< month 20
Monday, April 7
Qi Yuan, Yuan Yuan and Yalaoda all came into estrus this week, and I was able to do some playbacks to all but Yalaoda, who was kept indoors throughout. Yuan Yuan is 6 years old and has only just reached sexual maturity. On Tuesday she was introduced to a young male called Xiang Bang for her first mating attempt; however, probably because of their collective inexperience, the breeding introduction was not successful. In fact, at one stage Yuan Yuan mounted Xiang Bang instead of vice versa! I have observed the same thing with estrous female red deer in the past, so it could to be a phenomenon present in several mammal species.
This past week I have also played back re-synthesized male bleats to other males. I have created large and small male size variants, which I think may produce some interesting responses. A male called Kobi reacted very strongly to one of my playbacks, running right up to the speaker. Although I was safe behind a wall, his response certainly got my adrenaline pumping! At the end of the week, three more females (called Er Yatou, Jiao Zi and Shuqing) were moved up to the nursery enclosures. These three will probably be the last to go into estrus this year. At the moment their hormone levels are still at baseline, so I will wait a bit before I attempt some playbacks to them next week. A big part of this job is waiting around for opportunities to record animals and conduct playback experiments. Given that pandas mostly eat and sleep, I need to take any chances that I can get.
Ben Charlton, PhD
Research Biologist
Wednesday, April 2
I came in on Monday to find that the staff at the Research Base had conducted three more AIs (artificial inseminations) overnight on Ya Ya, Li Li and a female called Zhu Zhu, who was not at the nursery (the building where breeding introductions take place) last week. Although I missed the opportunity to play back some male bleats to Zhu Zhu, I did manage to get some recordings of her. She was producing the strangest bleats I have ever heard; some of them sounded like red panda “twitters.” Maybe I have discovered a new addition to the giant panda vocal repertoire, although I would need to document this type of vocalization in other animals to be sure.
On Tuesday morning Shu Lan was introduced to a male and then artificially inseminated. This left no more pro estrus females at the nursery, so I decided to try and get some recordings of animals that had so far not received my full attention. I was particularly pleased to get some decent recordings of a male called Kobi and a male called Xiao Shuang, who recently arrived from Chengdu Zoo and is now resident at the Research Base. With the help of a ladder, I have been able to climb up and record him from a wall overlooking his enclosure whilst remaining quite safe. Towards the end of the week, three more females (Qi Yuan, Yalaoda and Yuan Yuan) were moved to the nursery enclosures, and it is these individuals who will be the subject of my attention over the coming days.
Ben Charlton, PhD
Research Biologist
Monday, March 31
There’s another study going on in the giant panda building - we can never seem to get away from them! Over the last two weeks, Yang Yang was tested and completed his end of a food choice study, and now it is Mei's turn. Today will be her first day in the study. Seven different food items are presented in random pairs to see what a particular panda prefers to eat. The items include sugarcane, apple, pear, banana, leaf-eater biscuit, carrot and nothing. With multiple trials over a timeframe, the hope is that a ranking system can be determined of what they prefer to eat. In the first phase of the study, items of equal size are presented, and it’s noted which item they consume first. The second phase is similar, but involves different-sized pieces that are based on equal calorie count.
This study was originally done on monitor lizards here at Zoo Atlanta, and there are plans to include elephants in the study as well. The giant pandas were selected for the fact that they have a primarily vegetarian diet, but they have a carnivore digestive system. All of this information will be compared to a food reinforcement study to see it the top food choices make the best options for reinforcing behavior during training sessions.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II, Carnivore Department
Friday, March 28
Today has been a rather uneventful day in the panda building. Everyone seems to be enjoying the beautiful weather and apparently the delicious yellow groove bamboo. It seems as though Lun and Yang can't quite get enough. Mei Lan has developed the same fancy as her parents and between naps continues to go back for more and more. It doesn't help us that she is mixing it with her henon, however, silly panda. She has also gotten her rather new routine pretty much down pat. Today was one of the best days I've had with her getting on the scale and shifting through her dad's den without much problem. In the past she has tended to get a bit distracted and has hunkered down and eaten his bamboo from overnight before we've had a chance to go in and pick it up. So either she is learning, or I am. Today I didn't give her as much time in dad's den, so one of us is catching on.
