Source Website: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
By Wallace Woon, The Straits Times, 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
By Wallace Woon, The Straits Times, 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
PHOTO: Animal care officer Trisha Tay at River Wonders, with panda Kai Kai in the background.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Picture posted by Wallace Woon, The Straits Times on 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiglOZtExCtCKBPvhNXvzh0Ce2f1nuiRcdbn-Bgo_FT3XY15viS_0q1CGQNBmZn8mLEkkabHJ9Sn2Yh8xr4w1OGhUfLq91HldAD0QZYX3Ipju4kNwg8-5-zI0upFRTPICawthVdP_ZyE40LqKjro8SoN2kjOVRuaOTGTmllTe_SUSdy69D858Yofczc=s780
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
SINGAPORE - Like an attentive parent, animal care officer Trisha Tay has been closely watching over giant pandas Jia Jia and Kai Kai since they arrived here in September 2012.
She knows their quirks intimately.
Take Jia Jia, now 13, for example. "She has a personality of her own, very sensitive and aware of who is working with her. For keepers who are new and not close to her, she'll try to bully them by doing little things that make life difficult," said Ms Tay, who has been with Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) since 2011.
The group was formerly known as Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and manages the Mandai Wildlife Reserve which comprises the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, the Jurong Bird Park and the River Wonders in Singapore.
As for Kai Kai, who is 14 years old, he is like the average human male. "Kai Kai is a bear that is very food-motivated. So he doesn't really bother whether you are very close to him or you have worked with him for very long - as long as you have food, he will listen to you and he will follow you," she said.
The 38-year-old has bonded with them over the years, but observing them brought her a surprising benefit.
"Before I had kids, I remember telling people that being a panda keeper trains you for parenthood.
"As pandas need to be fed multiple times a day and take naps between each feed, it's kind of like caring for little babies who need to be fed every few hours," said Ms Tay, who has two children, aged five and seven.
"Knowing that every animal has a different personality, and will need a different approach to being conditioned, reminds you that kids are all different and we also need to tweak things to suit each kid," she said.
So when the pandas had a cub in August this year, she tapped her own experience with baby monitors.
"The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to check the closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage, to see how Jia Jia and the cub are doing, before leaving for work, even on my days off," said Ms Tay, who volunteered at the Singapore Zoo when she was 15 years old and even contemplated leaving junior college to work there full time.
"I have to check the baby cam on my laptop over and over again just to make sure that things are going well."
Jia Jia is doing much of the caring for the cub, but Ms Tay and her team will check that she is nursing and cleaning the cub.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Picture posted by Wallace Woon, The Straits Times on 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiglOZtExCtCKBPvhNXvzh0Ce2f1nuiRcdbn-Bgo_FT3XY15viS_0q1CGQNBmZn8mLEkkabHJ9Sn2Yh8xr4w1OGhUfLq91HldAD0QZYX3Ipju4kNwg8-5-zI0upFRTPICawthVdP_ZyE40LqKjro8SoN2kjOVRuaOTGTmllTe_SUSdy69D858Yofczc=s780
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
SINGAPORE - Like an attentive parent, animal care officer Trisha Tay has been closely watching over giant pandas Jia Jia and Kai Kai since they arrived here in September 2012.
She knows their quirks intimately.
Take Jia Jia, now 13, for example. "She has a personality of her own, very sensitive and aware of who is working with her. For keepers who are new and not close to her, she'll try to bully them by doing little things that make life difficult," said Ms Tay, who has been with Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) since 2011.
The group was formerly known as Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and manages the Mandai Wildlife Reserve which comprises the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, the Jurong Bird Park and the River Wonders in Singapore.
As for Kai Kai, who is 14 years old, he is like the average human male. "Kai Kai is a bear that is very food-motivated. So he doesn't really bother whether you are very close to him or you have worked with him for very long - as long as you have food, he will listen to you and he will follow you," she said.
