< month 17
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Lun and Mei getting their grub on! |
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Monday, January 7
Well, I thought that most of Mei Lan's growth milestones were done, but another occurred Friday evening when I was cleaning the yard. It was something that I had never thought of at first, but it’s actually an important step in her development. Mei had her first poop that was purely bamboo. In the past, there had been a mix of different contents (bamboo, fruits/vegetables and milk), depending on what she had eaten, but this time, it was all bamboo culm. This may seem like a rather gross milestone to some, but it’s still a milestone. All in all, this shows that Mei is growing up quickly and consuming much more bamboo, which is important for the weaning process to go smoothly.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II, Carnivore Department
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Friday, January 4
So I know that you all have been anticipating an update all day and haven't seen one posted yet. Well, the reason is that I was not paying attention to the schedule, so I apologize to all for the delay. You all know how it is when you are away from the job for three days; it takes time to remember everything.
Anyway, all the pandas are good for today. We finally got the adults and even Mei Lan on eating a species of bamboo that we call Rivercane, which is a species native to Georgia. The pandas absolutely love it if it’s wintertime and we’ve had a cold spell. If you all were watching today, this is the species that Lun Lun was spending the majority of time culming. It’s great that the pandas like to eat something so much, but it stinks to clean up after them due to all the sharding (stripping of the bamboo) that comes with it. It takes two to three times longer to clean in the indoor habitats, so we have to plan accordingly.
Well, I’m back to setting everything up for the pandas now, as they’re due to come in shortly, and now with writing this I’m behind. Hopefully next time I’m due to write an update I’ll have a chance to write something more interesting!
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II, Carnivore Department
Wednesday, January 2
Today is a bit cold by Atlanta standards. It’s 21° F (-6° C). Many of the Zoo’s animals that come from warm climates (e.g., our Sumatran tigers and western lowland gorillas) don’t go outside if the temperature is lower than 35° F. The cold weather is no problem for the giant pandas, though. Giant pandas are well adapted for the cold. They have dense, wooly, oily coats that keep them well insulated and shed moisture. This enables giant pandas to sleep in snow. It rarely snows in Atlanta, and our giant pandas are used to sleeping in a heated building overnight. So we give them access to both indoor and outdoor space on cold days to allow them to adjust to the temperature outside. They usually spend cold days contentedly munching bamboo outside or sleeping in the sun.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
Monday, December 31
Oh, what a busy year we’ve had here at the giant panda building. I was just looking back at some of the earlier updates to see how things used to be just a year ago. Mei Lan was about to tip the scales at 15 pounds (6.8 kg) and was just starting to walk around the birthing den area on her own. She is no longer a 15-pound scooting cub, but a whopping 75-pound (34 kg) bear that can walk, run and climb almost anywhere. She is now shifting through the building on her own when we ask her to (most of the time), instead of at her own pace. She still nurses occasionally, but she has now gone from getting all of her nutrients from her mom’s milk to eating bamboo, panda biscuits, fruit and veggies. With this new diet, she has also gotten her adult teeth. Make sure you keep an eye on Panda Cam and these updates to see what changes will happen next year.
Happy New Year to all!
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
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Yang Yang and Lun Lun playing on their tire
swing at the Chengdu Research Base |
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Friday, December 28
Yesterday Mei Lan reminded me very much of her mother when she was about the same age. Mei Lan was trying to climb onto a toy that is similar to a tire swing. Lun Lun and Yang Yang lived together at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding when they were a little over a year old. They had a tire swing in their exhibit that they played together on a lot. Almost every day, Yang Yang would climb the tree that suspended the swing and sleep in the tree for a few hours. Lun Lun often tried to climb up to the same spot to sleep, but she never figured out how to do it. She always tried to use the swing to climb the tree, and that never worked for her, whereas Yang Yang simply climbed up the trunk of the tree. Lun Lun was and is a good climber, but for some reason that particular tree was a big challenge for her. Now we have Lun Lun and Yang Yang combined into Mei Lan. Maybe she would be able to climb the tree using the swing!
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
Wednesday, December 26
I hope everyone out there had a nice holiday. Although the Zoo was closed to the public on Christmas, the giant pandas had a typical day of eating bamboo and sleeping. Because the pandas need fresh bamboo frequently, a keeper must be here all day to supply food, even if the Zoo is closed. J.T. was here yesterday, and he was hard at work last week making the pandas some new enrichment items for Christmas. Mei Lan must have had a busy day, because she was very sleepy this morning. She was active early in the morning, but once she and Lun Lun were outside, she nursed, ate some bamboo, and then promptly went to sleep. How exhausting it must be to be a giant panda cub!
Heather Baker Roberts
Carnivore Keeper I
Monday, December 24
I don't think that Yang can wait until tomorrow - he's just filled with such excitement that Santa is coming. Mei Lan is just sleeping the morning away while Lun Lun eats, but not Yang. All he wants to do this morning is play. You can tell he's really excited when he decides to bite his right paw and shake his head. This behavior is one that he has done much of his life when he is happy and in a playful mood. If you watch Mei, you can also see her starting to do much of the same. We will just have to wait and see if Santa brings anything tomorrow, or if he determined that Yang was naughty this year. I know what I think!
Joseph T. Svoke
Carnivore Keeper II
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Mei Lan dreaming of sugarplums...
