Okay, I simply can’t resist.  This just in from the San Diego Zoo:

“In just one week, the San Diego Zoo’s giant panda cub gained a little over one pound. The 3.9-pound male cub is getting plenty of milk to drink, as evidenced by the milk moustache he sported during his veterinary exam on Thursday.

“He vocalized a little today,” said Geoff Pye, B.V.Sc., San Diego Zoo senior veterinarian. “It was nothing dramatic. He was just letting us know he was aware of what we were doing.”

The cub’s eyes and ears have not yet opened, but he can smell and feel the touch of his caretakers. The cub is not yet strong enough to crawl or walk and is completely dependent on his mother, Bai Yun.

In 1999, Bai Yun gave birth at the San Diego Zoo to the first surviving giant panda born in the United States. She has since given birth to one cub in 2003, 2005, 2007, and most recently on Aug. 5. This is Bai Yun’s second male cub. Following Chinese tradition, he will remain unnamed until he is at least 100 days old.

Giant pandas are on loan to the San Diego Zoo from the People’s Republic of China to study this endangered species. The exam gives the panda team the opportunity to learn more about cub development as well as mother-and-cub relationships, information that is important to better understand giant panda biology.

Bai Yun and the cub will remain in the den for four to five months. During the denning period, the only way to see them is through the San Diego Zoo’s live Panda Cam.”

Tags: animals, panda, zoo

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Labor Day weekend is upon us, which unofficially marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall.  And while the transition of the seasons might go unnoticed in San Diego because our beach days and sunshine will last well into November (I’m not bragging, I’m just saying…), this weekend does mean “LAST CALL!” on some of San Diego’s summertime specialties:

1. This weekend, catch this year’s final celebration of  Summer Nights at SeaWorld with fireworks, live music, special animal shows like Shamu Rocks and Sea Lions Tonite and the award-winning dance show Riptide. The park will be open 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Monday. Note: It’s also the VERY LAST weekend to catch the Dolphin Discovery show before SeaWorld begins construction on a brand new dolphin show, Blue Horizons, coming in May 2010.
2. Spend your evenings exploring the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park during Park at Dark where you can see the park’s nocturnal creatures emerge, take a sunset tour on the Journey Into Africa tram and catch special summer shows. The park will be open from 9 a.m. – 8p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
3. Check out the Caras Silvestres celebration during Nighttime Zoo at the San Diego Zoo. Honoring the cultures of California and Central and South America, the Zoo will present live music, colorful dance performances and amazing shows with stilt walkers and exotic animals. The Zoo will be open from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
4. Hurry over and place your bets at the Del Mar Racetrack for the last weekend of horse races. Races will be in full swing Saturday through Monday but I suggest you try your luck on Sunday when the country’s top horses compete in the $1 Million Pacific Classic, Del Mar’s richest and most prestigious race (and if you win big, you owe me). Later that day, following the last race, stop by the Reggae Festival with featured performances from Ziggy Marley and Nikka Costa; entrance to the concert is free with racetrack general admission tickets.
5. This Saturday, Sunday and Monday, The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego is celebrating the FINAL weekend of its first exhibition, childsplay, before they close in preperation for their new exhibition Animal Art, opening in October. So come on by for your last chance to jump in the pillow room, navigate through a two story maze and dance around in the Rain House. Note: Ziggy Marley will also make a special appearance at the museum on Saturday while he debuts his new children’s album, “Family Time.”

Tags: 5 to try, animals, del mar, downtown, labor day weekend, mission bay, seaworld, summer, things to do, what to do, wild animal park, zoo

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Father’s Day is coming up.  Are you looking for an unforgettable gift idea?

If you’re heading to San Diego, consider SeaWorld’s Wild Arctic Interaction.

This amazing experience begins with a behind-the-scenes tour to meet SeaWorld’s enormous Pacific walruses, playful harbor seals and polar bears.  Then, Dad will wiggle into a wet suit and step into 55-degree, Arctic-like water to hang with the beluga whales. 

During the interaction, he’ll get to touch, feed and give the whale training hand signals that cue behaviors like showing off the birdlike vocalizations — that have earned the species the nickname “sea canary.”  Maybe, he’ll even get a kiss! 

The program costs $170 plus park admission and includes wet suits, booties, lockers, changing facilities and showers.  Advance registration is required.

Tags: animals, father's day, mission bay, seaworld

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A relatively short drive out of downtown San Diego finds you at one of my very favorite spots to bring family and friends.  Affectionally called the WAP by locals, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is located in North County San Diego (Escondido) and encompasses nearly 1700 acres!

Being further inland than the Zoo, the climate makes it perfect for African and Asian animals.  And with so much land available, the WAP is able to create a more natural area for the animals to live in.

The Journey into Africa tour included in their Best Value ticket gives you a great overall perspective of lower enclosures of the Park in just 30 minutes.  Animals of different species mix freely in large “exhibit” areas – much in the way I would imagine them to do in nature.

 

Part of the really cool element of the Wild Animal Park is their “premium features”.  Take a Photo Caravan tour through either the African or Asian enclosures, and you will truly be up close and personal with these animals.  You’ll even get a chance to feed giraffes or rhinos!  If you don’t plan on going on a true African Safari in the next say 30 or 40 years, this is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!  The WAP’s new Flightline experience looks totally cool as well.  I haven’t had the chance to experience it myself yet, but am looking forward to it.  And in a truly imaginative way of mixing technology and nature, the Park’s Rolling Safari tour has you touring around the outside of enclosures on a Segway!  Too bad our caveman ancestors didn’t have these babies…hunting would have been much easier!