The 38-year-old has bonded with them over the years, but observing them brought her a surprising benefit.
"Before I had kids, I remember telling people that being a panda keeper trains you for parenthood.
"As pandas need to be fed multiple times a day and take naps between each feed, it's kind of like caring for little babies who need to be fed every few hours," said Ms Tay, who has two children, aged five and seven.
"Knowing that every animal has a different personality, and will need a different approach to being conditioned, reminds you that kids are all different and we also need to tweak things to suit each kid," she said.
So when the pandas had a cub in August this year, she tapped her own experience with baby monitors.
"The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to check the closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage, to see how Jia Jia and the cub are doing, before leaving for work, even on my days off," said Ms Tay, who volunteered at the Singapore Zoo when she was 15 years old and even contemplated leaving junior college to work there full time.
"I have to check the baby cam on my laptop over and over again just to make sure that things are going well."
Jia Jia is doing much of the caring for the cub, but Ms Tay and her team will check that she is nursing and cleaning the cub.
PHOTO: The Singapore-born panda cub on Dec 14th, 2021 (Day 123).
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
Picture posted by Wallace Woon, The Straits Times on 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgatTjfIvqDneDNU8EXqv5s-np8hZsJOQRGyvROA5Zqz-6i-ANpq8hLXCF7he4RONG6hE54f22L9WSnnBBxlwMWdWjJydzC4iAu38glYZR8vdxMjPqBssjSQs9ddW2_tr1Wl0ODgPnRaNsO4Ujx5zZzC9s7jfJMPtK1SpJ6bhZggvcquad6g5fiecto=s1535
https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/12/18/yq-sgpanda3-18122021.jpg?VersionId=6tWoaBwhtXHWPic2gfRoKI06.YtJzO9p
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
The animal carers help by cleaning the den and giving the giant panda some respite and access to her exhibit space at River Wonders while they look after the cub, which has yet to be named.
They take care of the mother, so she can care for the cub.
"We feed her multiple times a day, make sure she eats well and rests well. And when we're done for the day, before I go to bed, I'll check on the CCTV again to make sure that she's fine for the night," added Ms Tay, who has worked with a variety of animals, including primates and reptiles, but whose main interest is in big carnivores.
The team at MWR started work in 2015 on getting the pandas to mate.
They tried different strategies, including artificial insemination, since Kai Kai was the only male panda available to them, unlike in China, where another male panda may be recruited.
"That's when we were unable to apply for long stretches of leave, as we needed to monitor her around the clock," said Ms Tay, whose husband is the assistant curator of great apes, herpetology and invertebrates at MWG.
Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.
Of her husband, she said: "Being in the same line of work definitely helps us in managing home and work life together."
Posted by mandaiwildlifereserve on 05 October 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUpI6SptCA6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
Ms Tay and her team took part in conferences and tapped the experiences of her counterparts in zoos overseas to learn more about giant panda breeding.
"We used WeChat to communicate with the experts from China. By exchanging videos that we shot, we learnt about the birthing process for pandas, as well as their post-partum care, so that we would be ready when the time came for Jia Jia to give birth."
On Aug 10 this year, a WRS veterinarian saw a clear outline of a foetus with a strong heartbeat during an ultrasound scan.
"I was off the day we first found out that Jia Jia was pregnant and I was actually busy with my kids when I got the notification in the team's group chat.
"I was definitely in shock and disbelief," said Ms Tay, who added that her team was on standby for around-the-clock shifts.
"Things started sinking in when calls started coming in about the imminent birth. We had a lot of logistical and staffing issues to settle while liaising with all stakeholders involved."
The pink and hairless cub, which was smaller than a 500ml water bottle at birth, was born on Aug 14.
Ms Tay said that like human babies, he just sleeps a lot.
"He does get up once in a while and try to learn how to crawl about... I would say he's maybe a bit laid back in terms of how he is with Jia Jia, so maybe he takes after the father a little bit?" she added.