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Friday, December 21
The topic for today’s update is poop. This idea came to me a few days ago when I watched Mei Lan stand on her head and produce a very adult-looking giant panda poop. The standing on her head part isn’t necessary to do this; that’s just a sign that she’s still a playful kid. However, part of growing up means eating an adult’s diet and having adult feces (a.k.a. poop). Mei Lan started producing feces similar to that of adult pandas when she started eating bamboo. Her feces are still distinguishable from her mother’s, partly because of the smaller size, but also because Mei Lan’s feces are a little sticky because she is still drinking milk.
I’ll bet you don’t know how useful giant panda poop is. The keepers weigh all of the feces produced by our giant pandas every day, because this helps us monitor how well they are eating. The keepers also rate the consistency of all the feces, because this is one way that we assess digestive function. Giant panda feces also contain lots of important and useful information. Scientists at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. developed a technique to extract hormone information from giant panda feces, which is important for monitoring reproductive cycles and stress. Urine is also used for this, but feces are easier to collect. Feces can also be used to extract DNA, which can be used to identify individuals, making it possible to census wild populations by collecting feces. Scientists from Memphis Zoo and Texas A&M University are also developing a new technique using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to use fecal samples to determine nutrient quality of different bamboo species and to assess an individual panda’s diet quality. This technique also has the potential to use feces to identify an individual’s gender and reproductive status, and possibly even differentiate individuals, which also make it a useful tool for monitoring the wild population. Giant panda poop isn’t just fun for scientists. Staff from the Chiangmai Zoo in Thailand use giant panda feces to make paper products, which they sell in their gift shop. I am the proud owner of some of these items. Our partner, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, even sells preserved giant panda poop on a rope in their gift shop. Something to keep in mind for holiday gift giving next year.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
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The pandas enjoy "researching" a good nap! |
Wednesday, December 19
One of the many roles that a keeper in the panda building plays is helping with research projects that are conducted to learn more about the pandas. Jay has written in some of his updates about how he has helped Bonnie Perdue with one ongoing research project to look into spatial memory recall. JT and I both have been to China to collect data on the pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for Dr. Snyder’s ongoing project on panda development and maternal care. Back at Zoo Atlanta, we collect data on Lun Lun and Mei Lan for the same study, along with three other people. The newest project that we are helping with is one looking into the functions of specific aspects of panda calls in reproductive context. Dr. Bsen Charlton, the post-doctoral research scientist at Zoo Atlanta, is recording Lun Lun's and Yang Yang’s vocalizations for part of his study. As keepers, we help facilitate this by letting him know when either panda is up and vocalizing. This usually happens when they are ready for more food, so he gets two or three attempts a day. It will be interesting to see the outcome from all the studies.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Monday, December 17
It really isn't funny to laugh at other people's (or should I say pandas') pain, but I just had to last night when Mei Lan came off exhibit. At close, I shifted Lun Lun first from an inside exhibit, brought her through the squeeze area into a den to be weighed. Mei Lan happened to be up at that point and was in hot pursuit of her mom. When I had closed the door that leads into the den behind Lun Lun to make sure Mei wouldn't follow her up onto the scale platform and steal some biscuits, Mei had just started to enter the squeeze area. With the door already shut, Mei ran at full trot, headfirst into the door. She just fell backwards with a confused look. I thought it was rather funny, and just asked her, "don't you look where you are headed?". Of course she did not respond, but she was more than happy to sit and eat her last feeding in the squeeze while mom had hers.
Joseph T. Svoke
Carnivore Keeper II
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Growing up, upside down...
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Friday, December 14
In addition to nursing less, Mei Lan is showing more signs of growing up. Over the past week, she has been more active during the day. She is spending more time foraging, eating and playing than resting. Mei Lan is now up and ready to shift when we need to clean and provide fresh food for her and Lun Lun. Sometimes it seems as though she is eating all the time now! Just a couple of weeks ago, we had to wait for Mei Lan to wake up or try to coax her to move when it was feeding time. Since she is eating more bamboo, biscuits and fruit, she seems more motivated by these items and eagerly moves where we need her to go for a biscuit reward. As a result of eating more, she is continuing to gain weight. This morning, she tipped the scale at 33.4 kg (or 73.48 pounds). Also, her lower canine teeth have erupted and are growing in (Kate just wrote about those teeth falling out last month). She is certainly becoming a big girl!
Heather Baker Roberts
Keeper I, Carnivore Department
Wednesday, December 12
Lun Lun is beginning to show some signs that she is becoming less tolerant of nursing. For several months now, she has usually been the one to end nursing sessions by leaving Mei Lan after 10-15 minutes. Lun Lun continues to do this. Additionally, If Mei Lan follows her and tries to nurse more, Lun Lun will now often push her away with a rear leg or get up and move away again. This is normal behavior for Lun Lun to display at this stage in Mei Lan’s development. Although Mei Lan will continue to nurse for a few more months, nursing will gradually decrease, partly because Lun Lun will be less tolerant of nursing. Subsequently, Mei Lan will gradually eat more and more bamboo. This is an important transition for Mei Lan to make, so that she can live independently from her mother.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivores
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Growing up is exhausting!
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Monday, December 10
It was first noted back in July that Mei Lan had a discolored deciduous (baby) tooth. The tooth was turning brown because the new permanent tooth underneath had cut off the blood supply. Well, the discolored tooth finally fell out last month (we just noticed it missing from her mouth), and now we are waiting for the permanent tooth to erupt through the gum line. We never found the tooth – I guess the tooth fairy came to collect!
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
