Tag Archives: san diego zoo

It’s a Beautiful Tail!

You knew it would come to this. Following the scripts of the various debates that we have been bludgeoned with, politicians trading insults…Liars lying about previous lies, BEARS BEHAVING BADLY!!!!! Is this the panda kindergarten? A Beautiful Tail? Looks a little short to me.

“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”

Are Bob and Pinky reaching a new consensus? Could Bob be inspired to concede and get behind Pinky’s candidacy? Stay tuned! anything can happen where pandas are involved.

Daddy Panda News for Father’s Day

Meanwhile among real pandas and the people who love them, we have just learned sad news from San Diego Zoo. The rock star, stud muffin wild guy panda with one short ear and extra furry feet, father of five fabulous cubbies here at SDZ, Gao Gao, has been diagnosed with a very bad heart condition. They think he is around 26. Being wild born, they don’t know his exact age. He has been in somewhat compromised health for a few years now and they have been monitoring his heart condition carefully. We don’t know how long he has left, but I can assure you that the veterinary staff at SDZ is doing everything they can do for him.

Gao Gao has an interesting story of how he came to live at the San Diego Zoo. As a two year old, he was found injured and brought to one of the panda research centers to be treated. After he healed, he was released. But finding that being fed and waited upon was far superior to having to fight for territory and scarce resources, he returned to the center and asked to be readmitted. Eventually, he went to live in San Diego with the Beautiful Bai Yun and together they had five cubs, the last of which is Xiao Liwu, known to his friends and fans as Mr. Wu.

A panda fun fact about Gao Gao is that he has one short ear, most likely the result of a fight when he was a wild cub fending for himself. It is the reason my cartoon version of Mr. Wu always has his left ear taped down! It is a tribute to his dad!

I know many people who have not been to a zoo in over 30 years have an antiquated and unfortunate preconception about zoos. yes, there are still some of those horrible zoos with too small cages and depressed animals, but most zoos in North America, Japan, and Europe have taken huge strides in providing comfort and engagement for their animals, and San Diego Zoo is one of the best. Yes, it would be wonderful if panda’s traditional roaming areas were still intact, but the virgin forested areas where they once roamed are reduced to a tiny percentage of what they once were. But the pandas that live in these well staffed and well appointed zoos live the life of Riley (whoever he is) and generally live 10 to 15 years longer than their wild counterparts.

Happy Fathers Day to those who celebrate their relationship with their dads as something wonderful and nurturing. and for those who don’t…well…go have a cuppycake or two and think about someone who loved you.

Be the Bear
Bob T. panda

Fabulous Furry Wu-Day!

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Having just returned from the Panda fest at the Pandiego Zoo, I just had to share a few more ‘toons about the very wonderful Wu Self for fabulous Furry Wu-Day! As a side note, when I was there at the zoo, I gave a copy of The Book of Wu to the panda keepers and narrators, and when they looked at it, they were amazed that someone had written stories about Wu. Pretty cool, huh?

So, here are more ‘toons, celebrating the ever popular Mr. Wu!

“Wu calls his dance, ‘Ode to a Weaf’ “

An explorer’s work is never done.

Don’t you love “rear shots” of baby pandas?

Whatever could be in the box the panda kindergarten is delivering to Mr. Wu?

Of course, if you want to read all the Mr. wu stories, you know the drill! Buy my book! Huzzah! Remember, it’s book 4 of The Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu; Available at Amazon!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Pinky and Bob

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Okay, politico fans! Today Pinky and Bob go panda-a-pando on the debate stage. I can hardly wait!

But first, I must report on last weekend’s Pandamonium 2016 Panda Convention which took place at the San Diego Zoo. Panda fans from around the world (literally) gathered in San Diego (or as we like to call it: Pandiego) to greet old friends, meet new friends, and most of all, visit the pandas at the SDZ. Mr. Wu was in rare form, eating, sleeping, rushing around wildly (Note to Wu: watch your panda nip intake!) and some of us who indulged in the Early Morning with Pandas tour even got to see Gao Gao, who although getting up in years, still let it be known that he is the bear.

Panda fans came to Pandiego from Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland. They came from New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Florida, and Arizona, in addition to those from California. In case you are counting along on your fingers, that’s FIVE countries and FOUR continents. And…ahem…they also came to hear yours truly speak about the history (well, my history, anyway) of panda satire and how The Panda Chronicles came to be.

If you had to miss the fun in Pandiego, you can still read the tale of panda satire (with pictures, no less!) by signing up for my mailing list! I will send out the link and secret password to the page: From Pandapiphany to Princess Pinky: Finding my Inner Panda. If you are already on the mailing list, I will be sending out a newsletter next week, and if you aren’t, you’ll have time to sign up for it. This is separate from the regular blog posts, and is the second sign-up box on the upper right column headed: Get Even More Pandas and never fear, you won’t be inundated with daily or even weekly emails. Honest.

Okay…with no further folderol….

Hey! That’s not fair!!!!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

Celebrate Wu

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I love Mr. Wu, San Diego’s junior panda in residence. Because Mr. Wu turns four years old this summer, he will most likely be moving to China sometime this fall or winter, I thought we should celebrate Wu and all things relating to the Wu self today.

I know, I know! I hate the idea of his leaving us too, but it is part of the deal we make with China in order to have pandas come and live here. And because Mr. Wu’s dad, Gao Gao, was born in the wild, Wu is of particular value as the future father of more little pandas. So we must shower him with love and affection while he is here, and try not to cry too much until then.

