Happy birthday RyuHin!!

Afterwards, I went to say happy birthday to
ShuHin (QiuBang).

My favorite keeper LiHan and I guessed
what ShuHin will start with.
Our guess was panda cakes-apples-bamboo shoot.

"Wooo, this looks good!"

He started with panda cakes just as we guessed!
But then he went for the bamboo shoot, then the apples.
Happy Birthday ShuHin!!

"I'm not that interested in how you decorate
my birthday cake, I just want to enjoy the
taste"

ShuHin is always hungry, and after enjoying
his birthday cake, he was still snoring
to remind us how hungry he is.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

KouHin (XingBang) @ Adult Area, CRBGPB

2011-09-10T01:15:00.000+09:00

Today I went to the Adult area to take care of
KouHin (XingBang) in the afternoon.
When I arrived, KouHin was walking around in his
outside den, but then suddenly dipped into the pond.
The weather in Chengdu has been better for the Pandas
for the past few days, and they spend most of the time
in their outside den.

"I'm preparing to dip into this pond!"

He ran around in the pond for a while to find the
best spot.

"AWWWW, this is great! I love this pond!!!"

"HAHA, I'm so happy!!"

He turned his back to enjoy his privacy.

We called him to give him some bamboo shoot,
and KouHin came running towards us.

KouHin waiting for his bamboo shoot with a sexy pose.

It seems that all the Pandas love bamboo shoot.
KouHin looked so happy with them.

Then we gave him some excersize
to keep him fit. Last year when he was
in No. 14 enclosure, he had his excersize
everyday, but it was the first time for him
to do it in the Adult Area.
He stood up and reached for his favorite
panda cake.

He turned around to see where it went.
The outside den is a bit different from
No. 14, and KouHin didn't know how
to get his panda cake.

Finally after striking a pose for everyone,
he got his panda cake and started to eat it.
"Wooo, I haven't done my excersize for a
long time, but this was fun!! I'm happy
I could still do it perfectly. It shows how
strong and healthy I am!"

"Yummy!"

This is the expression I love the most.
It makes everyone around him smile.

We gave him his excersize a couple of times,
but then he took the bamboo fishing rod
and played with it. He thought it was a
new interesting toy.
"Mmmm, this might be better than the panda cakes!"

I hope he doesn't do this everytime...
Playing with the fishing rod is not
an option for him, and I hope he understands.

"I can play the flute"

I will post some pictures of QingQing
on facebook. It was her birthday today.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

2010 born cubs @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-31T21:00:00.001+09:00

This morning, all the 2010 born cubs were
spending time together in their outside den
because they were all planning to have health checks.
When I arrived at the Sunshine nursery,
most of them were on the tree taking a nap,
but YaYun was wating by the door to play with me.

"Hi Yumi, I've been waiting for you!"
She bit my boots for a long time.

YaYun showed me how playful she was today.
"I can even eat leaves on the ground!"

ErXi and YuanZhou were cuddled together
on the tree. They both love the same spot,
and were fighting for the best position.

ErXi pushed YuanZhou away so that he could stay there.
"HAHA, I won!"

He looked so peaceful.

ZhenHao is around 30kg and YaYun is still
around 24kg, so it makes quite a difference,
but they don't seem to know that.
Although YaYun is smaller than the other 2010 born cubs,
she is very strong and active, and has a good relationship
with every one of them.

JiaoQing came down from the tree
and ran towards me.
He is the most friendly one among all the 2010 born cubs,
and he gets jealous when I am taking care of others.
"Yumi, I like you so much! We can play together as much
as we want to!"

He was staying still waiting for me in the
shallow side of the pond while I was catching
my breath at the deep end.

ErXi was still on the tree, looking down
on me from high above. I left him there
so that he could decide when he wants to
come down to play with me.
He seemed to be happy alone,
and I didn't want to disturb his sleep.

YuanLin played hard with JiaoQing
and had a rest on the play equipment
for a while.

JiaoQing got so excited, he climed and fell from
one of the trees many times. He was so dirty
with mud all over him.

He was so brown that in the end
he didn't look like a Panda.

He sometimes came down to grab a bite on the leaves.

