These people are my good friends. I started living and working with them in 1996. I’ve eaten dinner at their houses, played cards with them, traveled with them, joked and worked with them. I played basketball with them every day it didn’t rain. I watched their children grow up. For the first five years or so I was over there living in Wolong for several months each year. It is my second home. Recently, I’ve moved to another reserve where I am studying wild pandas with different friends and colleagues, so I haven’t seen my Wolong friends as often as I’d like to.

I also know many of the pandas as individuals. I saw many of them being born. I watched them grow up, side by side with my human friends’ children. I am also concerned for their welfare, but believe that as long as the people taking care of them are okay, they’ll be okay. I didn’t expect many, if any, pandas to die. Most would be outside, the others in small bedrooms. If the bedrooms collapsed, I think a panda could withstand the falling concrete. Pandas are quite a bit tougher than humans. At 2:47 p.m., the time of the quake, people may be in their offices in 3-story buildings. The epicenter of the quake was nearby, so I imagine that many of these buildings have been demolished. I received an e-mail from Chinese contacts stating that indeed the area was “severely damaged.” I just have to wait to find out what, exactly, that means.

When I hear that, perhaps, none of the staff at the Wolong center were killed, I still worry. Even if none of the staff working at Wolong, more than 20 people living there may have been killed, according to some reports. I worry even more about their families. Many of the staff at Wolong have a second home in Dujiangyan, the city at the base of the mountain that was severely damaged by the quake. Here their spouses find work and their children go to school. Were any of them in the school there that collapsed, killing hundreds? The staff live in a complex of concrete apartment buildings six stories high. I’ve spent many weekends there, usually staying with my friend’s family on the sixth floor. I worry about them and all the other families there. Other reports indicate that an upstream dam is damaged and the army is working frantically to shore it up before it breaks. If it does, it will bring more devastation to Dujiangyan.

I am concerned for the pandas in the aftermath of the earthquake. They may escape damaged enclosures. Food and medicines may run low. Their human caretakers may be injured or dealing with the devastating results of the quake and not have time to give the pandas the best care possible. The best way to help the pandas, I believe, is to help the people taking care of the pandas. If their needs for food, shelter, and family security are met, they will continue to take excellent care of the pandas with the resources they have available to them.

I hope both my panda and people friends at Wolong are okay and that they will pull through this in the face of what must be horrific devastation.

Ron Swaisgood is the co-head of the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Conservation Unit.

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Once all the materials are in place, it is time to socialize males and females a little at a time and watch the birds’ behaviors, good and bad. This part of the process feels a little bit like chaperoning a school dance—except that we want the amorous couple to go all the way! This year at MBCC we have three pairs of breeding puaiohi, three pairs of Maui parrotbills, and three pairs of ‘alala.

The Hawaiian crow, or ‘alala, is critically endangered, and breeding season for this species is especially important. Much thought and planning goes in to every step of the process. Socializations start with 20-minute sessions to watch for the crows’ initial reactions to each other. This new and sudden interaction can lead to positive results, such as wooing and copulation. It could also very easily go the other way with contact aggression and fighting. As the crows grow more comfortable with each other and within each other’s aviaries, the sessions are lengthened and will eventually last the entire day. It only takes one good socialization to produce results, but allowing for that perfect moment to occur is risky business.

So far this year we have three puaiohi hatchlings that the staff are hand raising, and they are doing great! One is now three weeks old and is learning to eat on his own. The second was hatched one week ago and is slowly and painfully growing in feathers. The last is only a few days old. The chicks hatch featherless and blind and are completely dependent on their substitute parents, the staff. Over the next 40 days they grow bigger and stronger, learn how to eat by themselves, fledge the nest, and eventually learn to fly. Whether these chicks are later released on Kauai or become captive breeders, they, like all the new arrivals, are valuable to the survival of the species. And that makes our work here so important!

We also have four more eggs in the incubators that are set to hatch within the next few days. Every day the eggs are weighed to monitor the amount of fluid that is being lost. The eggs are kept in highly sensitive incubators that can be adjusted to the most exact degrees of heat and humidity, depending on the specific conditions the egg needs to properly develop. The eggs are also candled periodically to watch for specific stages in development. What we look for during candling are signs of healthy egg development; blood vessels, embryo growth and movement, and expansion of the air cell.

