Why are you so active today old guy?

Today I collected a fecal sample from Gao Gao.  When I got there I was a little worried that I might have a day without a sample because the usually glutinous Gao Gao wasn’t eating!  He was quite active today walking around the enclosure (what we call quasi-stereotypical pacing), scent marking, vocalizing and even swimming!  There are two reasons Gao Gao might not have been eating his bamboo: 

1. He didn’t like the variety.  Pandas can be quite finicky about what they eat.  There are over 1,400 species of bamboo, and around 70 are grown for the pandas at the San Diego Zoo.  While Bai Yun is quite particular about her food, Gao Gao usually doesn’t seem to picky.  Gao Gao also loves his previsions of apples, carrots, yams and biscuits, which he also left scattered across his enclosure.  Which leads to the other reason… 

2. He’s horny!  Female pandas breed once per year (once every other year if they had a cub) and it’s about that time of year.  Bai Yun and Gao Gao are the only naturally breeding pandas outside of China.  Not only that, they have 4 successful cubs together, more than any other zoo.  Last year was the first time they didn’t have a successful breeding season.  This could be because Bai Yun may be reaching bearopause.  So Gao Gao’s scent marking, checking the howdy gate (where he gets let into Bai Yun’s enclosure when she’s ready) and vocalizing may be all for not as Bai Yun might not be too into it anymore.  Poor guy.  Being sexual frustrated is so…. frustrating!

If you listen closely in the video, you can hear Gao Gao bleating, an appeasing, non-aggressive vocalization.