At the San Diego Zoo, we currently house a population of four pandas. Even if Bai Yun should give birth again before Mei Sheng leaves us at age 3, we will, at most, have six bears living at our facility. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough to anchor most major descriptive or empirical studies, because the number of individuals studied is so low. So how do we accomplish our goal of obtaining a large population size for a study? In a word: collaboration.

Over the years, our greatest research collaboration has been with the Wolong breeding center in China where Bai Yun was born and where Hua Mei now resides. During my last visit in 2002, the breeding center was home to 54 pandas! As their captive population of pandas has grown, so too has our ability to perform research that culminates in statistically powerful results. At that facility we have conducted research on maternal care, chemical communication, and male breeding behavior. In working with such large numbers of bears in Wolong, we have been able to get results that can be applied to all types of pandas: both males and females, young and old bears, pandas raising cubs, youngsters who were twins or who were singletons.

Sometimes a study requires a level of detail difficult for us to obtain in Wolong. Such a study may require intensive cooperation of husbandry staff and training of bears to perform a task. These kinds of studies can often be accomplished best in U.S. zoos. In order to obtain a reasonably high sample size, institutions within the U.S. will often collaborate with one another to include their captive populations in the research. For example, a few years ago Zoo Atlanta, National Zoological Park, and the San Diego Zoo all participated in a study looking at the panda’s cognitive abilities. Bears at each facility performed the same tasks so that researchers could assess their foraging strategies. This project required a lot of time and effort on the part of participant zoos (in San Diego, we spent more than a year running trials with bears!), but yielded insight into aspects of how the pandas learn and what environmental cues they use to find food.

Collaboration is important to research on most endangered species. On a grand level, the involvement of scientists, governments, and captive animal facilities is necessary to ensure the survival of many animals. In San Diego, we are pleased to be part of the effort to learn about, and promote the conservation of, so many species in need.

Suzanne Hall is the panda research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.

View giant pandas on Panda Cam.

Early last year, Delilah moved to the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater and has been incorporated into our “Legends and Lore” show. Delilah has learned many new behaviors, including following her trainers, jumping up to a mark, and attacking a rubber snake. She even begins a “Knock knock, who’s there?” joke. This “knock knock” behavior is new for Delilah. As we have often seen with other species, when an animal learns something new it likes to do that behavior as often as it can. During a recent show, Delilah was “waiting in the wings” for her turn. Tundra the reindeer opens the show by running out to a microphone and stays out until her trainer recalls her by tapping three times on a plastic bucket. While Tundra was on stage, Delilah decided to practice her knock knock behavior against the inside of her crate and this time she knocked three times instead of her usual two. The sound echoed so loudly that Tundra heard it on stage. She thought it was her recall sound, so she ended her segment early and returned to her trainer, all under the control of a southern ground hornbill. Wow, it had to be a first in animal training history: a bird training a reindeer!

Maureen O. Duryee is an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater.

Here’s a profile and video about Delilah.
Here’s Maureen’s blog about Tundra’s performance.

The hospital staff provides medical care for anything from a tiny African jacana (the chicks are about the size of a quarter!) to a gigantic Cape buffalo. But animal care and treatment isn’t limited to the hospital itself. Our seven veterinarians, six hospital keepers, and six registered veterinary technicians are out in the field daily, doing anything from performing routine exams on a flock of Chilean flamingos to an ultrasound on an African elephant. There are also two on-site senior laboratory technicians available to prepare all the lab work necessary to help veterinarians evaluate the medical conditions of so many animals.

One of the most exciting hospital procedures I’ve experienced was the birth of Koza, our African lion cub. After struggling through the night in labor, it was decided that Etosha, Koza’s mother, should undergo a caesarean section. She was quickly brought to the hospital that morning and prepared for surgery, with field staff staying behind as long as they could to watch and hope for a happy outcome.

After nearly two hours it was time for the cub to be removed. Dr. Nadine Lamberski, who was performing the surgery, reached in to take hold of the wet, lifeless little cub and quickly handed him over to Dr. James Oosterhuis. The cub had aspirated meconium, which is a baby’s first feces and typically passed in the womb during early pregnancy and again in the first few days after birth. The cub’s airway was blocked with the sticky substance, and he wasn’t able to take his first breath.