Jennifer Brink
Keeper II, Carnivores
Wednesday, March 26
After a slow start to the breeding season, things have finally gathered pace. Several females are now showing strong estrous signs and have elevated hormone levels. I find it very interesting to watch a given female’s behaviour change as she approaches peak estrus; it is particularly funny when I see one sitting in her pool splashing water on herself. A new addition to the nursery (which is where the breeding introductions take place) this week is an extremely vocal male called Ping Ping – who I am told is genetically valuable because he was wild-born and is an experienced breeder. He mated with two females this week (Qi Zhen and Li Li) and his presence has certainly increased the decibel levels at the nursery. In addition, Xiang Bang (a 6-year-old male) experienced his first breeding introduction. Because Xiang Bang was born at a zoo in Japan, a Japanese film crew was in attendance to capture the action! Breeding introductions are noisy affairs (with lots of vocal activity and animal care staff in attendance) and a tense time for the staff because the male and female sometimes display aggressive behaviour towards each other. Some breeding introductions have resulted in serious injuries. I expect that three other females (Cheng Ji, Da Shuang and Ya Ya) will reach peak estrus this week, and another called Shu Lan has been moved to the nursery because her hormones are on the rise. Another busy week lies ahead.
Ben Charlton, PhD
Research Biologist
Monday, March 24
As you all know, here at Zoo Atlanta, we feed a LOT of bamboo to the animals. The pandas alone receive over 100 kg. (220 lbs.) of bamboo a day. In addition to that, most of the other animals, including the elephants, receive bamboo for either food or enrichment on a daily basis. We get our bamboo from people in the Atlanta area who have stands on their property, in their fields, or even in their backyards. The Zoo has a Bamboo Hotline (404.624.5884) that people can use to inquire about donating bamboo. A team of bamboo cutters from our Animal Nutrition Department will venture to donation sites up to 50 miles away, five to six days a week.
One of the biggest and hardest parts of the panda keepers’ jobs is to simply figure out what species of bamboo the pandas would like to consume that day. Throughout the year, we get to choose from over 25 different species. Yang Yang and Lun Lun are famous for being very particular when it comes to bamboo. They will sometimes only eat certain species in the morning or only overnight. We don’t know why their tastes can change in a matter of hours. We assume it’s to simply keep us on our toes once we think we have it all figured out. Of the 25 or so species that we can choose from, Phyllostachys aurea is by far the most abundant and easiest for the bamboo team to find and procure. The only drawback to aurea, as we call it, is that neither Yang Yang nor Lun Lun will eat it. We have tried it many times in combinations with other bamboos and treats, but it just never was a hit. Now, one of our goals is to get Mei Lan to eat what her parents will not. Going on the hopes that she doesn’t know much about bamboo yet, we have offered it to her every day for at least the last month, but with very little success. She will normally only eat the same bamboo that is preferred by her parents at that time and will hardly touch the aurea. We’ll keep trying to offer the aurea to her, but unfortunately for us and the bamboo team, our gut feeling is that she is going to be just as picky as mom and dad.
Kenn Harwood
Lead Keeper of Carnivores
Friday, March 21
What are we going to do with Yang Yang? Some days you can just never make him happy enough. I shouldn't be complaining too much, as it is breeding season, and all we wants to do is " walk his territory" and find some female pandas. Yang is really showing us what time of year this is. From the moment he went outside this morning, all he has done is walk the perimeter of the yard. There is a chance to break him from this with some biscuits and fresh bamboo, but that only offers a short reprieve, and back to walking he goes. You can wish all you want to have him eat, but he won't.
With Lun Lun and breeding season we have been monitoring her hormone levels over the last few weeks. About every two weeks we have, and will continue to, send off the urine samples that we collect every morning to test for her levels. Traditionally, we initially just look for estrogen levels to start to rise, but will track additional hormones as she gets closer to estrus to help pinpoint the correct time. As of last week, her estrogen levels are still considered to be at baseline, meaning that estrus is not going to happen any time soon. We won't expect to see any changes probably for at least two weeks at the earliest, but you can never say for sure with pandas.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II, Carnivore Department
Wednesday, March 19
This past weekend Atlanta had a few bad storms roll through, some that even produced tornadoes in surrounding areas. Luckily, the Zoo only saw lots of rain, hail, thunder and lighting, but no tornado. All of the animals are doing well. When bad weather heads our way, those of us in the panda building bring Lun Lun, Yang Yang and Mei Lan into the night holding areas. These areas are made up mainly of cinderblock, so the animals are well protected and secured.