So let’s have a Fabulous Furry Friday salute to Mr. Wu!!!!

Mr. Wu’s first appearance on The Panda Chronicles

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of BooBeer!

While Mr. Wu was the only cub in the U.S. we had Mr. Wu Wednesday!

“You are right and Wu is wrong…I’ll never do it again, mommy.”

where happy pandas eat bamboo, oh why, oh why, can’t…Wu?

And who could forget the exciting story of The Wizard of Wu? And remember, you can read all of the Mr. Wu stories in Book 4 of the Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu! Get it here!

Have a great weekend, everyone! More pandas coming your way on Sunday!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

And Speaking of Baby Pandas…

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What? Weren’t we speaking of baby pandas…? Well, with all these incredibly cute pictures of the adorable baby Bubba (aka Bei Bei) at the national Zoo this week, it is most difficult NOT to have baby pandas on the brain.

THIS is your brain on pandas. Any questions?

If there was a cute-o-meter installed at the exit to the panda house at The National Zoo in Washington DC, it would have broken under the strain of so much cuteness.

But Bubba is not the only American Panda to have ever trod the trail towards the bright lights of stardom. This week, Fabulous Furry Friday brings you highlights of some of our other favorite panda cubs!

“Howdy do! I’m Mr. Wu! Who are you?”

For some reason, panda cubs are fascinated by fallen leaves…

“Wu calls his dance, ‘Ode to a Weaf’ “

And Pinky became her…um…pinkitudinal self very early…

Such a little darling! How could her big brother resist spoiling her?

And then there was the gender reclassification of the Meihem twins of Cublanta…

downloadable paper panda upgrade

Ready for panda kindergarten!

So remember to check in with us on Sunday, when we bring you live coverage of Bubba’s debut to the public, which will actually be occurring the day before. Okay, okay, so it’s really not live. What can I say? We are a low budget operation here.

Keep being the bear, and buy stuff with pandas on it!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday presents:

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Fabulous Furry Friday wanted to celebrate Bubba’s debut to the public, but we have…um…been busy with other stuff. we promise we will get right on it, but in the meantime, here are some of The Panda Chronicles’ favorite panda cubs in their own debuts!

Oh, and if you happen to be descending on Washington DC’s most celebrated pandas for today’s opening, be courteous to your fellow panda fans. #Don’tBehaveLike Pinky

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

Pinky answers difficult questions from the press in her own way.

Sweet dreams, little bears!

Atlanta twin panda cubs Mei Lun and Mei Huan and older prother Po

Huzzah! a guest appearance by little Po!

Stay tuned for more from the saga at #OpenLateGate and exciting coverage of Bubba’s debut to the public! I’m sure Pinky would never consider using this as an opportunity to put forth her own agenda!

(psst! hey! why not vote for bob?)

Be the bear!
Bob T Panda

Day 19: From the Deep Archives

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I thought that for today, I would dig into the deepest, darkest archives. Let’s see what happens when we do this…

Ever wondered where all these pandas came from?

Or who our early influences were?

Will Mehitabel ever free herself of pandas? Stay tuned!

Or what we think is a suitably dignified name for a panda?

“Bob” has a nice ring to it!

Hope you are having a happy holiday season and that all your gift shopping is done, but if it’s not, consider the gift of Panda Satire! You can find the full library of Panda Chronicle Books here! Including our latest addition, The Panda Chronicles coloring book!

Get your crayons ready!!!!

Remember that Santa is watching, so be the bear! and tune in for a brand new cartoon tomorrow, starring Pinky and Bubba!

Bob T. Panda

Day 17: Everytime a Bell Rings

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Oh my! The suspense here at 31 Days of Pandas is getting too much to bear…get it? Too much to…oh, never mind. You knew I had a weird sense of humor already, so no complaining in the cheap seats.

Let’s get back to it’s a Wunderful Life, shall we?

Repeat after me, “It’s a story” ‘kay?

Everytime a bell rings, a panda gets a cuppycake.

Yay! The heartwarming schmoopy ending!

You didn’t think I was going to make you wait another day for the heartwarming schmoopy ending did you? what kind of bear do you think I am?

Don’t answer that!

And while you are doing your holiday shopping, why not add a Bee, the bear, mug to your collection! Yours for the asking (well, and your credit card) from Pandyland at CafePress!

Bee, the Bear

and on the other side…

Be the Bear! and tune in for more pandy fun tomorrow and Saturday, with a brand new ‘toon on Sunday, starring…hmmmm could it be Pinky and Bubba? We’ll see!
Bob T. Panda

Day 16: It’s a Wonderful Wu

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Yes, it’s a wonderful Wu, and a Wun-derful Life! Huzzah! We are back with the next episodes for your panda satire watching enjoyment.

Sit back and enjoy the show!

You won’t like this, Mr Wu!

Those darn cats!

Oh this is so traumatic! I hate to upset the wu self, but a writer has gotta do what a writer’s gotta do. No one ever said it would be pretty.

Meanwhile, you could head over to Pandyland at Cafe Press and show your support for the Wu-self this holiday season!

The Wu self(i.e.) mug!

…and on the other side…

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Day 15: 31 Days of Pandas

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We’re back with the next episodes of It’s a Wun-derful Life, starring Mr. Wu, Bee (the Bear) and other pandas besides!

Bee the bear tells it like it is

What part of “you don’t exist” didn’t you get?

Where IS Mr. Wu’s mom? It’s getting very existential around here!

Tune in tomorrow for the next episode!
Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda