< month 7
Tuesday, March 6
Spring is in the air which, as you may have read in JT's updates, means it's giant panda breeding season. Lun Lun will not have an estrous cycle and ovulate this year, because she is lactating and nursing Mei Lan. Lun Lun might cycle next spring depending on when Mei Lan is weaned. Even though Lun Lun will not cycle this year, Yang Yang is displaying behavioral changes typical of an adult male giant panda during breeding season. He has been spending more time walking, climbing, and scent marking and is spending less time feeding and resting. Male giant pandas experience a gradual increase in testosterone begiining in the fall and lasting through the spring breeding season. They tend to feed more in the fall and winter, putting on weight in preparation for competitive interactions with other males for cycling females in the spring. During the breeding season males travel searching for estrous females. It's common for males in the wild to congregate around an estrous female and fight for access to her. The winner of that competition mates with the female and then usually moves on within a day or two looking for other cycling females. In captivity, males also travel more and advertise their presence by scent marking, urinating, defecating and vocalizing more. Yang Yang is displaying these changes as he has every year since he's been an adult.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, March 5
Silly me thought that the majority of the fireworks were over, but I forgot about the Lantern Festival that occurred on Sunday the 4th. Fifteen days after the beginning of the Chinese New Year is marked by the Lantern Festival, which signals the official end of the Spring Festival. Last night around 9:00 pm lots more fireworks started to go off and illuminate the sky. I do not think that I have seen as many fireworks in my whole life, as I have seen over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Earlier in the week, the National Zoo researchers and I went to an area called TaZiShan Park, where there was a lantern display going on. You could see everything from the traditional red "bulb" lanterns, to that of lanterns shaped like people, animals, plants, etc. You name it, it was probably displayed somewhere within the park in all sorts of colors. It reminded me of when I was younger when on Christmas Eve my family would pile into the car and go looking for the light displays that people were putting on in the front yards. It was a similar scenario here where the whole family gets out to walk around and look at the lights, all while eating something on a stick.
It must have been spring cleaning at the Research Base this last week. All the workers where out doing all sorts of things: weeding, racking, fixing exhibits, etc. I am sure that it is all in preparation for the busy summer that they are expecting with everyone coming to see the nine cubs that were born last year. The Research Base is a large area, so it is good to get that head start. One female giant panda, Su Qing, has had everyone waiting for her to ovulate since this weekend. The staff was all set for her ovulation on Friday afternoon, but her estrogen levels just never dropped (estrogen typically peaks and then drops sharply just prior to ovulation in giant pandas). It reminded me a little of Lun Lun last year, keeping everyone in suspense. As I am writing this, they could be performing an aritificial insemination, because many people were staying late at the Research Base waiting for the optimal time to be called into action. Because, if you did not know already, timing is everything with giant pandas. This is just the beginning of what I am sure for many of the staff is a long season of giant panda breeding. There are already three more females experiencing elevated hormones, who are waiting in the wings for their turn.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
Sunday, March 4
The saying that “no news, is good news” seems to apply today. All three of the pandas are doing just fine. Yang Yang is enjoying the colder weather outside. Lun Lun is enjoying her bamboo and has been holding her weight steady between 113kg-119kg (249lbs-262lbs). Mei Lan is enjoying her new found skill of climbing and has chosen to sleep up off the ground when Lun Lun lets her.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, March 3
Recently, we have discovered that Mei Lan is drinking a little bit more than just mothers milk. She has attained an affinity for water as well. Last week, we saw her licking at small puddles of water on the floor in the den areas left from when Lun Lun was done drinking. We knew that puddles wouldn’t be enough for her for very long. In just a short time she had discovered that the drinkers in the den area aren’t just for sleeping under, but in fact have water in them for drinking and playing. For two days now, we have seen her actually drinking out of the drinkers. This is done usually with mom drinking as well. In the dayroom, we have facilitated her new taste for water by placing a bale of hay under the drinker to allow her to drink on exhibit as well, instead of having to come in the dens every time she is thirsty. While this isn’t as glamorous a development as her climbing or running, it is still a step towards growing up. It doesn’t seem to be the case, but I hope she doesn’t grow up too fast.
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal Keeper III
Friday, March 2
Keepers today reassembled the hammock in Dayroom 1. This was originally part of the initial structure design that panda staff removed when Mei Lan first started going onto exhibit. We were concerned that when the cub was much smaller, Lun Lun might take her up into it and then accidentally drop her out. Now that the cub is bigger and sturdier, we trust she'll be safe interacting with both mother and hammock. And when we gave her access first thing this morning, the first thing Mei Lan did was climb up the structure, and two minutes later was happily playing in the hammock (see the video of this)! Watch Pandacam for fun activity with this exhibit accessory.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Thursday, March 1
Mei Lan, Lun Lun and Yang Yang are spending a rainy day in their dayrooms. Mei Lan’s usual pattern the last few days has been to follow her mom into the dayroom at around 8:30 a.m., and then climb straight up onto the climbing structure. Lun Lun has been letting her spend more time up there, but still pulls or pushes her down occasionally. Mei Lan’s weight this morning was 10.5 kg (23.1 lbs).
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
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Mei Lan, "The Indestructible" |
Wednesday, February 28
Mei Lan’s climbing skills are improving daily. Now she can climb to the top of the wooden structures in the dayrooms quickly. She has also started to sleep on the climbing structures. This is common behavior for giant panda cubs. They spend most of their resting time off the ground in trees or on climbers. Cubs living in the wild have also been observed sleeping in trees while their mothers are busy foraging. It might be that a cub is safer resting up in a tree than it is resting on the ground. This may explain why young giant pandas spend a lot of time off the ground after they learn to climb. Lun Lun is still not completely comfortable with Mei Lan’s newfound climbing skills. Lun Lun often pulls Mei Lan off the climber. This is normal maternal behavior in the first few weeks that a cub starts climbing. Lun Lun is being protective. She will gradually become accustomed to Mei Lan being high off the ground over the next couple of weeks and won’t pull her down as often. You should also be prepared to see Mei Lan fall frequently. This is normal. Giant panda cubs seem to be nearly indestructible by the time they are Mei Lan’s age. Falling won’t hurt her. Even if she lands hard on her back or head, you will see her get up and take off to engage in some other activity, possibly climbing right back up onto whatever she just fell off.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, February 27
We are happy that so many people are enjoying watching Mei Lan grow up and are learning more about her and giant pandas in general from the daily updates. Panda Cam and the daily updates have sparked the interest and curiosity of a huge number of people, which is wonderful and a goal we hoped to accomplish. One result of this is that we are flooded with email messages, letters, and phone calls from people with questions. We try to answer all of these, but sometimes it is a bit overwhelming for our staff. To make sure that answers to frequently asked questions are readily available, we have created a Cub FAQs page on our website. If you have a question, please check that page for the answer. If your question is not answered there, you can continue to contact us through the address and email information that is also posted on our website. We will try to respond to you as quickly as we can.
Thank you for your interest in Mei Lan, Lun Lun, and Yang Yang. We hope that they will inspire you to care about the future of giant pandas and other endangered species living in the wild and take action to conserve them and their habitat.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, February 26
For all of you that read my last update from Chengdu, I will be trying to give weekly updates, all depending on my schedule of events. I will also be trying to follow the same format that I used before; starting with any interesting adventures that I participated in here and then following it with some updates from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Research Base). Now here we go for this week.
After a week long celebration to ring in the Chinese New Year, most of the festivities have died down. I still hear an occasional firework that goes off in the middle of the night, though. On Saturday, it was the day to finally celebrate the family and those around you. During the rest of the week it was all about the pig, because that is the animal for this year. Li Chun Lin and his wife Wu Xiao Hong invited me and the researchers from the National Zoo out for a meal of Peking duck to celebrate with them. That night we headed downtown for great food, and to walk around the city at night. It was just a great evening overall.
During the week, both the Research Base and the Chendgu Zoo (we collect data at both locations) were packed full of people. With the kids off from school and many people in town to visit family, everywhere I looked there were crowds of people. It became pretty difficult at times to observe the pandas, but you find a way to make due. It is all a part of experiencing the New Year celebration.
The biggest news from the Research Base is that they have had their second female already go through estrus. Some people that work there think that many of the females will go through estrus earlier this year, because of the unusually warm weather that Chengdu has been experiencing. Time will tell if this will actually have an effect. I found out about the female going into estrus when I was collecting data on a male early in the morning. A keeper near the next exhibit was also collecting data. It was fun because it was a keeper named Xie Yi, who was in Atlanta last year when Mei Lan was born. The morning went a lot quicker than normal because I had someone I knew around.
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
Sunday, February 25
Yesterday, Kenn talked about a skill that Mei Lan will need to master before going outside into the habitat. Well, though she has yet to master climbing, this morning I saw her reach new heights when it comes to her climbing abilities. She has had the “climbing bug” for some time, trying all the logs in the dayrooms to see which one she can make it up first. She would usually get all four paws onto the log for a few seconds, but then flip head first right back to the ground. Luckily, pandas are quite durable and she was only about 2 inches off the ground. Today was quiet different though because she made it up on one of the logs and inched her way to one of the lower posts on the big log structure in the dayroom. She seemed to hold on tightly as she explored this “new” area with her mouth by chewing on every inch of the log that she could reach. Unfortunately, I had to go back to cleaning the rest of the panda building and did not see how she ended up back on the ground.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, February 24
I would first like to apologize that all of the readers will have to endure this update from me instead of enjoying one from Jay. While I could never compare with his writing prowess, I hope to at least be somewhat informative. So, here goes.
With the weather improving, we have been getting some inquiries about when Mei Lan will make her outdoor debut. While Mei Lan has made huge strides within the last few weeks, she is still not completely steady on her feet, and is still learning how to climb. These are two skills that she must master before she can be let into the outdoor habitat. It shouldn’t be long, but she isn’t there yet. Also, she is currently in an area where the noise from the visitors isn’t really a factor. Her environment is quite quiet and peaceful. She will slowly need to be acclimated to hearing crowd noise without being stressed. This adjustment usually happens fairly quickly. There are several things that also need to happen to the outdoor habitat itself before this can occur. We need to completely “baby proof” the habitats. There are many areas that we do not have to worry about with the adults because they are simply too large. Mei Lan, however, can easily squeeze into or under certain undesirable places within the habitats, such as under the climbing structure or into small holes or crevices. These spots need to be barricaded from her entry, but in a way that is pleasant looking yet safe. The largest issue we have, however, is the moats inside both of the outdoor exhibits. We have to make sure that Mei Lan cannot hurt herself if she falls or climbs down into them. While baby pandas are quite indestructible, you still don’t want to take any chances. We will probably end up filling the moats with several feet of hay or pine straw to cushion any fall. The next issue with the moats is that once she is down there, which I guarantee she will be, she needs to be able to climb out. This is where the climbing ability comes in handy. We are developing several different strategies ranging from ladders to ramps to bolting the same steel mesh from her den to the wall enabling her to climb out more easily. While this may sound like an easy, straightforward task, we still have to be conscious that Lun Lun and Yang Yang will still be using the yards, so we have to make everything adult proof as well. Also, the pools will need to be drained and “baby proofed” as well. Like the moats, we need to enable her to climb out if she ends up in them, which she will. As she grows in size, strength, and confidence we will begin removing the baby proofing that becomes unnecessary, allowing her to roam the habitats unimpeded. All of these processes are in motion, so it shouldn’t be long until our little girl gets to experience all that is Atlanta weather and people for herself.
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal Keeper III
Friday, February 23
We get a lot of calls and concerns from watchers and visitors that Mei Lan is not always in view. We try to put her on camera and place toys where she'll play, but she's mobile and has a will of her own. So look close, and be patient. She'll be where you can see her soon. And the tune for the following should be obvious, so here's something for your kids and classes.
Our Little Baby Panda
Oh where is our little baby panda?
We can't see her on the PandaCam.
Oh where is our little baby panda?
We must see our little Mei Lan.
She likes to curl up inside her black tub,
And in the white half-barrel too.
But when our Atlanta beauty does this,
It takes her right out of our view!
Oh where is our little baby panda?
All we see are her toys and her bed.
Oh where is our little baby panda?
Is that white mound her rump or her head?
Oh where is our little baby panda?
All we see is Lun eating bamboo...
Oh where is our little baby panda?
Look closely, she's playing there in those leaves too.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
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Being this cute is exhausting! |
Thursday, February 22
Mei Lan met more of her adoring fans today. She is now on exhibit from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. everyday and a lot of people were able to see her this morning. She put on quite a show with nearly two hours of activity. She played with her toys, played with her mom, and spent quite a bit of time trying to climb the large wooden structure in the dayroom. She’s become very comfortable in the dayrooms and seems content to stay out all morning. We are still giving her and Lun Lun access to the den area in the afternoon. Mei Lan usually heads inside and off exhibit for most of the afternoon to sleep in her den, but she sometimes comes back into the dayroom for awhile in the afternoon as well. She weighed 10.1 kg (22.3 lbs) this morning.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
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She's ready to meet her adoring public |
Wednesday, February 21
A new heating and air conditioning unit for the giant panda building is being installed this week. In the summer we try to keep the temperature in the indoor exhibit rooms between about 65-70° F, so that the giant pandas have a comfortable, cool space throughout the hot summer months of Atlanta. The old heating and air conditioning unit has been working hard for the last 7 years in which we have had the giant pandas and it was time for a new one. The installation is going very smoothly. It is a big unit that sits on the roof. So, a crane was needed to remove the old unit and position the new one. The installation team has been quiet and efficient, and the giant pandas have not been disturbed by the work.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, February 20
Lun Lun and Mei Lan continue to do very well. They have been spending 2-3 hours on exhibit in the dayrooms each morning for the last few days. Mei Lan usually follows her mother into the dayroom in the morning. She explores, plays with mom, has a nursing session and then sleeps for awhile before going back into her den. She usually follows her mom back into the dayroom in the afternoon for a shorter period of time and then goes back into the dens by late afternoon where she remains overnight.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, February 19
It has been two weeks now that I have been in Chengdu, and let me say that this last week ended with a bang, literally. Midnight on the 18th was the start of the Chinese New Year and fireworks went off everywhere. It put most of our Fourth of July celebrations to shame. Fireworks had been going off for a few days before, but nothing like this and the excitement will probably continue most of the week. I spent most of the afternoon and evening at Li Chun Lin's home because he wanted visiting researchers from the National Zoo and me to experience what the celebration was like. After everyone arrived and the food was prepared, we went outside and lit some fireworks which is a tradition before eating the meal. We then went back to Li Chun Lin’s apartment and ate lots of food prepared by his wife, Wu Xiao Hong. After that, it was time to teach the foreigners how to play mahjong, a popular game in China using tiles that is somewhat like poker. We continued to play for a few hours and I won the first three games that I played. Just before midnight all of us headed to the street to light all the fireworks that we had bought. At this point, the celebration really started with fireworks everywhere. The position that we were in was basically on top of a hill which gave us a very good vantage point to look at everything. The display continued for nearly thirty minutes. After it finished, the area seemed very quiet and dark compared to how it was with all the fireworks going off. If you ever get a chance to experience the Chinese New Year, I highly recommend it.
I would also highly recommend seeing the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu. There you can see over forty giant pandas of different ages with lots of space to do whatever they want. You can also see numerous red pandas that are also housed there. Now, I can basically find my way around the Research Base and can identify probably close to a third or more of the giant pandas there. This comes in handy when trying to get around the base at 7:00 a.m. when it is still dark, and any light that might be present is blocked out by the thick bamboo that creates an arch over the pathways. It is also good to know as many giant pandas as possible, because they are often moved to different enclosures around the Research Base because of the upcoming breeding season.
It has been a great time so far, with many more adventures to come. I'm also sure there will be a lot of giant panda breeding information to report in the coming weeks.
J.T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
Sunday, February 18
Here at Zoo Atlanta we have entered one of my most favorite times of the year. Though Yang Yang will play on and off through out the year, as he heads into breeding season, he gets MUCH more playful. He usually takes on one of his big enrichment items, like the large, plastic ball that we call the planet ball or a huge barrel. But sometimes, he tries to start a game of chase through the bars in the night den area with his keepers. It brings a smile to my face when you see a 300 pound bear run at you, grab his paw in his mouth and shake it, then roll backwards on his back like he was a cub again.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, February 17
(Note: if you haven't yet read ACT 1 read Friday's update first.)
ACT 2
Get out of chair, re-caffeinate.
Check on pandacam.
They’re all awake and need more food, so off we go again.
Clean and weigh, put more out. Remove the chewed up toy.
Train Yang again: up, ear, eye, shift.
He can be such a good boy.
Move mom around, hope kid goes too. Geez what a mess they made.
Clean fast as you can, then out they go. A little two panda parade.
Weigh it out and down the hill, carrying trash again.
Now check emails, there’s more research?
I’ve got too much to do. Papers to write, updates and more.
Now interviews with CNN too?
ACK! They’re awake again. Always ready to eat.
ACK! Don’t poop in the pool, I just cleaned it out.
It’s 40 degrees, now I’ll freeze my wet feet.
Weigh clean feed, weigh clean feed.
Check Pandacam too. Now where did Mei Lan go?
By herself in the tiny shift hall, playing out of view.
Now we’ll get calls and emails about this, I know.
Your toys are right there, and in with mom too? Why can’t you go out to play?
It’s time to eat for you, you should be nursing anyway.
No time to rest, now set up the dens, to bring the bears inside.
Add food, add toys (pandacam still on?)
Come on in Lun, let’s get a weight. Now where’d your kid go hide?
Now daddy Yang’s turn, he’s ready to go, inside to his favourite place.
Now here’s the cub, off to her corner.
Ignore the toys, ignore the bed, off to her feel-safe space.
Clean the yards. Weigh it out, write all the data numbers down.
Sweep it all clean, check bamboo to order more tomorrow.
Now double check all locks, all bears secure.
No coming in to them wandering around.
Close up panda building. One more trip to the trash.
I’m so tired I think I might die.
Cell phone ringing. Hello? Go out tonight?
Are you nuts? There’s bamboo splinters in my thigh.
An early night, then tomorrow will be
Another day like today. I must be crazy, why do I DO this?
It’s certainly not for the pay.
But then we get to work, and the three pandas there
Are always happy to see us.
How’s my girl? How can you BE so darn cute? Are you a good mom?
And now there’s my big happy guy.
You’re excited to see me? Well I’m here for you.
And then I remember, THAT’S why.
End ACT 2
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
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Dunder Mifflin eat your heart out! |
Friday, February 16
The updates for today and tomorrow are but a brief synopsis of what our days are like. Now with JT in China, there is often only one panda keeper for all three bears. The zoo receives a lot of emails and calls about the pandas, and questions about why things are a particular way. So as you read the Requiem, picture what we do daily to make them and everyone else happy. And this is only the basics. It is not a comprehensive list of our duties by any means.
Incidentally, while reading, keep the theme song to Benny Hill in your heads. It is fairly appropriate. If you don’t know what/who Benny Hill is, go check it out. His fast-action comedy routines are the story of our lives.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Requiem for a Panda Keeper – A Drama in Two Acts
CAST:
Our Hero: Beleaguered Panda Keeper
The Fickle Fates: Lun Lun and Yang Yang
The Cherubim: Mei Lan
Supporting Cast: Everyone else in the zoo
ACT 1
Open doors, shut off alarm. Check to see if everyone’s OK. Hi Yang, Hi Lun, How’s the baby girl?
Weigh the biscuits, weigh the fruit. Order bamboo, get ready to train.
Move the bears, weigh the bears (she’s grown! she’s grown! she’s 21 pounds now!).
Check the yards, check the hotwire. Drain the pool, scrub it clean.
Check the Dayroom, set it up. What will make our Mei Lan happy and stay put? Toys, toys, toys.
Weigh bamboo, carry it out. Spread it all around, shake it all about.
Toys for the big bears, something new. Change it every day, what to do…
Now the student’s here. Research with Yang Yang. Train him, reward him, then out to play!
Train momma Lun Lun, the little one too. Out you go, now, follow your mom.
What a good little girl she is.
No time to rest, now clean clean clean.
Pick up the bamboo, weight it out.
Pick the splinters and shards out of the mess. Weigh it out.
Pick up the poop. Weigh it out.
Now sweep sweep sweep, then roll out the hose.
Wash it all down, soap and scrub, soap and scrub.
Rinse it away, now it’s squeaky clean. Squeegee dry, and move to the next room.
Take out the trash, check on the bears. Mom’s hungry, dad’s hungry, baby’s in the tub.
Weigh bamboo, give ‘em the grub.
Don’t stop now, there’s research to do. Take the data, record the data, enter the data too.
Record the pandas’ info, each and every day.
Check the bears (pandacam on?), whew, they’re OK.
Watch Mei Lan and mommy play.
Now run around the building, to do the keeper talk.
He’s 300 lbs. She’s a good mommy. No we do not “pet” the cub.
They’re carnivores, they always have toys, yes she loves her tub.
Smooth floors stay clean, they choose where to go, and also what to do.
Thank you for your interest, and coming to the Zoo.
Run back before they all wake up, too late Lun Lun’s at the door.
Where’s my food I’m starving why oh why don’t you feed me more?
Shift the bears, clean the room, now weigh some more bamboo.
New toys, new food, now where’s Mei Lan?
She went off exhibit too…
Now Yang’s awake and making noise, so here we go again.
Once we’re done weigh it out, then another hike to the trash bin.
Check the bears (pandacam on?), YAY they’re happy!
Now to other chores.
Omigod it’s noon, I can take a break.
Fall into chair. Whew. Nap time.
Snore…
End Act 1
Thursday, February 15
Mei Lan had a quick health check this morning. She is in excellent health. She weighs 9.5 kg (20.9 lbs). Her heart rate and temperature were measured, which were normal. She also had a rabies vaccination. She was playful and rambunctious throughout the check, which made it impossible to take accurate body measurements. Given that Mei Lan is in excellent health and has become difficult to handle, we’ve decided to discontinue the weekly health checks. We will continue to track her development through behavioral observations and daily weighing.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Wednesday, February 14
We frequently refer to the giant pandas as carnivores in our updates, which may be confusing because a giant panda’s diet in the wild is 99% bamboo. Giant pandas are classified as carnivores because they are members of the bear family (Ursidae), which along with a number of other families are classified in the order Carnivora. However, within this order there are many carnivore species that have evolved different dietary specializations. Giant pandas are obviously one of these. They retain the relatively short digestive tract of other carnivores and do not have any of the digestive specializations of true herbivores (e.g., rumen, cecum, or symbiotic microbes to digest cellulose). This means that giant pandas only digest the plant cell contents and cannot digest the plant cell walls – this is also true for humans. Giant pandas do have some adaptations that help them to feed on bamboo. One of these is the famous pseudothumb, which allows giant pandas to grasp bamboo to feed more efficiently. They also have large, well muscled skulls and broad molars that help them crush tough bamboo. Finally, they have lots of mucous excreting cells that keep their digestive tracts well lubricated to help woody, sharp bamboo pieces pass through.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, February 13
I had the pleasure of watching Lun Lun and Mei Lan engage in a vigorous play-fighting bout in the dayroom this morning. Lun Lun initiated the bout, which is a very interesting aspect of giant panda mother-cub play behavior. In most other carnivore species that have been studied, mothers do not initiate play with their offspring. Mothers will respond to play invitations, but usually don’t invite play themselves. The exception to this is when a mother only has one offspring. In that case, the mother initiates more play and spends more time playing with her lone offspring. Most carnivores give birth to and raise multiple offspring in a single litter. Single offspring are relatively rare. Thus, young carnivores spend most of their time playing with their littermates. Furthermore, it’s been found that young animals of many species tend to prefer to play with partners that are similar to themselves (e.g., same sex, same age class).
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Who wouldn't want a smooch from Mei Lan? |
In giant pandas, raising a single offspring is the rule. Although giant pandas give birth to twins about half the time, in the wild the mother only raises one. This makes the mother the only play partner available for a giant panda cub. We believe this is why giant panda mothers take a more active role in play than other carnivore mothers. In our studies, we have found that giant panda mothers often initiate play. Sometimes they will even wake up a sleeping cub to play with it. Even more interesting, we have mothers in our study who have been able to raise both of their twins with some human assistance in the first few critical months. We found that even though these cubs had a sibling with which to play they spent more time playing with their mothers. So, play with the mother seems to be a critical component of giant panda behavioral development.
If you would like to read more about our research on giant panda mother-cub relationships, details are available in the following publication:
Snyder, R.J., Zhang, A.J., Zhang, Z.H., Li, G.H., Tian, Y.Z., Huang, X.M., Luo, L., Bloomsmith, M.A., Forthman, D.L., and Maple, T.L. (2003). Behavioral and developmental consequences of early rearing experience for captive giant pandas. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 117, 235-245.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, February 12
I watched Mei Lan playing in the dayroom this morning and was impressed with how much she has changed in the 10 days that I spent away in China. She’s running now and very close to being able to climb the large, vertical tree trunks in the dayroom. As you can see from the recent updates, we are all really enjoying watching Mei Lan grow and change. She has entered a very fun stage in which she spends a lot of time playing and exploring. I hope all of you are enjoying watching her as much as we are.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Sunday, February 11
Mei Lan continues to grow (tipping the scales at 21 pounds today) and is becoming more playful everyday. She is still very fascinated by bamboo. A piece of mom’s leftover bamboo can provide 20 minutes or more of fun and entertainment. Mei Lan loves to chew on it, try to attack it and manipulate it with her paws. Though she is yet to eat any of it, she still relies on Lun Lun’s milk for nutrients.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, February 10
The keeper looked down at the small teal Jolly Ball in his hands. The adults LOVED the big horse-sized ones, but they never lasted long. When this one was given to Lun Lun, she had punctured it while playing, and it had been removed so that it didn't get destroyed. Perhaps Mei Lan would like to play with it. Lun was off eating bamboo, and the cub would have a little alone time after her weighing (wow! TWENTY pounds this morning!), so maybe their little girl might be interested in it. She hardly got to see it the first time when Lun hogged it...
The "big loud one" finally stopped laughing at Mei Lan attacking the little Jolly Ball, and shifted Lun Lun out onto exhibit. The cub watched, and then seemingly reluctantly followed her out, promptly crawling into the black tub in front of the windows and falling into a deep sleep before her adoring public. The keeper retrieved the teal toy from the den where Mei Lan had been happily playing. Crazy little bear, he thought. Obviously loved this though. As he washed it off to use another time, smirking at the numerous teeny punctures, he mused about what must go on in their little girl's head...
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Friday, February 9
Well goodness, I can't begin to thank everyone enough for their great positive feedback. I wrote my update last Saturday on a whim, wondering how it would go over. Our wonderful PR and Pandacam staff forwarded me your many messages about my story-like update, to my tremendous surprise . These made me smile, as one of the greatest parts of our job is knowing we make a difference in someone's day or life, even in small ways. So while today's will not be quite as entertaining, I will endeavour to provide a good tale at least once a week for you loyal watchers and surrogate panda parents. Thanks again for making my day!
And on top of this, we have great news! Normally, we shift Lun Lun away from Mei Lan in the mornings and provide her with fresh bamboo. While mom is happily crunching away, keeper staff weigh Mei Lan, perform any weekly veterinary requirements, and then put the cub on exhibit amidst a comfy nest of wood wool, a mom-scented burlap pillow, and fun and exciting toys. Fairly reliably, Mei Lan takes herself off exhibit very quickly to her "safe area" in the back dens. The weekend was a positive step, as Mei Lan took herself BACK on exhibit several times, and spent a significant period out with mom. But we decided to try something new this past morning. The dayroom was set up and, once ready, we let Lun Lun back in with her cub in the back dens. When Mei Lan was playing with and following mom around, we quickly opened the shift doors out to the exhibit, and our precocious little girl followed her mom right out! This was a first for us, and we were very excited. We encouraged Mei Lan with happy voices and praise. Granted, she came back in fairly quickly, but was out again with mom soon after, playing happily for everyone to see. It is our hope that if Mei Lan goes out on exhibit herself, she will be more comfortable in the dayrooms, and choose to spend more of her day out.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Thursday, February 8
Mei Lan is growing! Even though I keep an eye on her throughout the week, it is not until she is in my hands that I can really appreciate the changes that she undergoes in 1 week. The brief health checks continue as we accumulate the information on her physical growth. It is always amazing to see the changes in her body weight and body growth measurements week-to-week. We closely monitor her reactions to the exam. So far, she is handling it very well with no signs of stress and the exams take approximately 5 minutes. As a healthy giant panda cub, she is developing more confidence in her physical abilities, such as walking and climbing. As I watched her in the dayroom this morning after the exam, she tried to run for a very short distance. She’s a bit awkward, but a lot of fun to watch!
Dr. Maria Crane
Vice President of Animal Health
Wednesday, February 7
JT and I arrived safely in Chengdu, China after almost exactly 24 hours of travel. We have spent the last few days catching up with staff at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and catching up with Yang Yang's and Lun Lun's extended families. We visited Yang Yang's mother, Ya Ya, who is caring for her cub that was born last summer. We also saw Lun Lun's mother, Bing Bing, who mated last weekend and could possibly be pregnant now. We also spent time collecting data on some of Yang Yang's and Lun Lun's younger brothers and sisters.
JT is fully trained for data collection now and will stay in Chengdu for four months to collect data on 11 giant pandas who are subjects in a longitudinal study examining how early rearing affects behavioral development. Some of the subjects in the study stayed with their mothers longer than others. We are comparing the two groups to find out if there are behavioral differences between the groups. We are particularly interested in how the length of time a cub spends with its mother affects its reproductive behavior as an adult.
Watch for more updates from JT during his stay in Chengdu.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
< month 7
