Pandas Get New Digs
New Pen Makes Top Zoo Attraction Easier To See
SAN DIEGO -- A few residents of the San Diego Zoo celebrated their newfound freedom of movement on Independence Day.
Pandas Hua Mei, 2, and her dad Shi Shi moved into their bigger, more elaborate viewing pens Wednesday after a $4 million renovation.
The new pens are considerably roomier -- including 9,000 square feet of exercise yards.
The renovation also means that eagle-eyed visitors will no longer be the only ones catching a glimpse of the pandas. A raised pathway, running beside two separate enclosures, makes it easier to see the animals.
Hua Mei's mom, Bai Yun, will remain in a temporary shelter for the time-being because caretakers believe she may be pregnant again.
The new pens are considerably roomier -- including 9,000 square feet of exercise yards.
The renovation also means that eagle-eyed visitors will no longer be the only ones catching a glimpse of the pandas. A raised pathway, running beside two separate enclosures, makes it easier to see the animals.
Hua Mei's mom, Bai Yun, will remain in a temporary shelter for the time-being because caretakers believe she may be pregnant again.
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