Mei Lan and Lun Lun are both still doing well following the completion of the weaning process. Lun Lun is still eating quite well, and we are seeing her sleep more each day (getting closer to her routine of eat, sleep, eat, sleep that she had before Mei Lan was born). Mei Lan has taken to her bamboo like a champ. We are seeing lots of evidence of this (in the form of poop) every morning. She also has started more training with her keepers. She now shifts quite reliably and targets (puts her nose to a certain spot on the mesh) every time we ask. These behaviors are very helpful in that they allow us to move her through the building when we need to clean. The target behavior will be used to shape other behaviors, such as presenting her ears, eyes or shoulders, in the future. She is also learning to present her paws so we can make sure her nails and the bottoms of her feet are in good shape. It really helps that she is very food-motivated and enjoys both the leaf eater biscuits and the time spent with her keepers.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
Saint Patrick's Day
I have been getting to the Research Base at dawn for the last few days to do playback experiments, as the estrogen levels of three more females (Cheng Ji, Qi Zhen and Da Shuang) are now raised. Cheng Gong is now at peak estrus and has been kept inside for the past few days for behavioural observations. Saturday morning the staff put Cheng Gong with a male called Lin Lin with the hope that they would mate. However, the breeding introduction was not a success. So, the Base staff performed an artificial insemination. I was informed that another female called Li Li is being moved to the building where breeding introductions take place because her hormone levels are raised. I predict another busy week ahead. I spend most of my time on the roof of the breeding building waiting for the opportunity to do playbacks of vocalizations. Because giant pandas predominantly sleep and eat, I have to make sure I take any chance I get to conduct my experiment while they are awake and active.
Ben Charlton, PhD
Research Biologist
Friday, March 14
This week saw the arrival of Jennifer Keating from San Diego Zoo and the first signs of female estrus, as Cheng Gong’s hormone levels rose above baseline. Jennifer has been sent to China as part of our collaboration with San Diego Zoo, which aims to address a whole range of exciting questions about giant panda vocal communication over the next two years. It was great to finally meet Jennifer, and I have full confidence in her ability to obtain high quality recordings of the giant pandas at the Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong. This is another captive giant panda breeding center located in Wolong Nature Reserve, about four hours by car from Chengdu. Dr. Jinping Yu (who also works for Zoo Atlanta) and I took Jennifer to the Wolong center on Thursday so that she can start her research, and we had a very pleasant time indeed. After a huge meal, one of the vice directors (Huang Yan) took us around the Center and seemed very excited about the whole vocal communication project (which is great news!). Next week I will finally be conducting some playback experiments, starting with Cheng Gong first thing Monday morning – so watch this space.
Ben Charlton, PhD
Research Biologist
Wednesday, March 12
Lun Lun and Mei Lan are doing very well living as separate pandas. The weaning process went even more smoothly than we had hoped. Both of them have adjusted well and spend most of their time eating and sleeping, as pandas should. You will continue to see Mei Lan on panda cam, but we will also sometimes have Lun Lun or Yang Yang on panda cam.
This morning Yang Yang had his annual physical examination. He is anesthetized for this procedure. Then lots of measurements and information are collected. For example, his blood was collected, body measurements were made, an electrocardiogram (EKG) was done, and his teeth were cleaned and examined by a dentist. His semen was also collected. It will be frozen and possibly used for artificial insemination for Lun Lun or eventually sent to China to be used for artificial insemination of females in China. Yang Yang is in excellent health and the procedure went very well. He will be resting comfortably and quietly in the indoor dens today and will be back on exhibit tomorrow.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Carnivore
Monday, March 10
All is going well in panda land this week. Yang Yang and Lun Lun have been enjoying lots of Yellow Groove bamboo, while Mei Lan has been getting the opportunity to try many different kinds of bamboo so we can find out what types she enjoys. Over the weekend we started to see Lun Lun sleeping more, since she no longer has Mei Lan to wake her up. Yang Yang is still exhibiting his breeding season behaviors of scent marking and locomoting about the exhibit.
Kate Roca
Carnivore Keeper II