Posted by mandaiwildlifereserve on 15 September 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT1ITnHL1Vg/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=41497c58-7cb2-4440-a1ab-21e9e70b31dc
WRS said in August that it had been in talks with the authorities in China to extend the 10-year loan of Jia Jia and Kai Kai for another term.
China also requires the cub to be sent to the country to take part in its national breeding when it reaches two years of age.
"It's a privilege to take care of giant pandas," said Ms Tay, who is aware that they will eventually have to return to China.
"Right now, I'm not thinking that far ahead. Watching the cub grow from a little baby to two years old, I'm sure that I'll be pretty sad and attached to him by then."
Correction note: An earlier version of this story stated that Ms Tay began working for Mandai Wildlife Reserve in 2011. She works for the Mandai Wildlife Group, which manages the attractions under the collective term Mandai Wildlife Reserve. We are sorry for the error.
PHOTO: To help him focus and put him in the mood (after all, Jia Jia is only in heat for two to four days), the keepers have “swopped their enclosures so that they can pick up the ‘in heat scent’”, said Speaker of the Parliament, Tan Chuan-jin, on Instagram.
Tan is the deputy chairman of the WRS and had visited the pair during his recent trip to the Singapore Zoo and River Safari.
Picture posted by CNA on 04 April 2020 at 09:16 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM0PT4fSu1IXVc61K82AS-mc5LKvtRWaj5sPOnIkyKcCWiMYbeL5Cm-FpGSa1K7LxRqGCz8q5Pewszbj5yplQ-soVsZyU2I9b6LUJI6yipXGJwJPdUdOoBiy637yzVf8ZinEZY4XMGowK/s1600/bg-forest.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFGZhebqF6hW0Bml8XSzJ_1upyItn2K8-blFQcGGGtfEOZF3c9r7R-87fEV9R6P-amvKEOAW92il9BDZTdJl3sP8sS8rGAG7hmpWYo5qOkJXtscxoeOQp_E04oD_8jz1qX-prlzm_DZsq/s1600/bg-forest-1.jpg
http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/images/bg-forest.jpg
http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2012/09/pandas-making-babies-thats-kpi.html
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
Picture posted by Wallace Woon, The Straits Times on 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgatTjfIvqDneDNU8EXqv5s-np8hZsJOQRGyvROA5Zqz-6i-ANpq8hLXCF7he4RONG6hE54f22L9WSnnBBxlwMWdWjJydzC4iAu38glYZR8vdxMjPqBssjSQs9ddW2_tr1Wl0ODgPnRaNsO4Ujx5zZzC9s7jfJMPtK1SpJ6bhZggvcquad6g5fiecto=s1535
https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/12/18/yq-sgpanda3-18122021.jpg?VersionId=6tWoaBwhtXHWPic2gfRoKI06.YtJzO9p
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
The animal carers help by cleaning the den and giving the giant panda some respite and access to her exhibit space at River Wonders while they look after the cub, which has yet to be named.
They take care of the mother, so she can care for the cub.
"We feed her multiple times a day, make sure she eats well and rests well. And when we're done for the day, before I go to bed, I'll check on the CCTV again to make sure that she's fine for the night," added Ms Tay, who has worked with a variety of animals, including primates and reptiles, but whose main interest is in big carnivores.
The team at MWR started work in 2015 on getting the pandas to mate.
They tried different strategies, including artificial insemination, since Kai Kai was the only male panda available to them, unlike in China, where another male panda may be recruited.
"That's when we were unable to apply for long stretches of leave, as we needed to monitor her around the clock," said Ms Tay, whose husband is the assistant curator of great apes, herpetology and invertebrates at MWG.
Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.
Of her husband, she said: "Being in the same line of work definitely helps us in managing home and work life together."
Posted by mandaiwildlifereserve on 05 October 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUpI6SptCA6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
Ms Tay and her team took part in conferences and tapped the experiences of her counterparts in zoos overseas to learn more about giant panda breeding.