"Look how cute I am!!"

ErXi was on the tree with YuanZhou again.

JiaoQing, ErXi and YaYun rolling together beside the tree.

I will be away from Chengdu Panda Base for a while,
and will be there only for a few days in September.

Tomorrow September 2, I will go to
BiFengXia Panda Base. If there is anything
you would like to know about the Pandas there,
please leave a message on my blog or facebook.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

JiaoQing, ErXi, YuanLin and YuanZhou @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-30T21:47:00.000+09:00

This morning, YuanLin was waiting for me
by the door, and as soon as I arrived
at the Sunshine nursery, he pulled me and asked
if I would like to play with him.
YuanLin is the twin brother of YuanZhou,
and at first it was hard to see the difference.
They look alike and are about the same size.
I'm happy that after spending two and a half months
at the Panda Base, I got to know most of the Pandas
that live here at the Chengdu Panda Base.
Each Pandas have different characters
just like us humans, and it's interesting to see
different behaviors of each one of them.
"Hello, I'm YuanLin. I'm the one that's good at swimming
in the pond!"

YuanLin, YuanZhou and YaYun are still
a little bit smaller than the other 2010 born cubs
and it's easy to hold them and play with them.
On the other hand, JiaoQing, ErXi,
ZhenQiao and ZhenHao have become so big
in the past few months, and whenever they
chase me around, I get so exhausted.
(But happy at the same time!)
This morning, YuanLin stayed in the shallow
side of the pond.

As I put some water on his tummy,
he closed his eyes and looked so happy.

YuanLin touched my camera lense
with his nose several times.

"Awww, I love staying in this pond!"

ErXi had played too much with his friends early
in the morning, and was taking a nap when I saw him.
"Hello Yumi, please excuse me for not going down to
meet you today! I need to take a nap"

JiaoQing was also taking a nap on his favorite tree.

ErXi rolled around a couple of times
on the wooden platform half asleep.

Finally he made up his mind to come down to say hi.
He pulled the rope that was supposed to be
covering the nails on the platform for their safety.

"I'm going to take this out!"

He pulled too hard and fell on the ground,
but that doesn't upset him.

He found a replacement (branch) on the
ground and played with it.

JiaoQing also came down from the tree and
played on the wooden play equipments.

"It's fun walking on the wooden play equipment
because everyone is watching me with a smile on their face!
I think I'm making everyone happy!"

This is ErXi's feces.
We can see that it's more like bamboo shoot
than feces. It shows how complicated their
digesting system is.

JiaoQing was hiding behind the tree
and watching me to see the right time
to run after me.

YuanZhou was on ErXi's favorite small
tree, and ErXi tried to drag YuanZhou down
so that he could go on top of it instead.

ErXi "This is my tree! Get down right away!!"
YuanZhou "No, it's not your tree, it's mine!"

ErXi looked so happy when YuanZhou
finally came down from the tree.

"HaHa, I got it back!!"

ErXi was so happy that he forgot climbing the tree,
and he started to play with the branch.

ErXi "This is my tree!"

During all this time, JiaoQing was busy
playing in the bush, rolling down the hill and running around.

YuanLin was playing with some grass.
He grabbed a hand full, and put it in his mouth.

It was like he had green beard on his chin.

YuanLin enjoyed learning how to swim again.

Although ErXi is much bigger than YuanLin,
he stayed on the shallow side of the pond as usual.
For the past few days, ErXi has been walking around
outside the deep end, and we might be able to
see him go to the deep end while I am here.
The cubs learn so many things everyday,
so we never know.

"I need to cool down before I go inside"

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-29T20:43:00.000+09:00

This morning, ErXi was in his outside den
with JiaoQing, YaYun and ZhenHao.
When I went to meet them, they were playing
together on the wodden platform.
However,as soon as they found me
they all ran towards me. They are so fast
and come from all different directions to get me,
and I'm not as strong as super mother "YaYa"
that can take care of three cubs at the same time,
so I have to run away from them.
(And I can never take pictures when I'm being chased)

ErXi started to play with the leaves that
he found on the ground.

