Yun Zi, the San Diego Zoo’s resident giant panda cub, has hit another milestone: He and his mother, Bai Yun, were moved to the zoo’s main public panda-viewing area Tuesday.
Mother and cub had occupied a secluded den area, accessible only by zoo staff, until last month. Beginning Jan. 7, zoo staff allowed Yun Zi to spend a few hours per day in an outdoor exhibit they called "the classroom."
Yun Zi was born in August and is the fifth offspring for Bai Yun and father Gao Gao; he has one brother, Mei Sheng, and three sisters, Hua Mei, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen. His name, which translates to "Son of Cloud," was chosen in November through a naming contest.
Yun Zi’s big move means, of course, that zoo visitors will be able to get a good look at the adorable 6-month-old — but the zoo is quick to point out that he’ll also have access to a "bedroom" of sorts that is not visible to the public. "So at this time we are not promising a view of the cub; in fact, there is a chance that there will be days when Yun Zi stays inside the bedroom," panda narrator Anastasia Jonilionis wrote on the zoo’s blog.
— Lindsay Barnett
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Photo: Yun Zi climbs a tree in his new enclosure. Credit: Ken Bohn / Associated Press