Pandas Live on

Giant Panda Updates; From around the world

GIANT PANDA'S EYES WILL BE STUDIED FURTHER

An older male panda of 20 years, named Xiao Ming has been going through some eye surgery recently. Xiao, a wild panda, was discovered by farmers in the mountains in Taibai County, northwest China's Shaanix province in March 2007. He was weak and blind when he was found and was sent to the research center in Xi'an, which is the capital of the province. Veterinarians discovered that the Xiao was completely blind in his right eye and had a cataract in his left eye.

A consultant with the World Cataract Foundation had performed cataract surgery on Xiao's left eye back in December of last year, which was successsful. But when the doctor went in recently to implant a artificial crystal into Xiao's left eye, that would improve the vision, he realized that pandas need an artificial crystal tailor-made for them. He has contacted a foreign supplier to make the panda lens. They will continue to collect more comprehensive data on panda eyes for future implants.

Ma Qingyi, director of the center, said that pandas are near-sighted animals. Forty-to-Sixty percent of wild pandas suffer from cataracts and other eye diseases.

PANDA ENCLOSURE CONSTRUCTION CONTINUING DESPITE THE HEAT

Its hot, hot, hot at the Adelaide Zoo!  Despite this, we are in full swing! The plumbing and electrical supply (below ground) are almost entirely completed to the Giant Panda exhibit and are progressing well across other areas of the site. This has cleared the way for the pouring of the concrete footings to the Giant Panda holding building which will become Wang Wang and Funi's new home. This work is scheduled for later this week, pending further hot weather.

The hot conditions have slowed work on site, but this has given the project team an opportunity to finalize the majority of tenderers and trade packages. Shop drawings are currently been reviewed for elements such as precast concrete, structural steel and the perimeter fence. Last week also saw the achievement of several project milestones. The site sign has been installed in the location of the old 'what's the buzz' sign. It also marked the first concrete pour on site, resulting in the pouring of footings for the block work retaining walls to the Giant Panda exhibit dry moats.

The new Entrance Building will have significant extent of 'green walls' and a 'green roof'. The green walls are made from vertical planted cells that will house native plants. Planting of cells commenced last week off site at a nursery in Victoria. The plants will be be established there and then transported to Adelaide for installation in June this year.

You can leave comments at the Panda Exhibit blog.

EDINBURGH BIGINS PUBLISHING INFO ABOUT PANDAS ON THEIR WEBSITE

The Edinburgh Zoo who is in negotiations with China,to bring a breeding pair of pandas to their zoo, has begun publishing information all about giant pandas and their characteristics.  No news yet on official date that all of this will take place, but they are keeping their t's crossed and i's dotted.

WOLONG PANDA CLUB ANNOUNCES DONATION FROM QUAN-U FURNITURE

On February 23rd, 2009, a motorcade made by 5 trucks of Chengdu Quan U Furniture Co., Ltd. comes to CCRCPG Ya'an Bifengxian Base.  The materials on the trucks are donated by QuanU for building cabins for the giant pandas.  It is worth more than 200,000 RMB. QuanU selects, designs and processes the materials carefully to meet the habitat of the giant pandas.  In total of 4 cabins are built respectively in the No.1, No. 2 and No.4 House.  The employees of QuanU disregard the hardship and finish building the 4 cabins in one day.  When giant panda Xi Mei finds there is a more beautiful house in her enclosure, she is very happy.  After looking over, she goes into the house and is not willing to leave.

As the enterprise of environment friendly furniture, QuanU is always participating in kinds of environmental conservation career and public welfare.  In 2004, it adopts giant panda You You for lifetime at CCRCGP.  After 5.12 earthquake, it is paying close attention to Wolong's giant pandas and making funds for them

  Loading the wood from Quan U

  Start building

Xi Mei likes very much!

MERCEDES BENZ (China) ALSO TO HELP RECONSTRUCTION OF WOLONG

After the talking, Mercedes-Benz (China) primarily intends to make over the panda kindergarten with the hope of constructing a warmer and more beautiful home for the cubs. Besides, they will support the center's scientific research projects to promote the further development of giant panda conservation career. Mercedes-Benz (China) participates in nature protection career positively for a long term. It provides successive aids to World's Natural Heritage in China, including the giant panda's habitat in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. Their support to the giant pandas of CCRCGP will be the sublimation of their Green Legacy Program.