The leaves were so crisp, and he
enjoyed biting and spitting out on his cute tummy.

"This is a fun game!"
The 2010 born cubs are curious about
everything they see, and it's interesting to
see their cute behaviors everyday.

ErXi played with the bucket where
keepers sometimes put bamboo
shoot inside so that the cubs could enjoy
finding food for themselves.

"There's not bamboo shoot today!"
There are several holes in the bottom of the bucket,
and as I peeked inside from the hole,
ErXi came inside to see what was going on.

ZhenHao and ErXi played on the wooden platform again.

They chace me around whenever they are
playing on the ground, and the only time I could
catch my breath is when they are playing on their platform.
Sometimes tourists let me know when other cubs
are coming to get me from behind, and I really appreciate that.

JiaoQing and ErXi played together too.
ErXi was saying
"Leave me alone! I need some privacy!"

JiaoQing enjoyed the deep end of the pond.
It looked like he was half drowning,
but he seemed to be enjoying his own time.

ErXi never goes to the deep end of the
pond, and instead he bites banches
when his friends are having fun in the pond.

ErXi walked over his friends JiaoQing and YaYun,
but his friends never get mad at him.

ErXi bumped into my camera lense as usual.
It's already like a daily routine for us.

"HAHA, how do I look in the picture
when I come so close? Do I look cute?"
Can I play with your camera lense? "

ErXi went to the shallow side of the pond
to cool down.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ZhenHao, YuanLin and YuanZhou @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-28T20:03:00.000+09:00

This morning, ZhenHao, YuanLin, YuanZhou
and YaYun were spending time together at the
Sunshine Nursery.
YuanLin enjoyed bathing and swimming in the
deep end of the pond.
It sometimes looked like he was half drowning...

"I'm the only one that can come this far!!"
He was learning how to swim on his back.
(I have a video, and will upload soon)

ZhenHao and YuanZhou can only walk in the pond.
(ErXi can't even walk to the deep end...)
I think they're still afraid of drowning.They take a walk
in the pond and sometimes stand still so that
they won't be covered with water around their face.
Whenever YuanLin comes and tries to swim,
ZhenHao and YuanZhou feel danger and run outside.
All they want is a quite and peaceful time in the pond.

ZhenHao is one of MeiMei's grandchild.
He has a round face just like MeiMei.

All the 2010 born cubs love playing with the branch.
YuanLin tried to taste it.

YuanLin rolled and ran around the outside den.

He bumped into my camera lense as
usual.

YuanLin climed a tiny tree and seemed to be
so happy on the top of it.

ZhenHao and YuanLin disturbing
each other's privacy.

ZhenQiao decided to go out on a
journey to explore the new world
all by himself.

"I've never been here before and it's fun!"

YuanLin was waiting for ZhenHao
just outside the mysterious cave.

ZhenHao enjoyed his time out in the new world,
and soon after he came back, he fell asleep.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi and JiaoQing @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-27T22:05:00.000+09:00

This morning I went to the Sunshine Nursery to
take care of the 2010 born cubs.
I was surprised to see that ErXi,JiaoQing
and YuanZhouwas taking a nap when I went inside.
Usually in the morning, the cubs are active and playful,
and I alwayshave to be careful not to be chased around.

"Hello Yumi, I think I got too excited early in the
morning, and I am already a bit sleepy"

ErXi was on his favorite wooden platform.

"I'm still very young, and I need lots of sleep!"

As I was taking pictures of him, he finally
made up his mind to come down and play with me.
ErXi bit my Tshirt to show that he was awake.

He also took a bite on my blue gown.

He enjoyed doing his performance, rolling around
and chasing me in front of everyone.

"Guess who I am??"

We took a picture together!
He never stays still in my arms.

ErXi climbed his favorite small tree
and looked so proud of himself as usual.

Then JiaoQing suddenly appeared from nowhere!
"Hey, come down to play with me!!"

"No, I prefer to stay on my tree!"

JiaoQing rushed towards ErXi.

But then JiaoQing fell of the small tree and got stuck in the branch.
His flat face looks more flat than ever!

It's interesting to see that Pandas love to climb small trees
and thin branches. They seem to enjoy the wind
and unsteadiness.

