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Weekly Online LessonOnline Lesson ArchiveGrade Level: 3-7
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Giant Panda
Hua
Mei, the baby panda born five months ago at the San Diego Zoo, made her
first public appearance on Friday, February 11, 2000. Hua Mei, which means
"China-USA," is the first giant panda born in the United States
that has survived beyond four days, and she is the first panda born in
the Western Hemisphere since 1990.
Giant Pandas are an extremely rare and endangered species. There are only about 1,000 living wild in a few remote mountain areas of central China. Scientists hope that through research and technology they can improve panda numbers.
Since
Hua Mei's birth in August, the San Diego Zoo has kept her and her mother
sheltered from zoo visitors so they could bond without distraction. Now
that Hua Mei (pronounced Hwa May) is old enough to climb and eat
on her own, she's ready to be adored by an anxious public.
Zoo officials chose February 11 as the first public appearance day because it's the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. According to Chinese tradition, each day of the New Year—which lasts 15 days—is a particular animal's birthday. The seventh day is mankind's birthday.
This new year is the Chinese year of the dragon, which promises to be a time of great prosperity. Let's hope it's the beginning of a time of great prosperity for the pandas.
In this week's online lesson you will join in the Chinese New Year celebration by learning about the giant panda.
Giant Pandas
First
stop on your panda investigation this week is The
Bear Den, which has a page all about Giant
Pandas. Here you'll find lots of easy-to-read facts about "Da
Xiong Mao," which is the Chinese name for Panda. As you read, look
for the answers to these questions: Are Pandas more like bears or raccoons?
What do giant pandas eat? Why is panda fur oily? How big are panda cubs?
Do pandas hibernate?
The scientific name for giant pandas is Ailuropoda melanoleuca. What does this mean? What does the Chinese name for the giant panda mean?
Panda Central
Now that you know some basic facts about giant pandas, visit
Panda
Central, the official Panda Research Web site of the San Diego
Zoo. Since you already know a lot of panda facts, spend some time getting
to know the pandas who live at the zoo: Shi
Shi, Bai
Yun, and baby Hua
Mei. 
After
you read about Hua Mei, click the links at the top of the page to read
the Birth
Fact Sheet, One
Month Exam, and the Panda
Naming Ceremony. You may also want to view the Hua Mei Virtual
Photo Album showing her life in pictures from her birth until
now. And if you have a media player, look for links to videos of Hua Mei
heading for water, getting her paws wet, or climbing a tree.
If you're in the mood to do some in-depth research, click on Panda Facts and explore some of the panda information gathered by researchers at the zoological society of San Diego.
AccessAtlanta's Panda Pages
San
Diego isn't the only zoo in America studying giant pandas. Hop over to
the other side of the county and visit the panda pages at Zoo
Atlanta. Start off by visiting the Panda
Classroom where you can take a classroom tour or try the online
Panda
Quiz.
If you would like to send someone a Panda Greeting Card (get permission first), go to the Panda Cards page and select and image and a caption—or create a caption of your own. Click Next and enter the name and e-mail address of the person you want to receive the card, along with your own name and e-mail address. Include a special message if you want.
Chinese New Year
Learning
about giant pandas is a great way to celebrate the Chinese New Year. If
you want to know more about this special celebration visit Chinatown Online's
Chinese
New Year page. You'll be greeted by a golden dragon. Read the
Introduction
to learn some basic facts, then read The
Year of the Dragon to find out why the coming year is so special.
Also explore links to Chinese
New Year Food, Traditions,
and Fortune
Sticks.
For fun, read your Chinese Horoscope and learn about the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Which animal year are you? Find out by selecting the Chinese year of your birth in the box on the lower right (bottom of the page).
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Learners Online, Inc.