Busy birds mean busy days for the staff at MBCC! We will keep you posted on our progress throughout breeding season. In the meantime, send lusty thoughts our way!

Karen McKeogh is an intern at the San Diego Zoo’s Maui Bird Conservation Center.

Read more blogs about the Hawaii Endangered Bird Program…

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Habitat pressure from an ever-increasing human population is a common problem for many endangered species. In China, where the population is thought to have exceeded 1.32 billion last year and continues to grow at a reasonably slow rate of 0.6% per year (as of 2003), nearly 8 million people are added annually. Housing and feeding these people, and supporting the amazingly fast economic development of China, requires resources. The clearing of land for agricultural purposes represents a significant threat to the panda today.

Fortunately, the Chinese government began taking action to protect the panda in the latter half of the 1900s. A system of panda reserves was created to set aside habitat for the bear, whose populations had already contracted into the shrunken spaces allotted to them. Unfortunately, the subpopulations have been isolated from one another, separated by farms and restricted to high mountain areas.

Some corridors have been created recently that could allow for movement of bears between subpopulations, and efforts to replenish bamboo in low-lying areas of some reserves have begun. Steps such as these aim to mitigate the impact of past habitat fragmentation, but the current small groupings of bears and their relative isolation from one another remains a great challenge to the species. Not only does such fragmentation limit genetic exchange and reduce the potential for mating opportunities, but it makes the panda especially vulnerable to food shortages.

As you know, the panda subsists nearly exclusively on bamboo. Usually, this food source is an abundant, fast-growing plant that literally surrounds the bears in their habitat. However, the bamboo life cycle is such that at intervals the plant will experience a mass die-off, affecting nearly all plants of that species. When this occurs, pandas must switch to alternate bamboo species to fill their stomachs. Unfortunately, another side effect of habitat fragmentation is that switching to another species of bamboo may not be a viable option for some panda subpopulations. Chance plays a role in determining the abundance of various bamboos in a particular pocket of habitat, and if a panda was unlucky in that it lives in an area with a low diversity of bamboo species, it could be stranded without food. Without good corridors connecting pockets of habitat, the pandas within areas of mass die-off may starve.

According to the Red List, the most significant factor in conserving the panda today is habitat restoration. To this end, China has worked to increase forestation in and around reserves. Several programs banning logging and discouraging hillside farming in previously forested areas have been implemented. According to a 2006 report of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, these progressive policies have resulted in gains in forested area in China. Continued progress with such efforts should ultimately benefit the panda, as well as other species that share its habitat.

How can you, as a concerned global citizen, contribute to efforts to improve the outlook for this endangered bear? Since the government of China is the largest agent in promoting positive changes for the giant panda, it may seem that an ordinary person might not be able to have an impact. However, it is possible to offer support to organizations that work with the Chinese government to encourage conservation efforts for the panda. The World Wildlife Fund has a long history of such partnerships with Chinese ministries responsible for maintaining the panda population and currently has several habitat-oriented conservation efforts in place. Additionally, supporting efforts to promote panda research within China, using Chinese scientists, can increase pressure on the Chinese government from within. The San Diego Zoo collaborates with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, promoting the work of Chinese researchers who are studying the ecology of wild pandas.

The bottom line: preservation of wild populations of pandas is primarily dependent upon the restoration of panda habitat in China. The Chinese government holds the cards in this effort. As a global citizen, you can make the greatest difference by finding a way to contribute to continuing and future efforts to increase forestation, set aside more reserves, and reduce habitat fragmentation. With improved efforts in these areas, we may soon see the giant panda removed from the endangered species list.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician with the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Unit.

Listen to an iZoofari Chat with Suzanne about panda conservation…

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However, like many endangered species, the sun bear’s habitat is subject to tremendous pressure and is disappearing at an alarming rate. This habitat destruction (a loss of thousands of square kilometers per year in Sumatra and Borneo alone) is one of the two primary conservation threats to the species.

Sun bears have historically been found throughout the Southeast Asian region, from India and China in the north down through Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo in the south. There are two subspecies of sun bears: the mainland variety, found in the northern, central, and Sumatran part of the range; the Bornean variety, found exclusively on the island of Borneo. Both subspecies are at risk, though the IUCN does not differentiate levels of threat at the subspecies level in the case of the sun bear.