ErXi came down from his tree after a while
and tried to bump into my camera lense.

He took some branch and leaves from the ground and
acted like a baby.

"There is nothing wrong with me, but I need to take a nap again!
You know, I'm still a baby" ErXi and the other 2010 born cubs
don't seem to realize how heavy and huge they have become.

Whenever I reach out my hand, ErXi tries to bite me.
(In a soft way)

"Bye Yumi! See you tomorrow!"

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Happy Birthday YaYa!! @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-25T21:04:00.000+09:00

August 24 was YaYa's 21st Birthday.
YaYa was born in 1990 during the Asian Games.
She is still strong and healthy, and gave birth to
YaYun in 2010.

Happy Birthday YaYa!!!

YaYa and ErXi.
I'm so happy (and a bit jealous!)
that ErXi looks so happy when he is with YaYa.
Whenever I see YaYa with the cubs,
the cubs are all over YaYa, and even
with so much to take care of, she deals
things in such a perfect way.
YaYa is a super mother with many offsprings.

"Mommy, can you play with me now??"
ErXi is trying to get to her from behind.

This is YaYun, YaYa's cub born in 2010.
She is the youngest among all 2010 born cubs,
but is strong and healthy just like her mother.

YaYun is very active and playful.
She is smaller than JiaoQing and ErXi
that have already reached 30kg.

She loves climbing the wooden platforms
and playing with her friends.

"My mom is a super mother, and everyone
loves her! I hope I can be as popular
just like my mom in the future!"

She strikes a pose many times to show off her charm.
She is so sweet and wonderful.

"Can I eat this?"
She played with a branch and grabbed
some grass from the ground.

She approaches slowly and quietly,
but once she comes close, she can be
quite powerful and crazy!

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

YaYun, JiaoQing, ErXi, YuanLin and YuanZhou @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-24T22:42:00.000+09:00

This morning, YaYun was spending time
with her mother YaYa with two other
2010 born cubs.
She found an apple in her outside den
and held it in her hands to enjoy the smell.
(She doesn't eat much at her age)

She took some bite and spat on her tummy.
She looked so happy with her toy!
These are pictures I took from outside
because I can't go inside where YaYa is!

JiaoQing, ErXi, YuanLin and
YuanZhou were in there outside den
next to YaYa's.

ErXi has a favorite pose lately.
He hangs like this for a long time
and shows me how strong he is
to hold his body with his hind legs
on the wooden platform.

From left to right, ErXi, JiaoQing and YuanZhou.
The 2010 born cubs are so playful and
thesedays I see them tangled together most of the time.

JiaoQing with a happy face

ErXi found some rubish in his den,
smelled and played with it for a while.
Pandas are quite clever, and they don't
eat or swollow things they can't recognize.

JiaoQing with mud all over his face.
He is so heavy!

ErXi prepared to bump into
my camera lense as usual with his
cute long nose.

YuanZhou stayed in the pond to cool down.

"Awww, I love this place!"

He came so close to my camera lense
and sometimes bumped into it.

JiaoQing was smiling as usual.

ErXi is about 30kg, and he reminds me
of his father ShuHin (QiuBang).
His behaviors and looks are very similar
to ShuHin.

ErXi is relaxed when he is cooling down
in the pond.

But he never goes to the deep end.
I wonder if he has bad memories from the past?

JiaoQing got exhausted today, and went down
to his favorite spot to take a nap.

"Leave me alone for a few minutes,
and I'll be back!"

All the cubs were exhausted after
running and chasing each other,
and in the end ErXi was the only one awake.

"I'm strong and healthy, just like my daddy!"

ErXi still had some strength and went to disturb
YuanLin's sleep.

Pabbassador Yumiko Kajiwara

Happy Birthday KouHin (XingBang)!! @ Adult Area, CRBGPB

2011-08-23T17:24:00.000+09:00

Today August 23 is KouHin's Birthday.
KouHin was born in Adventure World Shirahama
Japan in 2005. His father is the famous super father
EiMei (YongMing) and his mother is the super mother
MeiMei that passed away in 2008.
KouHin has become 6 years old today.
Happy Birthday KouHin!!!!!
I made a special gift for him,
a Birthday Cake with panda cakes,
apples and bamboo shoot.

白浜アドベンチャーワールド生まれの
幸浜が本日8月23日6歳になりました！
成都パンダ基地では通常誕生日会等
やらないのですが、今日は
パンダケーキ、リンゴと筍で
特製バースデーケーキを作ってあげました。

KouHin came to smell what it was.
"Yumi, is it a special day today?
Why can I have such a wonderful plate
with all my favorite treat??"
When KouHin was in Japan,
every year we celebrated his Birthday
with a Birthday Cake that was much
bigger than the one I made for him.
白浜では毎年豪華なバースデーケーキで
盛大にお祝いをしてもらっていた幸浜。
「あれ？今日って特別な日なの？
何でこんなに好きな物ばかりもらえるの？」

"Am I really allowed to eat all this?"
「本当にこれ全部食べても良いの？」

"HAHA, it tastes good!!!"
「ワハハ、美味しいね！！」

「ウメエ！」

"Thank you so much for the wonderful gift!
I love it and I promise to be a good boy!!"
「素敵なプレゼントをありがとう！
これからも良い子にするからね！」

He ate most of the apples first
and then enjoyed his Panda Cakes.
幸浜は最初にリンゴをほとんど食べてから
パンダケーキを楽しんでいました。

「パンダケーキも美味しいよね！」

"I only have one more panda cake left..."
「パンダケーキが残り1個になっちゃった・・・」

I was happy to be here in Chengdu
to celebrate his 6th Birthday.
幸浜の6歳の誕生日を、この成都で
お祝い出来て幸せに思います。

可愛い顔をして何度も見上げてくれました。

He enjoyed the bamboo shoot
in the end after he finished all the apples
and panda cakes.
上に乗せてあげた筍を最後に食べていました。

"Oh no, it's all gone..."
「あー、全部終わっちゃった・・・」

It was hot again today here in Chengdu
and the Pandas only stayed outside
for a few minutes.They all had to come
inside very early in the morning.
KouHin enjoyed his bamboo in the sunshine.
今日は再び気温が上がり、パンダ達は
朝早い時間に室内に戻らなければ
なりませんでした。
幸浜は太陽の光を浴びて嬉しそうに
笹を食べていました。

幸浜、これからも元気に育ってね！

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara
パンダ大使　梶原裕美子

JiaoQing, ErXi and YuanZhou @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-21T20:00:00.000+09:00

This morning I went to the Sunshine Nursery
to take are of the 2010 born cubs as usual.
JiaoQing, ErXi and YuanZhou was there to
welcome me.

JiaoQing played on his favorite tree and looked down on me
from above.

"Hi Yumi, do you want to play with me?"

JiaoQing and ErXi rushed towards me.

ErXi climed a small tree to show how capable he is.

He took a handful of mud on the tree
and smelled it to see if he could play with it.

Then he took some bite to see
if he could eat it.

"Am I allowed to eat this thing??"

ErXi looked so proud of himself
to be on this small tree that is only
about 2 meters high...

Whenever I leave them to take a few minutes to
catch my breath, they come chasing after me
which makes me more exhausted.

ErXi showed me his Kungfu skills.

JiaoQing had to catch his breath too.
I think they run way too much.

ErXi climed his wooden platform
to see if I could go after him.

Then it was ErXi's turn to take a break.

He stayed in the pond for a while.

While ErXi was resting in his pond,
JiaoQing followed me all around the den and rolled over
to play with me.

JiaoQing had mud all over his mouth and nose.

JiaoQing is always so excited when I am
there with him ,and it looks like he is smiling.

ErXi did his other Kungfu pose.

JiaoQing slept on the wooden platform
for a few minutes.

ErXi found a branch to play with
and showed it off to me so many times.

It's so much fun to see that JiaoQing and ErXi
has a good relationship.

ErXi and YuanZhou also has a good relationship.

It's funny that whenever someone (or some pandas)
touches ErXi's ears, he rubs it many times which
looks like he's asking for his ears back.

"I really need to cool down so that
I could play more with you!"

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

KouHin (XingBang) and JiaoZi @ Adult Area

2011-08-21T15:37:00.000+09:00

This morning I went to the Sunshine Nursery to
take care of the 2010 born cubs. Instead of posting
pictures of the 2010 cubs, today I would like to
post some pictures of KouHin (XingBang)
before I lose connection with my internet access!

Today the weather was cool just like Autumn
here in Chengdu, and all the Pandas were
enjoying their time in their outside den.

At last I was able to see KouHin playing outside!
It has been over six months since I last saw him outside,
and I was so happy for him.
It looked like KouHin was skipping across his huge den.

As I called his name in Japanese, he came close
and posed in front of me for a while.

I wish the weather would be like this forever!
It's definitely good for the Pandas, and it's the
perfect weather for me too!

KouHin's new favorite spot is close to his inside enclosure.
I think he was waiting for his favorite Panda Cakes
because it was almost lunch time!

Today August 21 is JiaoZi's birthday.
Happy Birthday JiaoZi!
JiaoZi is JiaoQing (2010 born cub)'s mother.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

JiaoQing, ErXi and YaYun @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-20T19:08:00.000+09:00

This morning, I went to the Sunshine Nursery
to take care of the 2010 born cubs.

I go to the Panda base every morning
around 7:00 so that I could
see playful behaviors of the cubs from
outside without going inside for too long.
The 2010 born cubs are so heavy and
strong now, it's getting hard to take picture
of them when I go inside!

This is JiaoQing in the morning.
He has a charming flat face that
makes him look special.
JiaoQing's mother JiaoZi lives next doors
to YuHin (XiongBang) at the Adult Area.

This morning JiaoQing, ErXi and YaYun were
in the outside den, and as soon as I went inside, they
came running towards me.

ErXi came to say Hi.

Then he went inside the pond as usual
to cool down.

ErXi comes so close to me everyday
and bumps into my camera lense.
He thinks he's allowed to play with my
camera.

JiaoQing tried to bump into me so many times.
This is how Pandas act when they are with their
mother, and JiaoQing was asking me to play with him.

The three cubs have a great relationship,
and they enjoy the whole morning rolling, running
and climbing trees. I try to keep away
so that I don't get tangled with them.

JiaoQing strikes a pose.

ErXi on the bottom and JiaoQing
on the top playing together on the wooden
platform.

YaYun is still small compared to
JiaoQing and ErXi that were born
in July. However, she is full of energy
and gets along well with the other
2010 born cubs.

ErXi grabed some of the grass
and showed it off to me.
He thinks I would be jealous of his treasure.

JiaoQing did the same!
He took a bunch of grass out of the
ground and showed it to me and asked if
I wanted to play with his grass.

YaYun came running towards us to join our fun game.

JiaoQing is a friendly boy,
and I love watching his cute
smiling face!

Everytime I go inside, JiaoQing
gets so excited, and he snores
like a pig.

YaYun came over to play with ErXi
and ErXi looked so happy.

All the cubs had mud all over them.
ErXi was dirty too.

"Yumi, I am very strong and playful,
I can play with you all morning if you want to!"

But then, ErXi suddenly felt
very tired and started to rest for a while
to catch his breath.

He went down to his favorite pond again
and took a nap for a few minutes.

"I'm back now! I can play with you again!"

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

2010 born cubs @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-16T18:07:00.000+09:00

Last night, twin cubs were born at the
Sunshine Nursery at Chengdu Panda Base.
This morning, the keeper was feeding her with milk
in her incubator.
She is so tiny and pink with absolutely no fur at all.

This morning YaYa was taking care of
three 2010 born cubs.
The cubs are JiaoQing, ErXi and ZhenQiao.

JiaoQing, the friendly little boy was all over YaYa.

"Don't go to sleep mom, lets play together!!"

ErXi climbed the wooden platform to play with YaYa.

JiaoQing looked so happy with YaYa.

ErXi on the left, YaYa in the middle and
ZhenQiao on the right. They were wresteling for a while.

YaYa is almost 21 years old but she is still very
young and healthy. She is a supermother that
takes care of all seven cubs that were born last year.

