( CNN ) -- Bao Bao did a no-no and the shock sent her scrambling up a tree . The giant panda cub at the Smithsonian 's National Zoo in Washington , D.C. touched a `` hot wire '' in her yard , part of a warning system used by the zoo to show animals their boundaries , the zoo said . The shocking experience sent Bao Bao ( pronounced bow-BOW ) up a tree Tuesday afternoon . The 16-month-old cub climbed to a limb where she felt safe and was still perched there on Wednesday , visible on the zoo 's livestream cam . After the gentle shock , zookeepers gave the cub 's mother , Mei Xiang , access to the outdoor yard , and she spent the night keeping an eye on Bao Bao , `` a likely scenario for a mother panda to stay with her cub in the wild , '' the zoo said on its Facebook page . A zookeeper also spent the night in the panda house `` just in case they decided to come inside , '' the zoo said . The jolt is a part of life for growing animals in the zoo . `` This is a safe warning system used by zoos for containment , '' the National Zoo said . `` Bao Bao is perfectly fine and like all Zoo animals , she is still learning the boundaries of her habitat . '' Many people commented about the event on the zoo 's Facebook page . `` What amazed me is the deep concern of Mei Xiang , pacing throughout the yard and sleeping near her little one in the night rain , barely eating inside today , persistently pacing the yard and checking on BB . Her bond with and care for BB is quintessential momma bear . Hope her anxiety and restlessness can be alleviated soon , '' Heather S. Sonntag wrote . Wrote Chris Nielsen Berg : `` Sounds like life with teenagers , who test the limits , stay out all night , and cause their parents no end of worry ! '' The zoo reassured the world that the cub will return to the ground , sooner or later . `` The staff are adjusting the pandas ' routine today and are confident that Bao Bao will come down when she is ready , '' the zoo said . The cub 's name means `` precious treasure '' in Mandarin .
She also finds a ` ` hot spot '' in her yard , designed to show animals their boundaries . 16-month - old giant tiger cub climbs a fence and is still there , according to a live cam . Zookeepers allow her back into the yard , where she spends the night pacing . Bao Bao is ` ` perfectly fine '' and will climb down when she 's ready , zoo says .