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Lo Hoi-ying

Panda Watch is a weekly blog by the Post that tracks the latest on the baby panda twins – the first to be born in Hong Kong – until they are ready to meet the public. To read our previous blog entries, click here.
Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs are now 74 days old.
Ocean Park posted a funny moment between mother Ying Ying and her female cub, nicknamed “Elder Sister”, in their den.
The older of the twins was resting on Ying Ying’s legs when her mother pooed and left some droppings next to her, which seemed to cause the cub to wince.
Ying Ying later appeared to comfort “Elder Sister” by hugging her tightly.
Despite the cub’s apparent reaction, the park explained that panda faeces do not smell as bad as some may assume and carry a slight scent of bamboo leaves.
“Giant pandas, which primarily eat bamboo, have droppings that contain a lot of bamboo fibre,” said the park.

Meanwhile, An An and Ke Ke, the adult giant pandas gifted to the city by Beijing, are settling into their new home at the park’s Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures enclosure after completing a 30-day quarantine.
A naming competition for the pair has received over 22,600 entries. Submissions were closed on Monday.
An An and Ke Ke will undergo training in the coming days to get familiar with their new surroundings. They are set to meet the public at around Christmas.
Howard Chuk Hau-chung, head of zoological operations and conservation at the park, said pandas would normally spend the first two days in new or unfamiliar environments marking the territory with their scent to increase their sense of security. This was part of their natural behaviour, he explained.
An An and Ke Ke had rubbed their secretions on the walls and floors of their room during quarantine, and are expected to do the same at their recently renovated and expanded enclosure.
A recent study by the Wolong Nature Reserve found that although pandas are largely solitary creatures, they maintain social networks through scent marking.
Through scent marking on trees, pandas keep track of family and friends, share updates on life events and even explore potential mates, researchers found.
This communication method allows pandas to share information without being in the same place at the same time.

According to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, scent marking is an essential part of panda behaviour.
The animals often rub their bottoms on their surroundings to mark their territory with a mix of urine and anal gland secretions.
“Most of the communication among giant pandas occurs through scent marks left in their habitats,” wrote the centre on its website.
“They apply secretions from their anal glands to posts, tree stumps, walls, the ground, and places they frequently pass. These scent marks help them avoid or find one another.”
It added that using scent to mark territory was a way of maintaining peace among giant pandas in the bamboo forest, as giant pandas will avoid the area if they smell another’s secretions.
During the breeding season, the scent of a female panda may indicate that she is ready to mate and wishes to attract males.
A female is more likely to accept a male whose scent she recognises and has encountered before.
Visual signals are insignificant to giant pandas as they spend most of their time in dense, misty bamboo forests in the mountains, making it difficult for them to spot one another, it added.


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Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub ‘winces’ at mother’s poo, experts explain scent marking behaviour

Hong Kong sauce company unveils signboard to celebrate first 100 days of city’s twin panda cubs

Hong Kong’s new pandas An An and Ke Ke explore Ocean Park home after finishing quarantine

Hong Kong’s pandas

Ke Ke, one of the two adult giant pandas gifted to the city by Beijing. Photo: Instagram. 

Ocean Park has posted a funny moment between “Elder Sister” and Ying Ying in their den, in which the cub appears to wince at her mother’s poo. Photo: Instagram

Adult giant panda, An An, enjoying a snack of bamboo. Photo: Instagram

Pat Chun has set up a large signboard outside its Mong Kok store to celebrate the 100th day of the birth of Hong Kong’s panda twins. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs at two months old in mid-October. Photo: Ocean Park

Ke Ke is getting used to her new home. A naming competition for the pandas closes on Sunday. Photo: Ocean Park

An An is said to be more adventurous than Ke Ke. Photo: Ocean Park

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Panda Watch: tracking the growth of Hong Kong’s baby panda twins

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs’ tails grow rounder, start to ‘disappear’ at 70 days

‘Big Sister’ has black patches around her eyes that look like eyeliner, says zookeeper Elke Wu. Photo: Ocean Park

The tails of “Big Sister” (left) and “Little Brother” have grown rounder and will appear to vanish as they grow older. Photo: Ocean Park

“Little Brother” has louder shrieks than his sister, who is gentler and quieter, zookeeper Elke Wu says. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub twins happier and healthier at 2 months old

Ocean Park shares its latest pictures of “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother”. Photo: Ocean Park Hong Kong

The two panda cubs have come a long way since they were born in August. Photo: Ocean Park Hong Kong

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs starting to develop their own distinctive features

Elder Sister (left) and Little Brother. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda-themed merchandise at Ocean Park. Photo: Jelly Tse

Moko’s electronic panda display has been mocked by some social media users. Photo: Eugene Lee

Ocean Park has started serving panda-themed desserts. Photo: Dickson Lee

Panda Watch: Hong Kong twins ‘starting to see the world’, graduate from incubators to cots

Normally, one cub spends time with a caretaker as the other is nursed by Ying Ying, who is learning the ropes of motherhood. Photo: Ocean Park

The two cubs were also captured in a rare moment together, with the “Elder Sister” placing her paw on her brother’s arm. Photo: Ocean Park

“Elder Sister” now weighs more than 1.6kg. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: twins’ eyes open wider, spotlight shared with Hong Kong newcomers An An and Ke Ke

The cubs’ eyes have yet to fully open, but “separation” between the upper and lower eyelids has begun. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official

The cubs’ have delighted fans with their playful behaviour on social media. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub twins put on healthy weight at 5-week mark

“Little Sister” takes a small nap as she reaches five weeks old. Photo: Handout

“Little Brother” spends time with momma while his sister rests. Photo: Handout

Panda Watch: Hong Kong twins shows off strong hind legs ahead of 1-month birth anniversary

The twins will mark their one-month birthday on Saturday. Photo: Ocean Park

Ocean Park has said it is exploring product ideas to tie-in with the birth of the twins. Photo: Ocean Park

Fu Bao and Everland Resort zookeeper Kang Cheol-won have enjoyed celebrity status in South Korea. Photo: Handout

Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s cub twins are 3 weeks old and thriving

The fur on “Little Brother” is starting to develop into a panda’s trademark black-and-white coat. Photo: SCMP

“Elder Sister” gets some licks and a cuddle from mum. Photo: Ocean Park

A screengrab of Ying Ying and her cubs from an undated video posted on Thursday. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official 

Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s cub twins start to develop black-and-white features and sprout fur

Photo: Facebook/Ocean Park Hong Kong

The cub nicknamed “Elder Sister”. Despite being twins, the cubs are growing at different rates, with the girl currently slightly larger than her brother. Photo: Ocean Park

“Little Brother” boasts more pronounced dark patches. Photo: Ocean Park

Ocean Park recently posted a video of Ying Ying being fed a bowl of water sweetened with apples, to encourage her to stay hydrated, recover faster and produce more milk. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: wiggling and sucking milk, Hong Kong’s cub twins survive first critical days after birth

The latest photos show the cubs have started to sprout sparse fur on their pink skin. Photo: Facebook/Ocean Park 

Ocean Park posts amusing moment between Ying Ying and cub, while experts explain scent marking part of animals’ natural behaviour


Ocean Park posts amusing moment between Ying Ying and cub, while experts explain scent marking part of animals’ natural behaviour.


Panda Watch weekly blog