His mother was my favorite panda in our study, and I was excited about her giving birth. She was seven, and he was her first cub. A cub normally starts vocalizing loudly, and she looked at him in a surprised way, but she smelled him and picked him up almost immediately and started cradling him. She was a perfect mother. When he was removed from his mother, Yang Yang was placed with Lun Lun.
Pandas reach adulthood at about five years of age.
Maple has worked since 1984 the year he became zoo director to bring pandas to Zoo Atlanta. And in 1998, he reached an agreement with China to obtain the two panda cubs. The animals are on loan at Zoo Atlanta for 10 years, and perhaps indefinitely. The panda exhibit includes an indoor habitat that is part of the Panda Research Station and Management Center. There is also an air-conditioned day room and three outdoor habitats, one of which is private.