The region of the world inhabited by the sun bear is a place of large, often fast-growing human populations. For example, the country of Indonesia, with a landmass nearly three times the size of the state of Texas, is home to about 235 million people (the population of Texas was about 23.5 million in 2006). Laos, about twice the size of Pennsylvania, has a population growing at a rate of 2.8% per annum as of 2003 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pennsylvania boasted a growth rate of 1.3% in 2006).

Although the human population growth rate in the areas of sun bear habitat is high, loss of habitat results from industries supported by consumers around the world. Primary causes of habitat destruction include clear cutting to develop farming plantations, illegal lumber extraction, unsustainable logging, and forest fires. Logging of tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and ramin continues as consumers in the industrialized world demand furniture and home décor items such as picture frames, wooden blinds, and decorative moldings made of these woods.

Plantation farming in the last several years has focused on one primary product: palm oil. Consumers worldwide are enjoying supermarket fare such as chocolate, bread, cosmetics, and detergents made with unsustainably harvested palm oil. They may not be aware that their purchases are having a direct impact on the survivability of the sun bear, as well as other endearing species that share their habitat: the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and bearded pig, to name a few.

There is another great threat to the conservation of the sun bear: commercial hunting. Throughout its home range, the bear is killed as a means of acquiring infant bears for the pet trade, or bear parts for the medicinal trade, or simply because the bears are considered a nuisance or safety hazard. Hunting of sun bears is largely an issue in countries where deforestation is relatively negligible, places where most bear habitat exists only in protected reserves or forests. However, poaching can be a devastating influence, too: Thailand’s sun bear numbers are thought to have been reduced by 50 percent in the last 20 years as a result of hunting. Bile farming with sun bears exists in countries such as Vietnam, where wild bears are often caught to supplement the stock of animals used to extract this fluid used for its purported medicinal purposes.

Smart consumer choices of savvy global citizens can go a long way toward increasing the survivorship of the sun bear. When selecting wood products for your home, choose items that are sustainably harvested, ensuring that the wood was not taken illegally or in a manner that will harm bear habitat. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies products that are environmentally responsible, made from wood that does not contribute to the destruction of the world’s forests. Their logo can be found on items in places like big home supply stores to smaller home décor shops.

If you are traveling to any of the exotic locales in which sun bears may be residents, please be wary of purchasing bear products you might find in markets. In most cases, your government would not allow importation of such animal souvenirs purchased abroad, thanks to the terms of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), of which many nations are signatories. Even so, the purchase of animal products clearly has a direct link to the death of that animal, and a vulnerable species such as the sun bear should not be subject to commercial sale.

The outlook for the sun bear is rather bleak. With 30 percent of its habitat disappearing in the last 30 years, the pressure is on for the “dog-faced bear.” Fortunately, this is one species that can be impacted by the efforts of people living thousands of miles away from sun bear habitat. Smart consumers can really play a roll by voting with their dollar, purchasing sustainable products as they go about their daily activities. If enough people support environmentally friendly methods of producing goods such as those outlined above, there may yet be hope that sun bears will continue to exist in the wild for future generations to appreciate.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician with the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Unit.

Listen to an iZoofari Chat about sun bears with Suzanne…
…and a chat with a sun bear keeper (with a sun bear chiming in!)…

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Andean bears are the only species of bear native to South America, but their extinct relatives and ancestors once lived in North America. In fact, fossils of some of their kin, the short-faced bears, have been found just up the coast from San Diego, in Los Angeles. Although Andean bears are only medium sized when compared to the other bears living today, short-faced bears were the largest carnivores ever to walk on land.

By visiting the Zoo, by watching Panda Cam, or by reading other blogs (see Bear Awareness Days blogs), you probably already know that some bears spend a lot of time up in trees. For example, young giant pandas get themselves into such situations that you just have to wonder how they’re going to get down from there! What you may not know is that Andean bears may be the most arboreal of all bears. Not only do they feed on fruits and bromeliads at least 50 feet (15 meters) up in trees, but they also make ‘nests’ out of broken limbs. Researchers aren’t sure exactly why they make these nests, but two of the main hypotheses are that they are used as platforms for feeding or for resting, as you might expect.