"We used WeChat to communicate with the experts from China. By exchanging videos that we shot, we learnt about the birthing process for pandas, as well as their post-partum care, so that we would be ready when the time came for Jia Jia to give birth."
On Aug 10 this year, a WRS veterinarian saw a clear outline of a foetus with a strong heartbeat during an ultrasound scan.
"I was off the day we first found out that Jia Jia was pregnant and I was actually busy with my kids when I got the notification in the team's group chat.
"I was definitely in shock and disbelief," said Ms Tay, who added that her team was on standby for around-the-clock shifts.
"Things started sinking in when calls started coming in about the imminent birth. We had a lot of logistical and staffing issues to settle while liaising with all stakeholders involved."
The pink and hairless cub, which was smaller than a 500ml water bottle at birth, was born on Aug 14.
Ms Tay said that like human babies, he just sleeps a lot.
"He does get up once in a while and try to learn how to crawl about... I would say he's maybe a bit laid back in terms of how he is with Jia Jia, so maybe he takes after the father a little bit?" she added.
Posted by mandaiwildlifereserve on 15 September 2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT1ITnHL1Vg/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=41497c58-7cb2-4440-a1ab-21e9e70b31dc
WRS said in August that it had been in talks with the authorities in China to extend the 10-year loan of Jia Jia and Kai Kai for another term.
China also requires the cub to be sent to the country to take part in its national breeding when it reaches two years of age.
"It's a privilege to take care of giant pandas," said Ms Tay, who is aware that they will eventually have to return to China.
"Right now, I'm not thinking that far ahead. Watching the cub grow from a little baby to two years old, I'm sure that I'll be pretty sad and attached to him by then."
Correction note: An earlier version of this story stated that Ms Tay began working for Mandai Wildlife Reserve in 2011. She works for the Mandai Wildlife Group, which manages the attractions under the collective term Mandai Wildlife Reserve. We are sorry for the error.
PHOTO: To help him focus and put him in the mood (after all, Jia Jia is only in heat for two to four days), the keepers have “swopped their enclosures so that they can pick up the ‘in heat scent’”, said Speaker of the Parliament, Tan Chuan-jin, on Instagram.
Tan is the deputy chairman of the WRS and had visited the pair during his recent trip to the Singapore Zoo and River Safari.
Picture posted by CNA on 04 April 2020 at 09:16 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM0PT4fSu1IXVc61K82AS-mc5LKvtRWaj5sPOnIkyKcCWiMYbeL5Cm-FpGSa1K7LxRqGCz8q5Pewszbj5yplQ-soVsZyU2I9b6LUJI6yipXGJwJPdUdOoBiy637yzVf8ZinEZY4XMGowK/s1600/bg-forest.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFGZhebqF6hW0Bml8XSzJ_1upyItn2K8-blFQcGGGtfEOZF3c9r7R-87fEV9R6P-amvKEOAW92il9BDZTdJl3sP8sS8rGAG7hmpWYo5qOkJXtscxoeOQp_E04oD_8jz1qX-prlzm_DZsq/s1600/bg-forest-1.jpg
http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/images/bg-forest.jpg
http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2012/09/pandas-making-babies-thats-kpi.html
By Wallace Woon, The Straits Times, 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT
More from Jia Jia and Kai Kai
Giant panda cub turns 100 days old, expected to join public exhibit soon, posted on Saturday, 20 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/giant-panda-cub-turns-100-days-old.html
Singapore gets first panda cub, born to Kai Kai and Jia Jia at River Safari, posted on Monday, 16 August 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/08/singapore-gets-first-panda-cub-born-to.html
Pandas making babies - that's the 'KPI', posted on Friday, 07 September 2012
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2012/09/pandas-making-babies-thats-kpi.html
Sleeping beauty and the bamboo warrior, posted on Sunday, 29 May 2011
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2011/05/sleeping-beauty-and-bamboo-warrior.html
Cosplay (Links)
