Lun Lun & 18 months old Po

Po is now over 18 months old, which is when giant panda moms often wean their cubs. As Rebecca Snyder, Zoo Atlanta's Curator of Mammals wrote in an earlier update, they are not going to do anything to encourage Lun Lun to wean Po this year. Here is an update by Rebecca Snyder:

We are watching Lun Lun closely, though, to see if she shows any signs of starting to wean Po on her own. So far, we have not observed her refusing to let Po nurse. She sometimes doesn't give in to his pleas to nurse right away, but she does eventually allow him to nurse. She is also still initiating some of the nursing sessions. At this point, Po looks like a big boy to still be nursing, but giant panda cubs do sometimes remain with their mothers for over two years. So, it's not abnormal for him to still be nursing. We will continue to monitor Lun Lun's and Po's relationship and will keep you informed if we observe significant changes.

Source: Zoo Atlanta