Pandas Live on

Catching a panda - Part Two

Vanessa Hull of Michigan State University is once again back in China collecting data aimed at understanding and saving Giant Pandas.  Now back for her second season, the doctoral student is living in a research station in the remote mountains of Sichuan, China, and aims to capture, collar and track up to four wild pandas using advanced global positioning systems.  This is all in collaboration with Professor Zhiyun Ouyang at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director Hemin Zhang at Wolong Nature Reserve, with support from NSF, NASA, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and other sources...wow thats a mouthful.

With permit in hand to trap and fit them with safe GPS collars, she and the team map where these elusive creatures go, effectively letting the pandas tell the researchers the habitat they like best.

Scientists can mesh what the pandas tell them with that mountain of data.  It can help them identify the most hospitable pandas neighborhoods, learn how to preserve those and create more. 

Vanessa posts her journal online along with photos on flickr.  You can view the journal here and photos will be posted on this flickr site, although none have been posted from this year as of yet. 

 

Good luck, Vanessa, oh, how I would love to be there with you! We will keep everyone posted here with the results of your wonderful adventure.

San Diego News Updates

Zoo's have been a part of the world society for so long.  As giant pandas are moved around the world to help in their preservation, I generally read up on the zoo that they will be sent to and am always amazed at how far back many zoo's originated before pandas were ever introduced.  San Diego Zoo will be celebrating their 90 birthday later this week.  The Giant Panda Research Station has been a part of the zoo for the last 10 years.  Did you know that they took part in a 200-day visit in 1987 of two pandas, Basi and Yuan Yuan?  That was the beginning of them becoming so involved in Giant Pandas.  Ellie Rosenbaum provides a humorous recollection of their early days on their blog.  Be sure to read it.  You can also find out more about the kinds of celebrations they will be having at this link.  Congratulations, to the San Diego Zoo!

The San Diego zoo also just recently signed a new loan agreement with China so that their pandas would be in residence at the zoo for another five years!  Awesome news and as a result of this lots of new plantings were placed in both of the viewing area and enclosures.  Now we just need to hear what the other three U.S. zoo's are going to be doing with their pandas.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to the zoo's need for a panda bamboo cooler, they have now raised every dollar needed to fund the $112, 550 giant panda bamboo cooler!  As we reported back on December 13, 2008, you were all so very responsive to the zoo's need and they are so grateful for everything you have done to help them during this difficult and unexpected problem.  Way to go!

Xi Lan - My Twip to Hell and Back

Thanks to LCNessie15 for capturing this amazing webcam video of Lun Lun introducing Xi Lan to the dayroom at Zoo Atlanta. This is what panda mothers have to do when they decide the cub is ready to start their lessons outside the den. Now just imagine a panda mother in the steep mountainsides of China, traversing over rock cliffs and climbing trees. Panda mothers will place their cubs way up into the treetops and teach them to stay there for safety against predators while she goes out to eat, thus providing fresh milk for the cub when she returns. Notice how limp Xi Lan is while Lun is carrying him.

Big boy takes on the dayroom

Well, it looks like Lun Lun is feeling pretty confident of her little boy, Xi Lan or AJ, (Atlanta's Joy) and decided it was time to carry him from the den into the dayroom which is one of the rooms where the pandas are available for us to see when visiting the Atlanta zoo.  She carried him all over the room and actually climbed up onto the framework of the hammock with him!  So, here is a video of AJ getting familiar with his new play room along with a photo of Mei Lan and Yang Yang, all taken by our on-the-scene panda reporter from Atlanta, bob2cleo of flickr.

 

   

 

 

Here is Mei Lan, AJ's big sister. She was born September 6, 2006.

 

and of course, we can't forget Yang Yang, the proud daddy.

Tuan and Yuan celebrate the holidays in Taiwan

Tuan Tuan (male) and Yuan Yuan (female) the two pandas that China offered to Taiwan back in 2006 have finally made it to their new home with much fanfare.

Here is a short compilation of their farewell ceremony by the people at the Bifengzia panda base as well as their arrival to the their newly built home at the Taipei Zoo.

Tai Shan's greeting from the National Zoo

2008 China Environment Award is announced

George B. Schaller, PH.D. has been awarded the China Environment Prize for his efforts to study and protect China's giant pandas, Tibetan antelope, and the wild places where they exist. He just recently received The Indianapolis Prize in May of 2008. 

"The $70,000, prize was established in 2000 by the China Environmental Protection Foundation to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the cause of environmental protection in China.  The foundation was the first nonprofit organization in China dedicated to environmental protection." Environment News Service

Schaller is a Senior Conservationist with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Programs. He has worked with the Bronx Zoo-based organizations for over 50 years and has worked in China for much of the last 28 years.  He has been the recipient of several awards and written many books, including The Last Panda.

Here is a short video of Dr. Schaller that was put together back in May of 2008.  Thanks to great people such as Dr. Schaller, our giant pandas have a fighting chance to continue a long existance with us on this planet.  Congratulations! Thanks to Chet of Chet's Chatter for providing the tip on this article.

Tuan and Yuan have a date with Taiwan

The final plans are now in place for Tuan and Yuan to arrive at the Taipei Zoo on December 23, 2008.  Taiwan-based EVA Air will leave from Taiwan on December 22 and come back with their special guest on the following day. 

The airline company has arranged a Boeing 747-400 plane for the pair.  They will stay in a 180-square-meter chamber equipped with air conditioners to provide a comfortable temperature and humidity.

Feeders and veterinarians will be on hand during the journey so that they would not be frightened.  The Deputy Director of the China Panda Protection and Research Center, Li Desheng, had told Xinhua last Friday that the pair are in good health and ready to depart for the island at any time. 

Five staff from the Taipei zoo, which will house the two panda, have been at the Ya'an breeding center since October.  Thanks to anitalee of flickr for sharing Cherry's photo with us.  Information for this article was taken from CRIENGLISH.com

Taipei Zoo now has their giant panda web page up and running, showing pictures and videos of the two pandas along with photos and information about the brand new building that was prepared for Tuan and Yuan.

       

 

The special exhibit as they call it, has a large outdoor area and two indoor areas, 254 sq. meters and 210 sq. meters each.  The health-centric indoor enclosures are air conditioned, in the summer temperature is set between 18-22 degrees centigrade.  Humidity is controlled at 60-70% all year round.  The three story building will have the pandas on the first floor, visitor services on the second floor and the third will be utilized as a international conference hall.  I didn't see anything that would indicate they have a live webcam for the public to watch Tuan and Yuan right now and there is no mention of one that may be in the works.