Another experience at the WAP that I have been wanting to do for YEARS is their Roar & Snore sleepover program.  They’ve got nice, canvas tents set up on a hill overlooking the African enclosure where you get to camp overnight!  Campers are treated to the growls of lions and the calls of various animals all night.  (You thought your husband snored loudly!)  The experience includes behind-the-scenes tours of the Park, your meals, and special animal presentations – this ain’t your typical camping experience!  They’ve got Family nights, Adults Only nights and even nights just for Girl Scout troops.  These experiences are so popular that they book up fast, so I’d recommend booking plenty in advance if you’re interested.

Tags: animals, camping, photography, segway, wild animal park, zoo

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San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey is officially open and it is epic!  Seven elephants – six Asian and one African – now call the 2.4 acre habitat home.  The huge, new exhibition puts you right in their world, along with the variety of neighbors that surround them, including horses, rattlesnakes and some surprisingly interesting dung beetles.

On your way in, you’ll visit a simulated tar pit to get you in the mood, and explore the evolutionary past of elephants and other species through fossil dig sites as well as life-size models of their ancestors – mammoths, saber-toothed cats and other beasts now extinct.

Elephant Odyssey is another great reason to visit the San Diego Zoo, as if you needed one.

Tags: animals, balboa park, fun, zoo

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If you could time travel, would you go backwards?  How far? 

With the opening of Elephant Odyssey on May 23, the San Diego Zoo is taking us back.  Way back…in a big way. 

The new 7.5 acre, $45 million exhibit will feature living relatives, like elephants, lions and jaguars, of the species that roamed Southern California more than 12,000 years ago.  

The animals are moving into naturalistic habitats alongside life-size replicas of their prehistoric kin.  So, you can check out the Columbian mammoth while you watch the Zoo’s 8-member elephant herd meander around the enclosure’s gentle hills.

Tags: animals, summer, zoo

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Well, the whale watching season has pretty much passed here in San Diego, but I wanted to share a fantastic experience I had a few months ago.  I took a whale watching trip with Adventure Rib Rides aboard a Navy SEAL rib boat.  These are the little half inflatable, half hard boats that the SEALs use in combat situations.  But for us civilians, these boats give you an AMAZING opportunity to get up close and personal to the whales!

Topping out at like 40mph, the rib boats cruise along the top of the water and can cover wide areas of the ocean searching for the whales.  Often times the captains of the larger whale watching boats radio the rib boat captain to see if he’s had any sightings.  Now remember, whales are big, but the ocean is bigger!  So it’s good to know that there are other oceanic inhabitants for you to see.  Like these dolphins:

During non-whale watching season, Adventure Rib Rides has other fun trips – such as going down to the Coronado Islands off Mexico – and they also do bay cruises, corporate buy outs, etc.  I’d definitely recommend the experience for any former/current military members, those who enjoy speed, or just anyone who wants an out-of-the-ordinary bay experience.

Tags: adventure, animals, san diego bay, whale watching

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This summer, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, located on the campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla, is hosting monthly, themed Family Days to inspire budding scientists and ignite the curiosity of kids of all ages with a blend of arts and crafts, science and one-of-a-kind activities.

Family Day programs are free with aquarium admission from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• On Saturday, June 20, “Carbonated Oceans” will give kids the opportunity to join Scripps Oceanography researchers and investigate the effects of climate change on our oceans. An overload of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is acidifying seawater and can harm coral reefs and shell-forming animals that form the base of the ocean food chain. Hands-on activities will demonstrate the science behind ocean acidification and share ways we can change the environmental outcome.

• On Saturday, July 18, just in time for Shark Week, “Sharks: Living Legends” will explain the mystery of how sharks have survived on this planet for more than 400 million years.  Little ones are invited to learn about these sea creatures and their amazing adaptations through live shark encounters with Scripps scientists. Learn about sharks that live in San Diego waters and the threats that face sharks in today’s oceans.

• On Saturday, August 15, with “Hot Spots and Cool Oceans” kids can uncover the steaming truth about volcanoes with Dr. David Hilton, a geochemist at Scripps Oceanography. First find out how researchers use gas chemistry to explain the origins of volcanoes around the world. Then, cool off with award-winning children’s author Brooke Bessesen as she reads from her new book, “Look Who Lives in the Ocean?”

Tags: animals, birch aquarium, free, fun, summer

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On May 29, the kid-centric SEA LIFE Aquarium in Carlsbad will unveil “Sharks Revealed” – a new interactive exhibit designed to introduce budding oceanographers to these mysterious and misunderstood creatures of the deep.

Fun, hands-on displays will include a graphic timeline that follows the evolution of sharks from 350 million years ago to today; a live display of sharks showing their development from eggs to adults; local shark species found off the coast of Carlsbad; an interactive “shark lab” where kids can get hands-on experience using microscopes; a large-scale model of a “mermaid’s purse” for a fun photo opportunity; plus crafts and ocean artifacts.

SEA LIFE Aquarium in Carlsbad already has more sharks than any of the other 29 SEA LIFE Centers world-wide including black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, zebra sharks, leopard sharks, epaulettes, Port Jackson sharks and the rare grey reef sharks. Several new species will be part of the “Sharks Revealed” exhibit including the brown banded bamboo shark, the white spotted bamboo shark and the coral catshark.

We’re going to need a bigger boat.

Tags: animals, legoland

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