JiaoQing played on his own for a while with a smile
on his face.

"It's time for you kids to leave me for a while so that
I could go back to sleep!!!"

This is YuanLin.
Yesterday August 15 was YuanZhou (male)
and YuanLin (male)'s birthday.
Happy birthday YuanZhou and YuanLin!

This is YuanZhou, YuanLin's twin brother.
YuanZhou and Yuanlin look alike and
it's always hard for me to tell which one is which...
Sorry guys.

This is ZhenHao.
He is the twin brother of ZhenQiao.

The 2010 born cubs are growing so fast,
and they have gained more than 5kg in the
past few weeks. They are strong and playful.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

QiZhen's new born cub @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-15T18:51:00.000+09:00

Today I would like to introduce you one of the
new born cubs at the Chengdu Panda Base.
This tiny cute cub was born on August 4
and the mother is QiZhen. QiZhen gave birth
to twin cubs, and this is the younger brother.

He moves a lot everyday and did his morning stretch.

"Hi Yumi, I am new here!"

The cubs stay with their mother most of the times
but as for twins, while the mother nurses one of the
cubs the other is kept in the incubator to be safe.

He slept showing his tongue.
He is such a cute little boy.

This is the picture I took of him on August 11.
He was still pink and tiny a few days ago.
Usually cubs sleep with their heads down
but he prefered to stay like this when he sleeps.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

KouHin (XingBang) and YuHin (XiongBang) @ Adult Area, CRBGPB

2011-08-14T19:20:00.001+09:00

This morning I went to the Adult Area
to take care of KouHin (XingBang) and
YuHin(XiongBang).

KouHin was sleeping in his inside enclosure
when I arrived.
"Hello Yumi, it's hot today and I had to
come back inside very early. But I'm happy
I could stay outside during the night time!
I'm having lots of fun outside!!"

KouHin has a pointed forehead compared to the other
Pandas here.

Even when there are lots of visitors watching him,
he sleeps like this in front of everyone so that they
could take pictures of him.

He was fed with bamboo shoot today
and his feces were yellowish.

He turned his back so that
I could go close to him.

Finally Panda Cakes arrived,
and he seemed to be happy as always.

Yummy, I love Panda Cakes!"

YuHin lives next doors to KouHin
and he was sleeping on his cage in the morning.

"It's too hot outside, and I love sleeping inside
on my favorite cage"

YuHin doesn't eat Panda Cakes
as much as KouHin does, but
instead he loves apples.
"I know that all the Pandas at the Panda Base
love Panda Cakes, but I prefer apples!"

I wonder if YuHin and KouHin know
that they are brothers.

YuHin also has the wonderful long
nose and mickey mouse ears just
like his father EiMei (YongMing).
And he is capable of natural mating
just like his father which is not usual
for captive Pandas.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi, JiaoQing, YuanZhou @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-13T11:32:00.001+09:00

This morning I went to the Sunshine Nursery
to take care of the 2010 born cubs.
ErXi, JiaoQing, YuanZhou and YuanLin were
bathing in their favorite pond to cool down.
ErXi has his favorite spot in this pond
and never goes near the deep side.

ErXi on the left and JiaoQing on the right
drinking water from the pond.

"This is my favorite spot and I have the
right to be here as much as I want to!"

I love ErXi's smile. He is so adorable!

This is YuanZhou. He prefers the deep side of the pond
and looks like he's half drowning.
By the way, Pandas are good swimmers.

(There were many Japanese tourists around, but the voice in this video is not mine :-)

After bathing for a while, ErXi
slowly walked around the den
to see if he could find something to
play with.

JiaoQing on the left and ErXi on the right.
They are almost about the same size, and have
good relationships.

JiaoQing was friendly as usual,
and he got too excited he snored like pigs.

He always shows his tummy so that
I could give him a belly rub.

"You can give me a belly rub if you want to!"

These days, the cubs are growing so big
and it's hard to carry them when we
have to call them back inside.
ErXi likes walking back to his own
inside enclosure, but every time he
has the chance to walk alone, he finds
something he could play with and
he never goes staight back.
Today he found a broom and
played with it while the keepers
were smiling at his cute behavior.