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

In the first week of the new semester, an activity that dealt with the psychological impacts of the quake was held again by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.  It was one in a series of activities held by the base after the earthquake, and included collecting donated goods, rice, and laptops, and organizing Children's Day activities and a summer camp. Experts in creative drama education were invited to work together to conduct activities at the Longmenshan Town Elementary School. The purpose of the activities were to increase the students’ confidence semester and to help them to enjoy life and the new semester.

After the activities, students shared their feelings. Most expressed a happiness that they’ve rarely felt since the quake and they hoped to have more programs and activities such as this one.

 

  

ZOO ATLANTA RECEIVES BEAUTIFUL QUILT

Thursday, February 26
Every once in a while, one of our giant panda fans truly goes the extra mile to show their love for and dedication to our favorite black-and-white royalty. On February 16, longtime panda fan Cherie Goodwin of Massachusetts presented Zoo Atlanta’s Carnivore Department with a gorgeous handmade quilt inspired by spectacular photos of – guess who – our very own Xi Lan, Mei Lan, Lun Lun and Yang Yang. Ms. Goodwin also brought a toy ball for Xi Lan and gifts for his keepers. (But we all know that getting to watch Xi Lan play with his new ball will be a gift in itself!)

On behalf of your panda friends in Atlanta, thank you, Cherie, for the beautiful work of your hands and your heart.  

Here is a another photo that you can view the quilt up close by clicking on it.  That is Cherie on the left holding up the quilt.  Congratulations, Cherie!  Thanks, to bob2cleo of flickr for this second photo.

 

Video of three cute cubs at Wolong

Thanks to, YingYing816 of YouTube for this adorable video of Quin Quin, Mei Xi, Si Jia. All three females were evacuated from the Wolong Research base after the earthquake for their safety.  They look like they are doing very well now in their new home at the Yunan Wildlife Zoo in China. Quin Quin is to the far left, Mei Xi is in the middle and Si Jia is on the far right. 

Mountain Kings 1.0

 

Railway is to cut through panda habitat

When I look back at the years of research and hard work done to protect the tiny, segmented habitat that giant pandas now live in, I become dismayed when I read China is now building a railway line right through what little territory that giant pandas have left.

Out comes this little article posted in the People's Daily Online that states, "The construction of the Chengdu-Lanzhou railway formally began on February 21. According to plans, the railway will run through "the protection corridor for giant pandas." In order to protect these national treasures, even more bridges and tunnels will be designed and constructed in this section making sure the giant pandas inhabiting the core area are not affected."

What are the giant pandas suppose to do during this six year construction project?

The World Wildlife Fund(WWF) who has over the years played an important role in trying to prevent the extinction of the giant panda through the research and study of the pandas habitat wrote this article, after completing field studies to document the affects of the recent May 12, 2008 earthquake.

Giant Panda Habitat: Long Road to Recovery  some excerpts of it, "New roads, power stations, mines and massive tourist projects have caused irreparable damage to some of China’s richest wildlife depositories, the Minshan and Qionglai mountains among them.

“The top concern during reconstruction should be reducing human disturbance on the environment.” Fan Zhiyong says.

Balancing human needs with the policies and actions necessary to ensure panda habitats are restored to optimal health is a formidable challenge. If funds are available for relocation of local residents, reserve staff may have an easier time ensuring the precious habitat is naturally restored. But if funding simply isn’t available, the challenges will be greater. The situation does indeed present a razor sharp double-edged sword."

"Dubbed the “Green Heart of China," the quake-stricken area is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which is also home to the Qinling, Minshan and Qionglai mountains. The area is a biodiversity hot spot and habitat for the giant panda and other rare species.

"Restoration of this “’Green Heart,’” says Ling Lin, director of WWF’s Chengdu office, “plays a key role in China's sustainable ecological development. Proper treatment will ensure China holds on to own one of the world’s most valuable natural landscapes."

Ling reveals that WWF is considering a five-year "Green Reconstruction" framework to include recommendations and ideas from experts around the world.

"Reconstruction is long-term work. We will work with partners from home and abroad to make sure our contributions count," Ling says"

The key words in this article and a point that I hope Chinese President Hu Jintao will take into account is 'Reconstruction is long-term work'.  Every construction and reconstruction project places an impact on the environment that sometimes cannot be reversed. 

I do not want to see more and more giant pandas living in zoo's around the world, as we hear of additional countries such as Malaysia, Brazil, Australia (in construction) and Scotland all bidding to house pandas in their zoos.  I want to see more and more of them living their lives out in the wild as they were created. 

China recently held a seminar promoting efforts to educate the younger generations into becoming more ecologically responsible.  See the post  China builds on ecology education.  The government of China needs to lead by example.   

Thanks to hugwildlife of YouTube for providing the link on the People's Daily on line article.

Team Michigan has panda siting!

I've been keeping up with this years adventure of the Michigan State's project Catching a Panda. 

"For the past dozen years, the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, led by Jianguo “Jack” Liu , painstakingly has gathered and crunched data on the pandas’ habitat, 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.

The scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries on the give-and-take between panda and human survival in the bamboo jungles, mountains and farmland of the Wolong Nature Reserve, home of the famous panda research and breeding center."

"Vanessa, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was among the first to obtain permits to trap the pandas 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 panda neighborhoods, learn how to preserve those and create more."

Vanessa reports this past week, they are experiencing a warmer winter then usual and not only have seen panda droppings nearby one of their trap locations, but part of their team actually saw a panda. 

China builds on ecology education

"Living green advocacy to build ecological civilization" was the title of a seminar held back in November, 2008, by the China Wildlife Conservation Association in Leshan city in Sichuan Province.

"Dynamic activities of the Association in the initiative, called the twenty-first century generation of young people: study consciously ecological knowledge, and enhance ecological awareness, so every word and deed, every move in line with the principle of green-saving. Consciously do in life to save a drop of water, a piece of paper, not disposable chopsticks,  do not take wild plants, not grasp frogs, snakes, etc. not to fight, love plants homeland, love of life to protect wildlife.  Set green concepts, pay attention to civilized way of life, through Small hand big hands, so that each student bring a family and thus society as a whole to promote ecological civilization construction."

A daunting task given the many generations of culture that have utilized the use of animal and plants into their every day medicinal applications.  China has for years set aside reserves to protect their ecosystems.  Now they are expanding their conservation efforts to teach the next generations children how to live and build a ecological civilization.

"Direct administration to prohibit and combat is necessary, but cultural awareness, cultural habits and enhance the culture of conservation, this is the fundamental measure. Only a clear understanding of culture and the relationship between the protection of wildlife, culture, the protection of natural ecological impact, from a deeper level of cultural thinking, from the person's moral values change in order to fundamentally eliminate the ecological crisis, in order to fundamentally change the chaos catch the bad habits of wildlife abuse."   

"Minors are the country's future hope of the nation, shouldering the third strategic goal of China's historical mission. Association has attached great importance to ecological and moral education of minors, and strive, through various forms, lively and interesting activities to attract minors to participate in wildlife protection.  Over the past few years the Association has organized the Xinjiang Ecological and moral education of minors seminars and speech contests; eco-secondary school students has organized summer camps, bird-watching activities; organized primary and secondary school students, "approached the Tibetan antelope, the protection of wild animals Fun Games:; organized :the Prevention of Cruelty to wild animals, meet the Green Olympics 'Young wildlife photographic exhibitions. These have a strong informative and interesting science activities, greatly inspired the students learn science, love science and enthusiasm, improve the care of green, the environmental awareness of ecological concerns, but also by the school teachers and students and parents warmly."

 

All of the talks given by the different speakers at the seminar are available for you to read here.  Living Green Advocacy

Atlanta cubs together

Thanks to bob2cleo who has gone on their own time off to see and bring back wonderful photos most every weekend of the pandas at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, U.S.

They still need our help!

 

  As the Chinese government works hard to plan out their reconstruction of the many areas that were affected by the earthquake, there still remains a handful of dedicated workers who are still at the Wolong Panda Reserve.  They take care of 7 panda cubs that the government kept at the reserve and would be the foundation of the new base that is to be built.  Here are some recent photos.

Life as they once knew it, has changed forever.  Shortages of most everything exist with roadways having been blocked or destroyed and are now just getting repaired.  They live in temporary structures as do their charges the cubs, dealing with freezing temperatures.   They live in almost complete isolation now.  The days of welcoming groups of tourist taking photos with the cubs and enjoying life in general are all in the past.  They have the future to look forward to and we can help them dream.   

Lets not forget about these brave people, you can still help by contributing to one of the many organizations listed to the left of this post under the title "You can help".   I know that Pandas International has direct dealings with the Wolong panda reserve and one of their founders, Suzanne Braden made a special trip right after the earthquake to deliver medical and food for those at the Wolong base. 

I know things are difficult for everyone with the economic times we are dealing with, but it is times like these that brings a world together.  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!