Dr. “O,” as we fondly refer to him, had a very distressed newborn lion cub in his hands and proceeded to try and stimulate the 5.9-pound (2.6-kilogram) lion cub into breathing. After several attempts to revive the cub, Dr. O’s expertise and genuine love for animals was what ultimately brought Koza back to life and into all our hearts. Thanks to the skill and professionalism of the medical staff, as well as the field staff who assisted, we all get to enjoy Koza’s antics and appreciate how fortunate we are that he’s here.

Valerie Stoddard is the senior administrative assistant at the Wild Animal Park’s Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center.

Here’s a profile on Koza and his puppy companion.
Here’s more information about the lions at the Wild Animal Park’s Lion Camp.
Watch video of Koza and Cairo playing.
“Adopt” Koza and Cairo during the month of February only.

As you can see from the photo at left, Soso is in a ‘satellite’ holding area adjoining the main enclosure (Eumujock is below him). In a few weeks, Soso and Eumujock will be released into the main enclosure, after getting to know the drills next door through the safety of metal bars over the past months. Without mothers to protect them, young primates are often at risk when entering a new social group, so Soso and friends will be released into the main enclosure at the same time so that they can look after each other.

Meanwhile, I visited the people of Locndeng on Friday. Locndeng is a very small village on the northern edge of what we hope will soon be the Ebo National Park. The Ebo forest is where the San Diego Zoo’s CRES established a Research Station in April 2005, and my hard-working team of Cameroonian biologists is surveying the forest every day, trying to find the elusive drills as well as the gorillas, chimpanzees, and seven other primate species!

I went to Locndeng to talk to the people about our work: it is very important that they understand and are reminded about what we are doing in the heart of the forest and why we are doing it. I was accompanied by a social anthropologist from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Cameroon. CRES is working with WWF in this region to try to sensitize the population about the benefits that a protected area may have for them, as well as for Cameroon as a whole. We were also accompanied by the local ‘Chief of Post’ for the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, who greatly appreciated our efforts in talking to the people.

Our meeting went very well, despite being interrupted by an enormous thunderstorm which rattled the schoolroom tin roof so much that we were afraid it would collapse. Locndeng is one of many villages in this area whose main source of income is from selling wild meat. As we entered the village, we were horrified to see a fully grown red river hog (the size of a large pig) being carried on someone’s back, dripping with blood. Seeing wild meat is not an unusual sight in Cameroon, but red river hogs are becoming very scarce and are protected to the highest degree by Cameroonian laws. We can only hope that our sustained efforts will ameliorate what is already a serious and very complex social and biological issue.

Dr. Bethan Morgan is a CRES Conservation Research Fellow in Cameroon.

Here’s more information about Dr. Morgan’s study.

Some of you have asked about our handling of Su Lin and other bears relative to any plans to reintroduce animals into wild habitat. I recall many discussions back when Hua Mei was a baby. We had to ask ourselves, “Is Hua Mei a candidate for reintroduction?” If so, we would have to manage her in a very hands-off style. Very little contact with the keepers would have been made. Veterinary exams would have been kept to a minimum. Hua Mei’s contact with the human world would be as limited as possible in order to facilitate her eventual transition to a wild life.

When it was determined that Hua Mei was not a candidate for reintroduction, we felt it necessary to take a different course with her. If she was to live in managed care all her life, we wanted to ensure that she would be comfortable with all of the facets of her environment. Examinations and management schedules did not aim to be hands off. Keepers made sure to spend time interacting with her purely for the sake of the interaction. Such encounters would prepare her to have a good relationship with her handlers.

In Wolong, China, only one or two animals to date have been targeted for reintroduction. The chosen bear is moved to a special pen in which interaction with humans is dramatically reduced so that the animal can learn to live a solitary life, as wild pandas do. As the reintroduction phase of research in Wolong is in its infancy, I can’t tell you what the results are yet, but keep your fingers crossed for success! The future of pandas in the wild would benefit from a successful reintroduction program.

A reader also asked why pandas are endangered. Unequivocally, the greatest threat to pandas is the human population. As the numbers of people grow by leaps and bounds, panda habitat is reduced and fragmented to make room for homes and farms and roads. These intrusions, coupled with the panda’s biological requirements for vast amounts of bamboo, secure nesting sites, and large territories, have resulted in the decline of the panda population over the years.