"Can I eat this?"

Tomorrow I will take care of KouHin (XingBang)
at the Adult Area.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi and AiLi @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-08-11T20:06:00.001+09:00

This morning I went to the Panda Base to take care of
the 2010 born cubs at the Sunshine Nursery.
In the morning the four cubs JiaoQing, ErXi, ZhenHao
and YaYun were very playful, and I had to wait outside
for half an hour until they became a bit quiet.

ErXi ran around a lot, and needed some time to
cool down in his favorite pond. Now the
2010 born cubs are so big and strong, and
they hardly fall asleep like they used to!

ErXi stayed in the pond for a few minutes
to catch his breath. He had been running
after me for over 20 minutes, which
made me exhausted too.

Then he started to take a bite on a
branch as usual. This is not bamboo.

He has beautiful white teeth!

JiaoQing does the same behind
ErXi. These two are the biggest ones
among the seven cubs that were
born last year.

All the trees are covered in bamboo on the
bottom so that the cubs can't easily climb
the trees. I think it's because all seven cubs
are now so big and strong, and it's hard to call
them back inside when it gets too hot.

ErXi played on the wooden platform.

It looks like he was smiling!

He grabs everything he sees and
smells it to see if he can play with it.

ErXi desperately wanted to climb his
favorite tree, and walked along the side
of this tree for a while to see if there is
anything he could do.

But then he gave up and bit some
branch again.

ErXi tried to escape from his
outside playground.

"It's a pitty that I can't go outside..."

"Bye bye Yumi, see you tomorrow!"

While I was away from Chengdu for 10 days,
several cubs were born at the Chengdu Panda Base!
This is AiLi, the cub that was born in July when
I was still in Chengdu, and now she is black and white!
She looks more like a panda than
the last time I saw her at the end of July.

AiLi weighs more than 500g now.
She was 161g when she was born, and it's amazing
how big she has grown!

This is feces of new born cubs.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

ErXi @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-07-30T19:24:00.000+09:00

It has been raining a lot in Chengdu
for the past few days. Finally
this morning it was cloudy but the
perfect weather for Pandas!

I went to the Sunshine Nursery to
take care of the 2010 born cubs.
ErXi was on top of a tree as usual
looking down on me from high above.
"Hellooo Yumi, would you like me to
come down for you?"

ErXi did his Chinese acrobatics on the branch.

Sometimes he looked at me to make sure
if I was paying attention to his cute behavior.

All the 2010 born cubs have grown
so big in the past few weeks, and it
is getting hard for me to hold them
or keep them close to me.

ErXi took his time to show off his
wonderful performance to the audience.

When Pandas come down from trees,
they keep their heads up because their
head is very heavy. They can't climb
down heads first.

As soon as ErXi came down
from his tree, I fed him with his favorite apple.

He looked so happy with his apple.

He even closed his eyes to enjoy the taste.

ErXi on the left and JiaoQing on the right.
They were both born in July last year.

ErXi reached out for some branch
he found when he was walking around.

ErXi and JiaoQing played together
for a long time.

I found one more apple that some other
cub left on the ground and gave it to
ErXi. Again he showed off his apples to me.

Now ErXi looks more and more like his
father ShuHin (QiuBang). He's the
easiest one to recognize among all
seven of the 2010 born cubs.

ErXi was very active and playful this morning,
ran around, ate a lot and climbed trees
many times. He sometimes held on to thin branches,
broke it and nearly fell down a couple of times.
Pandas are so flexible, and even if they
fall off from trees, usually they're not hurt.

We took a picture together.

I will be away from Chengdu from 31 July to 10 August.
I will start my blog posts again when I am back in Chengdu.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

AiLi born on July 24 @ Sunshine Nursery, CRBGPB

2011-07-28T22:24:00.002+09:00

It has been 4 days since AiLi was born
on July 24 at the Chengdu Panda Base.
AiLi's mother LiLi is nursing her all day
except from when the keepers have to
weigh AiLi to make sure she is being
breast fed.

Lucky visitors can see AiLi in her incubator for a
few minutes everyday.

Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara