< month 10
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"Mei in a barrel" |
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Act II: Goofiness sets in... |
Wednesday, June 6
Mei Lan is nine months old today! Giant panda cubs in the wild usually stay with their mothers for at least 18 months. So, Mei Lan is half way through the period a cub would normally stay with its mother. She’s gone through some big changes in the last nine months and she has more to come in the next nine months before she’d be ready to live without her mother. The biggest of these will be gradually transitioning from drinking her mother’s milk to eating bamboo. That transition has begun with her eating small amounts of solid food (e.g., biscuit and fruit pieces) occasionally. The major transition will occur when she is 12-13 months old and starts feeding on more and more bamboo, while subsequently nursing less and less.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
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Act I: Taking in the morning air |
Tuesday, June 5
Every morning we start our day by slowly turning on the lights, checking on the pandas, and then preparing their first “meal” of the day. We weigh out leaf eater biscuits and fruit and place it in separate bowls: one for Yang Yang and one for Lun Lun. We use this bowl of favorite panda treats to get the pandas on the scale to obtain their weight. Now that Mei Lan is old enough to eat biscuits and small amounts of fruit, we’ve started placing some treats in Lun Lun’s bowl to get Mei Lan’s weight. We then have to shift Mei Lan and Lun Lun around to get the bowl back from them so we can use it to weigh Lun Lun. However, this was becoming more of a hassle, since on some mornings the bowl would become Mei Lan’s new favorite toy. As of today, the problem has been solved- for Mei Lan got her very own bowl.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
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Mei Lan doesn't know she's a TV star, but she can pose like a diva! |
Monday, June 4
Zoo Atlanta’s long time media partner WSB-TV has produced a primetime special featuring Mei Lan which will air tomorrow (June 5) at 8:00 p.m. on Channel 2. Channel 2 has been following Yang Yang and Lun Lun for most of their lives. News anchor, Pam Martin, traveled to China in 1999 and spent a few weeks with me at the Chengdu Research Base filming a documentary on Yang Yang and Lun Lun as they prepared to come to their new home in Atlanta. They were only two years old then and still spent much of their time acting like young cubs. Now the story has come full circle with Yang Yang and Lun Lun as parents to Mei Lan. We very much enjoyed working with the Channel 2 team on this special, which includes special footage of Mei Lan’s birth and the early weeks of her life as well as interviews with many of the zoo staff who work with the giant pandas. For those of you in the Atlanta area who are interested in seeing and learning more about Mei Lan, please tune in tomorrow night.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Sunday, June 3
From what I heard, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, and Mei Lan seemed to have a wonderful time during the “Enrichment Day” event yesterday. Though I was not here for the event, I got the see the remnants of the actives from yesterday- TOYS EVERYWHERE. It looked like Jay and Kenn provided the bears with some of their favorite enrichment items: the weeble, a jolly ball, the planet ball, the scent ball, and a hanging puzzle feeder (that Mei Lan decided was worth another play with this morning). To help keep the items “fresh and new” to the bears, these items will be removed soon and stored away for some time. So that when they are offered again, it will be more novel to them.
Also, for all the local panda fans, Channel 2 WSB-TV will be airing a Panda Special on Tuesday night, June 5th at 8pm. It is titled “Mei Lan- Atlanta’s baby panda”.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, June 2
Well, he's been gone for over four months, but finally our wayward panda keeper is coming back to us. You have been reading JT's weekly updates on his exploits in Chengdu, China, collecting data for important ongoing research. I can tell you, without reservation, that Kate and I will be glad to have him back. Normally, on any given day in the panda department, there are two keepers. One to open, and one to close, with several hours of overlap. We work regular 5 day weeks, and are able to complete many projects. With Kate gone last year, and then JT this year (and I guess my 5 week stint in the Far East...), the remaining two keepers split shifts into four days on, three off. We work open to close, usually alone. This makes free time or project time difficult, and is exhausting. Kenn is periodically around to assist us, but as swing keeper for three sections, his time is in high demand. Having JT back will let us go back to a normal schedule, and allow us to accomplish more than just running around all day alone. Hooray!
But to put things in perspective, I looked up some numbers. When JT left us at the end of January, Mei Lan was four and a half months old, and weighed 8.5 kilograms, or 18.7 pounds. As we prepare for JT's return and prepare for Mei Lan's nine month birthday, our Atlanta Beauty is averaging a whopping 17.8 kilograms, or 39.2 pounds; an increase of 220 percent!!!! Hope JT recognizes her... So everyone welcome our teammate home to Zoo Atlanta, and our cub a happy we-could-have-had-a-human-baby-in-that-time birthday!!!
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
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Bamboo does not make a good camouflage |
Friday, June 1
One of the questions we are frequently asked is about how giant pandas groom themselves. They are very dog-like in their grooming behavior. They scratch themselves with their claws and against objects and nibble their fur, but don’t lick themselves. Although their fur often appears very white, particularly on film, parts of it are somewhat yellowish. Their fur does seem to repel dirt, but it’s normal for their lower back and rump to be stained from spending so much time sitting on the ground while feeding. They sometimes use their water pools to cool off or to play, but not to bathe. Clad in classic black and white, giant pandas have the good fortune to always look well-groomed even when they are not.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Thursday, May 31
Today I just have time to write some of the basics as we are busy preparing for our Animal Enrichment Day on Saturday, titled “Play the Animal Way”. This is an annual event where every animal in the zoo gets to show off most of their enrichment toys to zoo visitors. While it is normal for us to schedule and distribute enrichment to our charges every day, Enrichment Day is a little different. Most of the animals will be receiving multiple enrichment items throughout the day according to an event schedule, so you can plan your visit without missing anything. On Enrichment Day, it is not only the animals that get enrichment, but it is also the visitors. There will be many stations or booths throughout the zoo showing off different enrichment items, letting you experience what the animals experience. Pandas are bears, so they usually end up destroying any toy you give them. Because of this, we are busy here at the panda building making new enrichment items en masse in preparation for this great day. Since the pandas still use timed ticketing for viewing, instead of scheduling a toy time, we will rotate enrichment items and pandas in the dayrooms throughout the day, so everyone has a chance to watch them play. So, if you get a chance this Saturday (June 2nd) come out to the zoo and see what all the fuss is about. You won’t be disappointed. With all that being said, just let me tell you that Mei Lan and her parents are all doing great today. Mei Lan continues to grow like a weed, weighing in this morning at 17.8 Kg (39.1 lbs).
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal/Carnivore Keeper III
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Mei Lan enjoys most bamboo species, as long as she can play with it! |
Wednesday, May 30
Bamboo shooting season is coming to a close in the Atlanta area. So, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, and Mei Lan are enjoying the last few shoots this week. They will have to wait until next spring to have delicious shoots again. Yang Yang and Lun Lun have recently shifted their bamboo species preference to Pseudosasa japonica, which is commonly known as arrow. This bamboo species is tall and thin with very little branching and only a few leaves at the top. It’s a favorite of our pandas.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, May 29
Mei Lan, Lun Lun, and Yang Yang had lots of visitors for the Memorial Day Holiday. It’s fun for those of us who are lucky enough to see the giant pandas everyday to see how excited the zoo visitors are about them. For many of them, it’s the first time they have ever seen a giant panda. We are thrilled to provide that experience for people.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, May 28
I got back a couple hours ago from eating hot-pot, the Sichuan variety, for the first time since I have been here. I was invited by a keeper here named Xie Yi, who was the colleague that we had in Atlanta when Mei Lan was born, along with her husband. Basically what you do is order a bunch of food which will all end up getting dumped into a pot of bubbling oil filled with lots of spices. I did not order any food and left it up to them, and had no clue what I ended up eating. Most things were not recognizable to me, but I am sure that they knew, and I did not bother to ask either. Sometimes it better not to know what you are putting in your mouth. As a warning to all who have a chance to try it, avoid getting the oil in your eye because it is blinding and painful. How do I know you may ask? Let’s just say that a bamboo shoot slipped off my chopsticks. It was an experience.
On my last Sunday in Chengdu I decided with a friend to go to QingCheng Shan (mountain). It is about 1 1/2 hours from where we live which provided a nice rest before the long climb after a late evening out. The mountain has been an important Taoist site since the Han-dynasty. You get two options after you enter the gates, either walk up the stairway to the summit, 1,200 meters, or walk a far less distance and take a cable-car most of the way. We decided that we would walk the stairs and see as much of the mountain and the "shrines" as we could. After nearly three hours of a great leg workout we reached the top and got a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. After that we did decided that we had enough of a leg workout and the cable car would be a great respite to walking down. The descent only took roughly 45 minutes.
Well, it is my last week of data collection, and I can't believe that nearly four months have passed. All I can hope this week is that the pandas cooperate and cause no hassles for me. Actually, I guess that I should be saying that I hope the animal staff don’t cause any hassles, because the pandas just do what they are asked (most of the time).
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper
Sunday, May 27
Dr Snyder talked in Thursday’s cub update about how we offer Mei Lan small pieces of biscuits and fruit to help her learn to be weighed on the scale. One type of fruit that Mei Lan is offered is banana slices (without the peel, though Lun Lun and Yang Yang will both eat the peel). It is quite funny to watch her eat her banana slices. She has not yet learned how to chew her solid foods, but resorts back to her nursing ways and slowly sucks on the banana until it has totally dissolved in her mouth. Sometimes the banana slice will fall out of her mouth. She will then retrieve it and place it on the back side of her paw. She will then suck on it from there, as if she is using her paw to make sure that she will not loose it again.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, May 26
I don’t know if it has been covered in previous updates, but we have all been getting a lot of inquiries about the panda’s coat. The most asked question is how the pandas fur feels, and is Mei Lan’s coat any different than the adults. Also, people wonder just what we do to keep our pandas so clean and pearly white. The answer to the first question is different than most people think. Although their fur looks nice and soft, it is in fact quite coarse, thick and wiry, and Mei Lan’s fur is exactly the same as the parents. As for cleanliness, the benefits of the fur being course and wiry is that nothing really sticks to it. They can come into their dens for the evening covered in mud and clay, but by the next morning, all of that clay and dirt has dried and has fallen out of their hair, making the pandas look as good as new. The only grooming technique that I have seen them use is simply scratching, which I can’t say they are doing for grooming reasons or for just easing an itch. Either way, they don’t really do much else in the way of maintaining their cleanliness. I just thank goodness that they are low maintenance in at least one area of their care.
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal/Carnivore Keeper III
Friday, May 25
A Tale of Two Pandas
We've discussed training a lot in my updates. All of the amazing things the pandas will participate in, and now the little one learning new things. I'm happy to add that Mei Lan will come in from outside fairly reliably now when I call her. Sometimes she stops for a bit of attention, other times she goes bouncing past me, into the dayroom, but since her favorite place is in there, it's also good reinforcement. But this story is about the adults, and why I may not have any hair left by the time our researcher, Bonnie, has earned her Master's degree...
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Lun Lun during her ultrasound training |
Yang Yang did a great job in Bonnie's recall study. Her update last week told you more about her research, and the point of her ground-breaking work. It's all very interesting, and was a tremendous challenge for me when Dr. Snyder asked me to train the pandas to interact. I always counsel trainers that attend my workshops to "work within an animal's natural history to succeed in training." Meaning expand on and shape behaviors that an animal is likely to perform, or would occur naturally that you can capture and put on cue. For example, to train Lun Lun ultrasound, we worked with her on her back on the ground, like she often rests or sleeps. Trying to train the behavior with her, say, standing upright on a box, would have been very difficult, and lowered chances of success. Well, now I had to train adult pandas to interact with a light box, pushing buttons with their nose. VERY natural...
Anyhow, Yang learned quickly, in small baby steps of shaping. I would guide him towards a small goal, and then reinforce and reward each time he did something that was closer to the desired behavior. Yang Yang responds very well to this type of training. He learns things incrementally, but very quickly. Then he tries to cheat, offering the weeniest responses possible, hoping for a reward for minimal effort. Fun. He and I have an understanding though, and no treats 'til it's right! Unfortunately, Bonnie's study lapsed into breeding season, and suddenly we had a male bear, chock full of testosterone, confined in a small clean area with the box, when he really wanted to be outside roaming and burning off steam. It became difficult to get him to actually interact with us. While this was a result of his natural history, it was still something that I got a few gray hairs over, trying to figure out how to make the sessions valuable enough to want to play. In the end, we overcame the obstacles, Yang did an AMAZING job (almost passing a 15 second delay...), my hairline receded an inch, and we moved on to Lun Lun.
Lun Lun learns VERY differently from Yang. Yang like to shape in little steps, bit by bit. In my time with Lun, and with our numerous complicated behaviors, I spend weeks trying to get her to do something I want, she offers a jillion different behaviors, and generally seems to regard me like I'm crazy. Then SUDDENLY, something will happen that makes the association in her mind, and BANG, she's got it. It is really rewarding when she finally makes a connection, but getting there is a lot of effort and drama (ergo my hair pulling...). Currently, Lun is ravenous in the mornings, and has been wound up by an active baby. She'll participate in training, but at a very frantic pace, which means I have less chance of making any associations. At the moment, Bonnie and I are working with our little two-button prototype box, and I'm going a little crazy. So far Lun has: a) ignored the box; b) CHEWED on the buttons and target stick; c) pulled off one of the buttons; d) decided I am clearly bananas and gone to eat bamboo in the middle of a session; and e) offered up every known training behavior AND her first born child, hoping apparently ONE of those was correct. So, suffice to say, no association. But I'm determined to succeed, and Lun ALWAYS "gets it" eventually. Stay tuned for more on the unfolding soap opera.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Thursday, May 24
Mei Lan continues to grow steadily. She tipped the scales at 17.3 kg (38.1 lbs) this morning. We are fortunate to have scales built into resting platforms in two of the giant panda dens. So, the adults are weighed each morning and evening and Mei Lan is weighed each morning. Usually, the keepers put part of the adults’ morning and evening feeding of biscuits and fruit on the scales, which entices them to step onto the scale. The keepers are working on accustoming Mei Lan to also become reliable about going onto the scale for a biscuit, piece of bamboo shoot or fruit.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Wednesday, May 23
You may have noticed that if Lun Lun is resting and Mei Lan is awake, she often climbs all over her mom biting her. This is typical giant panda cub behavior. Cubs often try to initiate play when their mothers are resting. This behavior is especially common in young males, who spend more time trying to initiate play than young females. One reason cubs playfully attack their mothers while they are resting may be because the cubs then have an opportunity to engage in some behaviors that might be more difficult to accomplish when their mothers are awake. For example, the cubs can more easily bite areas of the body that their mothers would defend while awake, like their paws, which is an area often targeted during giant panda play. Giant panda mothers do engage in self-handicapping while playing with cubs by lying prone during play sessions and moving more slowly. Nevertheless, the mothers are much larger, stronger, and more coordinated than their cubs, and so it might be advantageous for cubs to practice some play behaviors while their mothers are resting.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, May 22
We mentioned in a few of our updates this spring that Yang Yang’s activity had changed as it typically does during the spring. Specifically, he spent more time walking, climbing, scent marking and vocalizing, which are all mate searching activities that male giant pandas display during the spring breeding season. Now his behavior has mostly returned to normal, which means he is less active and in typical giant panda fashion spends about half his time resting and the other half eating. We gave Yang Yang as much space as possible this spring during his active period, and so he usually had the larger of our outdoor habitats. Because Yang Yang is less active now, he doesn’t need the larger habitat everyday. So, we will soon be moving forward with cub proofing that habitat for Mei Lan. We think she will enjoy having a new space to explore.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, May 21
Not much going on in town this week and no special trips were planned. It was also quiet around the apartment because everyone from the National Zoo has left because their project has come to a close. It is nice because I can do whatever I want now, but I don’t have anyone to talk to. But it is only for a couple more weeks. Then I will be heading back to Atlanta, and back to my normal work. I did go clothes shopping over the weekend with some other foreigners, because I can get stuff cheap. However, it is a little depressing when you are told not to bother trying something on because you are too big for it. But what can you do, things are made to fit the Chinese people, not westerners.
I did see lots of interesting things happen at the Research Base this week, though, but I will only mention a few. Earlier in the week I watched a female panda, Jiao Zi, try to tear apart the bamboo in her exhibit. She had just been moved into this exhibit, whereas the male that previously inhabited it for the last few years was moved to the nursery area. For some reason she decided that the bamboo that she was given was not good enough and decided that the bamboo growing in her exhibit would be better. The problem was this bamboo is three to four times taller than the bamboo she normally receives. So, after she had broken it off at the base, she had problems trying to maneuver around with it and the bamboo kept getting stuck amongst the tall bamboo growing in the exhibit. She just went through one piece after another trying to figure out how she was going to get it in a position to eat it. I had to admire her persistence.
That same day I watched a male, Bing Xin, get more excited over getting a bath then any other bear that I have ever seen. What I mean by a bath is getting hosed down with water to help cool him off, but he seemed to love it. He was rolling on the ground, body rubbing against the bars, putting his face right into the stream of water, standing on his hind legs to get his belly wet, and jumping off the ground in excitement. It turned into one giant game for him. The weather this week has become hotter than in the past, and so the baths happen more frequently all over the Research Base. Another thing that the keepers started to do this week to combat the heat is adding large, and I mean large, ice blocks into the pandas’ dens in the afternoon. The pandas lay on top of the ice blocks to cool off. There was one panda, Mao Mao, who refused to share her ice block (at least she claimed it as hers) with the other three pandas in her enclosure. Anytime one would come near she would start to moan at them, and extend her paw out as if to say "don't come any closer". All four ended up having their turn in the end.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
Sunday, May 20
Some time ago we had to stop the weekly health checks on Mei Lan given by our resident vet. Mei Lan was just getting too wiggly to get good measurements and too big to handle. But, through cooperation from Mei Lan and a lot of patience from me, I was able to get some of Mei Lan’s stats this past week. She is now 38 inches from the tip of her nose to the base of her tail. She has grown into her tail, but her tail continues to grow as well, it is now 5 ½ inches long. Her neck girth and abdomen girth measurements were both tricky to get due to her thick fur. Her neck is about 16 inches while her belly is 21 ½ inches around (give or take some fur). Her nose pad width is 2 ½ inches. Some other measurements that I was able to obtain that had not been previously documented were the lengths of the bottom of her paws. Her front paw is 5 inches, while her back is 6 ½ inches. One last measurement that I was able to get was the length of her ears: they now stand just shy of 3 inches tall.
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, May 19
As I mentioned last Saturday, the pandas were the center of attention for the annual “Beastly Feast”. This is the signature fundraiser for the Zoo, so the pandas had to be at their best. Now that everyone knows how they prepared for the event (see 5-12 update), many inquiries have been made to how they actually performed for their well-dressed admirers. Just let me tell you that they couldn’t have conducted themselves any finer. Yang Yang ate for the entire 2 ½ hours of the event, while sitting up front and center for everyone. While Lun Lun would have liked to eat the whole time as Yang Yang did, it is tough to do so with 38 pounds of teeth attached to the back of her neck. The star of the show, as you would probably have guessed, was definitely Mei Lan. It seems as though her preparatory nap was just what the doctor ordered, because she was up and active for the entire time. In between exploring the yard and mauling her mother, she was able to steal a couple of bamboo shoots from mom. She doesn’t eat the shoots, but loves to chew them to shreds. Unfortunately, every time she grabbed a shoot, she would run under the climbing structure, where it is harder for mom to reclaim them. The only negative of the event, for me anyway, was when Mei Lan exhibited instinctive young panda behavior. At dusk, I brought in mom and dad just fine as was planned, but Mei Lan had different plans. Because it was getting dark, Mei Lan decided to climb to the highest point in the exhibit. This is a normal behavior for young pandas to allow them to be out of reach of predators. While on one side it was very exciting to see her being a panda, it was a little frustrating to know I had to wait for a while for her to come down, knowing full well she probably wouldn’t come down until first light. Although she has been doing very well with coming to us when we call her, I knew that this would not be one of those times. Because of this I had to go into the yard and disengage her from the tree. Just let me tell you, she may be little, but she has a grip of steel. It was amazing to see just how much stronger she has become in the last few weeks. In the end, she allowed me to grab her and bring her down, where she received a lot of positive reinforcement. I placed her on the ground once she was down and she followed me into the building where she was quickly reunited with Lun Lun safe and sound.
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal/ Carnivore Keeper III
Friday, May 18
The Atlanta Beauty is slowly becoming the Atlanta Heavyweight. She hit 17 kilograms this morning, which converts to 37.44 pounds. Her teeth are growing rapidly, and she's almost tall enough to reach the little keeper windows in the dayrooms. Lun Lun is finding it's not quite so easy to disengage the little burr when she's climbing or attached to a structure or toy. Mei Lan explores the exhibit and attacks her mother for much of the morning, so is very active for our visitors and Pandacam viewers. As I spoke to the fine folks from Ford (alliteration, Yay!) over the weekend, and remembered Mei Lan's birth for them, I found myself struck by how rapidly she has developed, and how time has flown. She's heading for nine months old now...
But with this startling growth comes further opportunities. I mentioned Mei Lan's basic training last week, and we had an exciting breakthrough the other day. Lun Lun came into the dayroom when I called her, and Mei Lan stayed on the structure out in the yard, playing. I called Mei Lan a few times and waited, and just when I chided myself that she was probably still too little to "get it", her little head poked over the door frame and she happily galloped in to see me. You can bet she got a load of attention to reinforce that episode!
