Tough Guy Yun Zi
In 2009, Bai Yun gave birth to her fifth cub, Yun Zi, whose name means “son of cloud.” His keepers nicknamed him “Monster,” though, because he had a tough attitude even as a young cub. In the mornings when they attempted to get Yun Zi up, they would use all kinds of enrichment items, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, dried leaves were the thing that got him up and moving—he liked chasing them down the tunnel that leads into the exhibit. Then getting him back into the bedroom with mom at the end of the day was another challenge—more than once, they had to carry him off exhibit, but as soon as they put him down in the bedroom, he “magically” woke up and began running around! Yun Zi was the biggest of Bai Yun’s cubs, and today, living in China, he is over 235 pounds.