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Other stories
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Healthcare stories (links)
Movie (Links)
Strange thing (Links)
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)
Japanese Samba Carnival (links)
Asakusa Samba Carnival (links)
Brazilian Samba Carnival (links)
Scandinavian Samba Carnival (links)
Other stories
Nursing stories
Healthcare stories (links)
Movie (Links)
Strange thing (Links)
Reference
[1] Wallace Woon, The Straits Times, Being mum to Kai Kai, Jia Jia helps keeper on own parenting journey, posted on 19 December 2021 at 05:00 am SGT, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
Links
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/09/busan-international-film-festival-biff.html
Japanese Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/japanese-samba-carnival-links.html
Asakusa Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/asakusa-samba-carnival.html
Brazilian Samba Carnival - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/brazilian-samba-carnival-links.html
Scandinavian Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/scandinavian-samba-carnival-links.html
Other stories - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/05/other-stories.html
Nursing stories - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/09/nursing-stories.html
Healthcare stories (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/01/healthcare-stories-links.html
Movie (Links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/11/movie-links.html
Links
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/09/busan-international-film-festival-biff.html
Japanese Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/japanese-samba-carnival-links.html
Asakusa Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/asakusa-samba-carnival.html
Brazilian Samba Carnival - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/brazilian-samba-carnival-links.html
Scandinavian Samba Carnival (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/10/scandinavian-samba-carnival-links.html
Other stories - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/05/other-stories.html
Nursing stories - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/09/nursing-stories.html
Healthcare stories (links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/01/healthcare-stories-links.html
Movie (Links) - https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/11/movie-links.html
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiglOZtExCtCKBPvhNXvzh0Ce2f1nuiRcdbn-Bgo_FT3XY15viS_0q1CGQNBmZn8mLEkkabHJ9Sn2Yh8xr4w1OGhUfLq91HldAD0QZYX3Ipju4kNwg8-5-zI0upFRTPICawthVdP_ZyE40LqKjro8SoN2kjOVRuaOTGTmllTe_SUSdy69D858Yofczc=s780
- https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/styles/large30x20/public/articles/2021/12/18/yq-trishatt-18122021.jpg?VersionId=6S3gY64G4mgnXmbMQJdqaFEHuTxAI7Ne&itok=a2d_nRjw
- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgatTjfIvqDneDNU8EXqv5s-np8hZsJOQRGyvROA5Zqz-6i-ANpq8hLXCF7he4RONG6hE54f22L9WSnnBBxlwMWdWjJydzC4iAu38glYZR8vdxMjPqBssjSQs9ddW2_tr1Wl0ODgPnRaNsO4Ujx5zZzC9s7jfJMPtK1SpJ6bhZggvcquad6g5fiecto=s1535
- https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/12/18/yq-sgpanda3-18122021.jpg?VersionId=6tWoaBwhtXHWPic2gfRoKI06.YtJzO9p
- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/being-mum-to-kai-kai-jia-jia-helps-keeper-on-own-parenting-journey
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM0PT4fSu1IXVc61K82AS-mc5LKvtRWaj5sPOnIkyKcCWiMYbeL5Cm-FpGSa1K7LxRqGCz8q5Pewszbj5yplQ-soVsZyU2I9b6LUJI6yipXGJwJPdUdOoBiy637yzVf8ZinEZY4XMGowK/s1600/bg-forest.jpg
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFGZhebqF6hW0Bml8XSzJ_1upyItn2K8-blFQcGGGtfEOZF3c9r7R-87fEV9R6P-amvKEOAW92il9BDZTdJl3sP8sS8rGAG7hmpWYo5qOkJXtscxoeOQp_E04oD_8jz1qX-prlzm_DZsq/s1600/bg-forest-1.jpg
- http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/images/bg-forest.jpg
- http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg/
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2012/09/pandas-making-babies-thats-kpi.html
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