SAN DIEGO ZOO TO CELEBRATE BIRTHDAY OF ITS YOUNGEST PANDA

Animal Care Staff to Give Yun Zi Ice Cake for his Second Birthday

WHAT: The San Diego Zoo will celebrate the second birthday of giant panda Yun Zi on Friday, August 5. Zoo staff has created an elaborate cake for the youngster made of ice, bamboo and some of his favorite fruits.

Animal care staff will put the cake in the panda’s exhibit on Friday morning just as the Zoo and the panda exhibit open at 9 a.m. Yun Zi, whose name means “son of cloud,” is the offspring of mother Bai Yun and father Gao Gao.

Guests are encouraged to get to the panda exhibit early on August 5 to witness the 2-year-old climb, eat and play with his birthday cake.

 Giant pandas are on a research loan to the San Diego Zoo from the People’s Republic of China. The San Diego Zoo began its long-term loan in 1996 and since then has celebrated five panda births, the most of any zoo in the nation.

WHERE:  The San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Exhibit

WHEN: August 5, 2011

9:15 a.m., just after the Zoo opens

COST: Free with admission or Zoo membership

MORE INFO: www.sandiegozoo.org