Andean bears are currently considered to be at “high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Because their populations are believed to be declining, South American researchers have conducted heroic research on Andean bears for years, trying to determine where they live and what habitats they use, and trying to estimate how many bears there are. However, because these bears typically live in forests, spend so much time in trees, and avoid humans, we still don’t know very much about them. In fact, until a few years ago when researchers were able to radiocollar two bears in Bolivia, we didn’t know whether they were primarily active during the day, during the night, or both. (It appears that they’re active during the day.)

Today we have many more questions about Andean bears than we have answers: Where do females give birth to their cubs? How much habitat does an Andean bear need? What kind of habitat is best for Andean bears? Is it males, or females, that move from where they’re born to settle somewhere else? All of these questions have implications for bear conservation, but right now we can only guess at the answers, based on what we know about American black bears and brown bears. To begin filling the gaps in our knowledge, researchers at the San Diego Zoo are starting a conservation and research program in southeast Perú. In this long-term program we plan to collaborate extensively with Perúvian institutions, biologists, and local communities.

Unfortunately, some of what we do know about Andean bears is not good news. The greatest threats to Andean bear conservation are habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, although poaching by humans is a problem in some areas. The bears were once found in a wide variety of South American forests but are now primarily restricted to forests at higher elevations, much as the giant panda is now restricted to higher elevation bamboo forests in China. Andean forests are being logged for timber or for conversion to agricultural fields, often by local people who see these activities as their best economic options. In addition, like American black bears, Andean bears sometimes come into conflict with farmers when they raid fields of corn and other crops. In fact, the first and only time I’ve been lucky enough to see a wild Andean bear was in a cornfield in the mountains of Ecuador. As you can tell from these threats to Andean bear conservation, their future depends not only on learning more about them, but also on ensuring that economic conditions favor bear conservation.

What can you do to make a difference? Most directly, if you travel to one of the five countries where Andean bears live (Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Perú, and Bolivia), do not buy any souvenirs or products made with bear parts. It is illegal for people to kill Andean bears and to sell products made with bear parts. Besides, under international treaties it would probably be illegal for you to bring these products back to your home, wherever that may be. In addition, you should not support roadside zoos in these countries, but you should support rescue and rehabilitation centers that work with governmental natural resource agencies.

Does this mean that you can’t affect Andean bear conservation if you don’t travel in South America? No. Regardless of whether or not you travel to South America, you can support Andean bear conservation through four types of action. First, you can support conservation and research efforts focused specifically on Andean bears, either directly or through organizations such as the International Bear Association. Second, because the primary threats to Andean bear conservation are based on economic issues, you can support the bears by supporting efforts to develop sustainable economies in Andean bear country. Third, reduce your use of forest products, use recycled forest products wherever possible, and use products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Finally, because global climate change threatens the stability of ecosystems everywhere, take steps to reduce your energy use. Each of these actions would also benefit the conservation of other bear species, and other forest-dwelling species, so your efforts on behalf of Andean bears would produce broader conservation benefits.

The next time you’re at the top of Bear Canyon, enjoy a nice long look at our Andean bears. You’re gazing at an enigmatic, elusive mystery, and you’re getting a much better view than you would in the forests of South America!

Russ Van Horn is a senior researcher in the San Diego Zoo’s Applied Animal Ecology Division.

Listen to an iZoofari Chat with Russ…
Listen to an iZoofari Chat with an Andean bear keeper…
Read other Bear Awareness Days blogs from bear keepers and researchers…
Listen to other iZoofari Chats about bears…

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There is just something about polar bears that captures the imagination and attention of people of all ages.

In recent years, this fascination with polar bears has taken on a new dimension as the public has become aware of the possible fate of polar bears if global climate change continues to warm the Arctic and melt the sea ice. Can you imagine an Arctic without polar bears? I can’t! Researchers and animal care staff here at the San Diego Zoo, in collaboration with Polar Bears International, are doing everything we can to help polar bears survive in the wild through conservation-based scientific research and education.

Conservation Status of Polar Bears: How are they doing and what are the threats to their continued survival?

In the 1950s and 1960s, polar bears were reduced to as few as 5,000 individuals worldwide due to overhunting. The current total number of polar bears is estimated to be about 22,000 bears, divided amongst 19 subpopulations. The worldwide population has remained stable at this level for many years now, thanks to intensive management of hunting quotas. The rebound in the polar bear population numbers is a great reminder that humans can make a positive difference. Unfortunately, in recent years scientists are starting to see declines in population numbers in several subpopulations. These declines are undoubtedly the result of the loss of sea ice resulting from global climate change.

Through science-based management of hunting, and the fact that the Arctic has long been inhospitable to large-scale human development, polar bears are the only species of bear that still inhabits the entirety of its historic range. But that range, the Arctic sea ice, is disappearing at an alarming rate. If global climate warming continues at its current pace, the Arctic summer sea ice (that is, the ice that should be in the Arctic year-round) could be gone within 50 years. This stark statement is actually a relatively moderate prediction put forth by the ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment) working group, and is based on an average of predictions from various, reputable, climactic models. This prediction, along with others, prompted the Center for Biological Diversity to file a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in January of 2007 to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (1972). The decision as to whether or not the polar bear should be “listed” under the ESA is imminent, and most polar bear biologists agree that “all, or a significant proportion of the total population [of polar bears] will become endangered in the foreseeable future” if no action is taken.

What does this mean for polar bears? Action needs to be taken to slow down, and ultimately reverse, the melting of the Arctic sea ice because polar bears (and many other animals) depend on this sea ice to survive. They feed on it, they find each other and breed on it, and many females’ den and give birth to cubs on it. Although polar bears are adept swimmers and are classified as marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1973), they are not adapted to a fully aquatic existence in the way that seals and whales are. The marine environment in which they thrive is that frozen platform of ocean that gives them an ideal perch from which to hunt seals. The fat from these seals provides polar bears with all the calories they need to survive in the Arctic cold. In fact, polar bears typically only eat the fat from the seals, leaving the remaining carcass for Arctic foxes and other scavengers. Polar bears, like all bears, will feed opportunistically on other food items. But the nutrition gained from these other sources simply does not provide the energy that a polar bear requires to survive.

Zoo Based Research: Filling in the details

Although exhibiting happy and healthy animals is a major focus of our work here at the San Diego Zoo, another of our goals is to study the animals in our charge in a scientific and systematic way. By making this a priority, we are contributing to the body of knowledge on polar bears and other animals that allows for good management in the wild. Polar bears can be difficult to study in the wild. Their harsh Arctic habitat and vastly roaming, solitary lifestyle makes the study of certain aspects of their biology virtually impossible. An example of this would be how their sensory systems are tailored to the environment in which they live, and how sensitive are these senses to human disturbance. At the San Diego Zoo, scientists are leading research that will help clarify how polar bears perceive the world around them. Some of our projects:

Polar Bear Hearing Sensitivity: Wildlife managers are concerned about the noise emitted from human industrial activities (such as petroleum exploration and extraction). But how sensitive are polar bears to noise? Researchers from our Zoo, in collaboration with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, and animal care staff from both institutions, are completing research that will tell us a lot about how sensitive polar bear hearing is (see blog: Can You Hear Me Now?).

Scent Communication: As warming in the Arctic and the level of fragmentation of the polar bears’ sea ice habitat increases, how will this impact their ability to find each other over hundreds of miles during the breeding season? For that matter, how do they find each other over hundreds of miles? Again, researchers from the San Diego Zoo, with support from Polar Bears International, and participation from zoos around the country, are embarking on research that will give us insight into how important olfactory (aka scent) communication is to polar bears when they need to find each other over great distances (see blog: Is It the Perfume?).

Zoo Experience: A first-hand education in the beauty and inherent value of polar bears

San Diego is an enormously popular tourist destination, and one of the star attractions for any visitor is a trip to the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park. For those of us who work here at the Zoo, we see this as a golden opportunity to not only introduce people to the beauty and wonder of polar bears and other exotic animals, but to let people know what these animals need to survive and thrive in the wild. Photographs and words can bring people closer to wildlife and enhance one’s appreciation for animals, but there is nothing like a polar bear swimming gracefully in the water a few feet away to convince people that they are majestic creatures truly deserving of our stewardship and protection. Couple this experience with some basic information regarding what polar bears need to survive in the wild, and how an average person can make a difference, and you have a life changing conservation experience.

