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Sunday, October 1, 2006
Lun Lun getting skinny, by panda standards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Less than a month after Panda mother Lun Lun gave birth, she has regained what, by panda standards, is a girlish figure. Lun Lun is down to 100 kilograms — or roughly 220 pounds.
Before giving birth Sept. 6, her normal weight sometimes bumped up past 250 pounds. The weight loss is to be expected, given Lun Lun’s eccentric and persnickety diet in recent weeks (shunning bamboo, snacking on sugar cane and cookies), ZooAtlanta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said Sunday.
Zoo vets aren’t worried, either, because pandas can go weeks without eating after giving birth. But they’d like to see mom plump up, said Elliott: “We’d like to see her back to her normal weight, between 105 kilograms (231 pounds) and 115 kilograms (253 pounds).â€?
The great thing, she said, is that vets were able to entice Lun Lun onto the scales. Since giving birth she has been protective of her as-yet-unnamed female cub and unresponsive to verbal commands.
“She responded when they gave her the command to get on the scale,� said Elliott. That was Friday. Vets expect her behavior and response to keepers to continue to improve.
This Friday, the cub will turn a month old. That will begin the next episode of things to watch for, including when the cub’s eyes will open. “Usually it’s between 35 and 49 days,� Elliott said.
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