Okay, well, it was exciting for me.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
Thursday, May 17
The weather is getting warmer in Atlanta with summer approaching. All the giant pandas are still able to enjoy the cooler mornings outside. By about lunch time, Lun Lun and Mei Lan usually come into the air conditioned dayrooms and Yang Yang has access to off exhibit den space later in the afternoon. The giant panda building and dayrooms are maintained at a temperature around 65° F (18.3° C), but this fluctuates somewhat with outside temperatures. The building is usually a little warmer in the summer during high temperatures and a little cooler in the winter. The giant pandas always seem to be very comfortable in the building and prefer to spend their time inside during warm weather.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Wednesday, May 16
Mei Lan has been the talk of Atlanta since her birth, but the adult giant pandas have been getting attention too. Research is a very important component of the giant panda program at Zoo Atlanta. The two adult giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, are participating in a project investigating spatial memory, or the ability to remember location. In addition to sight, smell and sound, it is one way an animal might successfully navigate its environment. Spatial memory may help an animal remember the location of food, mating partners, den sites, and avoid predators. A previous study at Zoo Atlanta showed that the giant pandas could remember the location of food in feeders around the exhibit, suggesting that giant pandas do have spatial memory ability.
The current study examines spatial memory recall, or the ability to remember location without using cues from the environment. When humans play the game “Memory,” they have to recall the location of particular cards without any cues from the environment. This game is very similar to the task that the giant pandas perform. Giant panda keeper, Kenn Harwood, constructed an apparatus with six squares and a light behind each square. A giant panda faces the apparatus and a light is turned on in one of the six locations for three seconds, and then turned off. The panda must wait for a delay period (e.g., 3 sec., 5 sec., or 10 sec.) before responding by touching the square (location) with his/her nose that was previously lighted. If the panda can remember the correct location, he/she gets a piece of food as a reward.
I conducted this study with Yang Yang while Lun Lun was initially busy caring for Mei Lan. Yang Yang, was able to recall locations on this task for at least 10 seconds. Training recently started with Lun Lun. Giant panda keeper, Jay Pratte, trained the pandas to respond to the test apparatus and helps me run the study trials. This study is important because it is the first to show that giant pandas can not only remember locations, but can recall them. This research will contribute to an overall understanding of giant panda memory and cognition.
Bonnie Perdue
Zoo Atlanta Research Associate and Graduate Student,
School of Psychology, Georgia Tech
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Caught in the act of snacking |
Tuesday, May 15
We are often asked about Yang Yang’s relationship with Mei Lan. As you may have read in previous updates, male giant pandas do not participate in caring for their offspring. Further, because adult giant pandas are solitary it’s unlikely that males encounter cubs in the wild. We don’t know if males recognize their offspring or not. It’s quite possible that they do not, because even females do not seem to be able to distinguish their cubs from those of other females. Often solitary species do not have a mechanism to distinguish their offspring from those of others, because under natural conditions they do not encounter unrelated young.
For these reasons, Yang Yang is separated from Lun Lun and Mei Lan. However, they do exchange enclosures. So, he smells Mei Lan and sometimes spends quite a bit of time smelling areas where she has rested or played. He is also able to hear her and can sometimes see her through the glass walls of the dayrooms.
Yang Yang will not share an enclosure with Mei Lan, because we do not know how he would react to her. He could be aggressive to her and harm her. He could also be playful with her, but still inadvertently harm her. We try to manage the giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta similar to how they would live in the wild. Given that males are not involved with cub care and probably do not spend time with cubs, we don’t think it’s socially appropriate or worth the risk to allow Yang Yang and Mei Lan to be in the same enclosure with each other. However, there is a mesh window between the outdoor exhibits, which we can cover or uncover as we choose. We have used this window to give Yang Yang and Lun Lun opportunities to see each other and interact, especially leading up to breeding season. The mesh allows the pandas to see, hear, and smell each other. It also allows some limited tactile contact. We plan to uncover this window in the next few weeks to allow Yang Yang and Mei Lan to meet each other. Stay tuned for that!
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, May 14
It was a slow week in town again, so I decided to leave. Four other people from the Research Base and I went to Wolong Nature Reserve to see the giant panda breeding center located there. We left early on Saturday morning for the approximately 135 km journey, which ended up taking over four hours. The roads are in bad condition because of construction that has been gong on. Traffic can only go in one direction because of the construction, heading to Wolong in the morning then heading back to Dujiangyan (a town in between Chengdu and Wolong) at night. Many times, on the road leading to Wolong, I thought that we where going to get stuck. All this was made worse by the fact that it had rained the day before, which actually resulted in closure of the road part of that day. But we made it in the end.
First thing we did was to check into the hotel (Wolong Hotel), because we were going to spend the night. The hotel was still under construction but in very nice condition as it presently stands. It also has a nice setting, with mountains all around. Next it was time to eat lunch so we headed up the road a little further to a small restaurant and had all sorts of things. Sometimes you just don't ask what you are eating, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. We did have a juice made from a fruit (at least that is what I was told) call sea-buckthorn. It was very good and I ended up buying some to bring back to Chengdu. Following lunch, we headed to the Wolong giant panda breeding center. It has a nice lay out for the public to see pandas of all ages. Many of the exhibits were set into the mountain side giving the pandas plenty of room to roam. Others had smaller exhibits, but had structures to climb and enrichment with which to play. It was also nice to see exhibits with a backdrop of mountains. After some time we headed back to the hotel, then went and walked around a little to see the town, the little that there is of it, before dinner. Finally, we had dinner, watched a couple movies, and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunny day with blue skies. It was an absolutely wonderful day to be in the mountains. So, I decided to take a walk to waste some time before we planned to leave at around noon. As you will remember, we could not get onto the main road until the afternoon to head back to Dujiangyan and then Chengdu. The ride home was no better than the one there because of stalled cars in the most inconvenient places. But we took it all in stride because everyone else was in the same boat. Overall the weekend was great.
All was mostly quiet at the Chengdu Research Base this week. Not many people were visiting because most people had to go back to work after the May holiday. All the pandas are doing well. We are still waiting for a few females to cycle.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
Sunday, May 13
Today is Lun Lun’s first Mother’s Day and she and Mei Lan are spending it just like every other day. They spent the morning outside in which Lun Lun enjoyed her morning bamboo while Mei Lan explored her habitat. During Mei Lan’s venture out she was trying to climb into the dry area of the pool, but she slipped and landed in the water. She did not stay and play, but instead quickly got out and continued her walk. But due to being wet from her dip in the pool she quickly became a dirt covered panda cub. Both she and Lun Lun then took their mid-morning naps. This was followed by a snack on bamboo for Lun Lun and a nursing session for Mei Lan. And as I write this update, they are enjoying an early afternoon play session. I am sure their day will continue on as any other, but as with all mothers, today is a great day to stop and reflect on just how wonderful they all are! We are continuously proud of our first time mom, Lun Lun. As I am sure you all are proud of your own mothers everyday of the year.
Happy Mother’s Day-mom!
Kate Roca
Giant Panda Keeper II
Saturday, May 12
After a hard, half day’s work, we are currently giving all of the pandas the rest of the day off so they can prepare for tonight’s festivities. They all need to look their best because they will all be at center stage for tonight’s annual Beastly Feast. This black tie gala is the signature fundraiser for us here at Zoo Atlanta. To celebrate the birth of Mei Lan, we have themed this years event the “Panda Extravaganza”. All of the pandas are spending their time off in different ways. Yang Yang is spending time in his den with a bundle of bamboo, just enjoying the air conditioning. Lun Lun has chosen to stay in the dayroom where she also has a bundle of bamboo. Mei Lan has chosen to take an afternoon nap to allow herself to stay up late for the event. However they have chosen to prepare, I’m sure they will all come off as the superstars they are. I just hope I can keep up with all of their special requests tonight. You how needy superstars can be!
Kenn Harwood
Large Mammal/Carnivore Keeper III
Friday, May 11
Mei Lan is 247 days old today (a little over 8 months) and right on track developmentally. She weighed 16 kg (35.3 lbs) this morning. We don’t often see her nurse during the day anymore, but she is clearly getting plenty of milk from Lun Lun because Mei Lan is growing steadily. Although she’s not changing very much compared to the first few months, it’s still a tremendous treat for us to watch her grow and continue to behave exactly as a young giant panda should.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Thursday, May 10
I've certainly mentioned our panda training program previously. The adults seem to love their sessions, and almost always choose to participate. This allows us to teach them many useful behaviors, increasing their trust in us, and reducing stress levels all around. We started some time ago encouraging Mei Lan to begin particular behaviors, and since she wasn't eating any solid foods at that point we were trying to use attention and excited voices to reward her.
Positive reinforcement is all about building favorable associations. With the adults, we use their small daily allotment of fruit and leafeater biscuits. They love the biscuits, which are a nutritious dietary supplement containing protein, vitamins, and minerals, and so we can ask for a behavior and provide a biscuit when they comply. They perform, they get a reward, and so chances are they'll do it again next time they're asked, meaning everybody wins. Mei Lan will take the odd biscuit, piece of banana, or bamboo shoot from us, but this then results in her laying on her back savoring the treat. Clearly she doesn't pay any more attention to us after that, so as long as we need her to do something for us, we use "happy" voices and attention, until our final request is made and she can settle in with a goodie.
Right now we are reinforcing "come", asking her to come towards us when we call. I have also started her on "target". When she does approach us when called, I hold out my fist and tell her "target". Innate curiosity usually leads her to touch her nose to the "target" (my fist), and she gets a great reward when she does. Like everything else with our Atlanta beauty, it's all about baby steps. But she's taking bigger ones every day, as we can even get her to come to us to the small window in the keeper doors in the dayrooms, something you might catch during your next visit to the zoo, or on Pandacam.
Jay Pratte
Giant Panda Keeper III
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Mei Lan, bamboo inspector |
Wednesday, May 9
Yang Yang and Lun Lun continue to eat primarily the culm or stalk of the bamboo they are offered. They've eaten mostly Phyllostachys bissetii this spring, but the large stand from which the zoo's bamboo harvesting team was cutting has been nearly depleted. So, we've tried several other bamboo species in recent weeks. At the moment, Phyllostachys aureosulcata (yellow groove) is going over pretty well. Hopefully, the pandas will continue to like the yellow groove because that species is fairly plentiful in the Atlanta area.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Tuesday, May 8
As Mei Lan shows us everyday, she is certainly capable of negotiating all parts of her enclosures. We are surprised that she still hasn’t investigated the moat at the front of her outdoor habitat. We expected her to climb into or fall into this area early on in her explorations. As described in previous updates, that area received the focus of our baby proofing efforts, but so far our precautions have been unnecessary. She does walk near the edge of the moat frequently and this morning she stood at the edge and peered down into the moat for a minute, but apparently she’s not interested in venturing down. Lun Lun has pulled Mei Lan away from the edge of the moat a few times, but typically mom’s warnings don’t long prevent Mei Lan from checking out things that interest her. Lun Lun hasn’t gone into the moat since she started going outside with Mei Lan. So maybe, Mei Lan is waiting to follow Lun Lun’s example.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Giant Panda Research and Management
Monday, May 7
Throughout China most of last week and also today was May Holiday (sometimes called the Golden Week). Basically it is another week long holiday during which most people get time off from work. There are three that occur each year, one in February, one in May, and one in October. From what I can gather, this holiday has something to do with the date that a Russian (Communist) Revolution occurred. To celebrate the victory, communist countries (or at least those with a history of communism) use this time to honor the people/workers. Anyway, the major point is that people throughout China had a week off of work. As a result, people were out everywhere. On Saturday, a friend and I went downtown to do a little shopping and what an adventure that turned out to be. Taxis were full and it took forever to find an empty one, which required us to run down one before people coming the other direction could get into it (if you are not sitting in it someone else will be). Once downtown, people were everywhere shopping because much like holidays in the US, stores were having sales to attract buyers. Pushing my way through the streets and in stores to look at merchandise is not my idea of a good time. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the whole story.
Because of the holiday, the Research Base and the Chengdu Zoo were packed full of people. Luckily it was a little warm for the pandas. So, they were inside, which meant that Li Chun Lin (our Chinese research assistant) and I were able to hide behind the barriers and avoid the crowds. As I have mentioned before, crowds and research observations don't always go well together. Three pandas also decided to go into peak estrus this week, which stopped some of the vet staff from enjoying their holiday. One of the females, Yao La Da, is a subject in our study. She had an abnormal estrus in that she didn’t show strong receptive behavior until the prime 24 hour window around ovulation. Luckily many of the keepers know that I collect data on her, and they let me know what was going on. There always has to be one panda that has to surprise everyone.
Joseph T. Svoke
Giant Panda Keeper II
< month 10