Another set of questions I read in the comments asked how panda lovers anywhere can contribute to panda conservation, hopefully to lift pandas out of their endangered status. One easy way is to support the research of scientists working to protect the species. The work that such scientists do helps maintain the health of the captive population until such time as members are identified for reintroduction, and ensures that there are many captive animals to choose from for future reintroductions. Research helps to better understand the wild populations so that reintroductions can be carefully managed for maximum success. Although our work may begin with a simple “why?,” our goal is that our answer will benefit the panda species for years to come.

Suzanne Hall is the panda research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.

View giant pandas on Panda Cam.

We were fortunate to be able to see three different aspects of the Zoo’s Pathology Department this week. We started out in Necropsy, where the girls got to see real samples of diseased bone and horn, and formalin-fixed tissues. It is here that the initial postmortem exams take place—the “path techs” and pathologists work together to collect sample tissues for further study. Sometimes, a diagnosis can be made by simple observation—a broken bone or severe injury is usually easy to identify—but more often it takes microscopic examination. The highlight of this area, aside from all of the equipment and the massive walk-in refrigerator, was a large sable antelope heart, showed to us by one of the pathology technicians.

Our next stop was Histology, where tissue samples are prepared for microscopic examination. Histologist Yvonne Cates explained that a tissue is any group of cells that works together for a purpose, and the girls came up with great examples of different types of tissues found in their own bodies. While Path Techs April Gorow, Julie Concha, and Mark Hammond put small tissue samples into cassettes to be processed, Yvonne showed us how to embed the tissue in paraffin once it’s ready. The girls got to practice with heart-shaped jellybeans and had their very own cassettes to take home at the end of the afternoon!

Once the tissue is embedded, it can be cut into very thin slices and put on slides. After some final processing, each case goes to pathologists like Dr. Rebecca Papendick, who showed us how beautiful cells and tissue samples can be when viewed under the ‘scope. Pathologists can often see evidence of disease, injury, and parasites at this level, and we were able to see the differences between healthy and diseased tissue under Dr. Papendick’s tutelage.

While sitting in that dark room looking at slides projected onto a screen before us, one of the new girls turned to me and with eagerness in her voice asked, “Oooh! Can we do this again next semester?!” I think it’s a good sign!

Special thanks to the entire Pathology Department for your time and efforts. Having spent nearly a year on loan to this department, I carry a special fondness for all of you and know how valuable your time is. Kudos!

Cindy Spiva-Evans is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Girls In Science is a program for Roosevelt Middle School girls which creates science-based experiences with professional women at the San Diego Zoo. The program is funded through the generosity of the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Our fascination with Tundra was immediate. She has big brown eyes that follow your every move. Her large square nose is covered by hair, which gives her a gentle look. Soon, Tundra and her trainers were working as a team. She rides the elevator to get to the Zoo’s Albert’s Restaurant when she makes appearances at nighttime parties. She walks by Spanky the brown bear, hyenas, and very large deer when taking her daily walks and she even sleeps next door to a wolf, her natural predator in the wild. She shows no signs of fear; on the contrary, she is relaxed and aware of her trainer’s directions at all times.

If you have ever watched the “California Cows” take a shower in a lawn sprinkler for a TV commercial, then you can appreciate a talking, singing reindeer. Usually, a trainer accompanies Tundra during her part of the Hunte animal show to share the natural history of reindeer. Now, Tundra will occasionally take the stage by herself, appearing before a microphone for the listening pleasure of the audience. She “introduces” the show and sometimes even “sings” a little tune!

Training Tundra to leave her trainer, stand at a microphone, and then return to a recall sound was extraordinarily easy. Tundra is an intelligent and curious animal; offering her new experiences is enjoyable for her. The microphone was designed to look like an old-fashioned microphone used in the 1920s so we could hide a cup behind the metal prop holding the food reinforcement. This food reward happens to be leaf eater biscuits, a favorite of Tundra’s! She is sent out to the microphone, stands in front of the microphone while eating her reinforcement, and then returns to a recall sound which is three consecutive taps on a plastic food pouch. Once she returns to her trainer, she is reinforced with her normal diet of low-fiber herbivore pellets. We planned the recall food reinforcement to be a little less desirable so that she would stay out on stage longer.

Those California Cows need to watch out, because now there is a new exotic cow on the block and she is happy, too!

Maureen O. Duryee is an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater.