You know watching the Giant Pandas through the pandacam, you can't help getting attached to them. You become familiar with them as individuals due to their habits, physical characteristics and so on. So, when anything out of the ordinary happens with one of them, I go on heightened alert. Thanks to a small network of 'fellow' panda lovers, we keep each other informed if anything changes in the pandas routine.
I was at work the other day, getting a customers yard all set and cleaned up for the holidays when I got a phone call from a panda pal. "Tian needs to have surgery!", I stopped dead in my tracks, the hose I was watering with started flaying all around since I had loosened my grip on the darn thing, causing me to get all wet. "What!?" I screamed back to my friend. "Calm down, calm down, Tian is going to be okay" was the response.
Tian Tian the father of Tai Shan at the National Zoo in DC, apparently, had developed a condition called "cherry eye," in his right eye. The NZ published a statement on their site, describing the condition, saying it is associated with a tear gland, out of the inner corner of the eye. They thought he may have injured it with his interaction with Mei Xiang his female partner, or perhaps hitting the corner of his eye with a piece of bamboo. He was first treated with steroid and antibiotic drops, but when this treatment did not seem to help they elected to anesthetize him so they could take a closer look. You can see from the photos how bizarre Tian's eye looked.
Everything was well planned out by the staff at the National Zoo, keepers, vets, everyone was involved in the preparations as all of us on the outside waited patiently for the outcome. While Tian would have to be anestisized for this procedure, they took advantage of this opportunity and did a complete physical on him, including collecting sperm. The operation was a success, Tian was found to be in excellent health overall including his manhood. Whew! Before we knew it, Tian was back to his old self eating boo and just being himself.
Thanks to all of those dedicated professionals at the National Zoo and other facilities, who care for these wonderful creatures, and a big thanks to my panda friends around the world who through their photos, blogs, emails and phone calls keep each other informed so if there is anything we can do to help the giant pandas, we are ready, willing and able.