Conservation in Action: What can you do to help the polar bear?

You’ve probably heard it before: Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle! These three words can guide each and every one of us to a lifestyle that will help the environment, reduce greenhouse gases, and help slow-down, and ultimately reverse, global climate change. Every year the average American produces about 7 tons of CO2 (the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global temperature change). Simple actions, such as driving less and in fuel-efficient vehicles, can greatly reduce this number. The take-home message is that we can all make a difference: By changing the way we live in our homes, we can help polar bears survive in their home. To learn more about what you can do to cut down on your CO2 emissions, join Polar Bears International’s “Project Polar Bear.” This innovative program is a great way for young people to make a big difference and help reduce atmospheric levels of CO2.

Megan Owen is a conservation program specialist in the San Diego Zoo’s Applied Animal Ecology Division.

View the Zoo’s polar bears daily on Polar Cam…
Listen to an iZoofari Chat about polar bears with Megan…

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The Zoological Society of San Diego’s head of the genetics division, Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., has been heavily involved in the California Condor Recovery Program for this very reason and has this answer:

The California condor has gone through a population bottleneck, as its population size was reduced. Captive breeding saved the California condor from extinction and has allowed the greatest extent possible of its remaining gene pool to be saved.

Nonetheless, genetic diversity has been lost over time as the population living in the wild decreased. However, by rapid growth of the current population, as has taken place during the last 15 years, the risk of genetic diminishment resulting in the inability of the species to survive, has been reduced. Efforts are now focused to ensure that the condor population can continue to grow to meet the goals for species recovery.

The age structure of the reintroduced condor populations is still heavily weighted toward younger individuals. Thus, the full reproductive potential of the wild population has not yet been reached and, additional releases will soon help bolster the population of free-flying birds. Even so, successful reproduction in the effort to reform a wild condor population has not, as yet, reached a level that would result in self-sustaining populations.

The goal of the California Condor Recovery Program is to create a self-sustaining population and so the dedicated members of the recovery efforts will continue to strive to reach this objective. Please continue to send in questions and we will get answers from the experts.

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Luckily the cool temperature day made the stress levels of the birds tolerable and by evening they were all jockeying for position high up on release site aviary perches. They will remain in Mexican quarantine at the site for about a month and will be tested for specific diseases by SAGARPA (USDA counterpart) before they can be re-released. Once we have permission from Mexico, we will be able to dramatically reduce the risk of food contamination by testing all carcasses and animal parts given to the birds with our new digital field X-ray machine.

So many groups and individuals helped make this condor recovery effort a success,  starting with Juan and Catalina in the field trapping, testing, and helping to move the birds north, followed by the efforts of the veterinarians and medical staff at the Harter Veterinary Hospital, organized and coordinated by Dr. Jeff Zuba. Managing the isolation and medical treatment of such a large group (beginning with 11 birds) was a challenge for the keeper/vet staff. Valerie Stoddard now has the International Health Certificate process engrained in her mind. Thanks also to our new condor postdoctoral fellow, James Sheppard, and vet keepers for doing condor watch while they were in the recuperation pens. Thanks to Elvia de la Cruz and Eduardo Peters in INE for the fast work with the MX CITES and the HRZ and Dave Rimlinger and Carol Dittmer for hanging in there with the U.S. CITES export permits. Dr. Fernando Sanchez continues to do the amazing job of coordinating passage through the frenzy of stamps and signatures from four agencies at the Mexican border, which are required to move the birds from one country to the other. Sheila and Fatima from the Condor Department helped drive everyone back to the Sierra. Without these folks and more, we would not have a condor release program in Baja.   

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This is the norm for panda cubs. With each of Bai Yun’s previous youngsters, we have seen them take to the trees at about six months of age. Once their climbing skills come on line, they remain ensconced in high branches for hours on end, and at about the 17th month of life they begin to spend more time on the ground. There are two factors which are driving this trend in their preference for high places: evolutionary history and dietary preferences.

After abandoning the den, the female panda forages far and wide for the bamboo she needs to meet her caloric requirements. Her youngster may not be able to keep up with mom as she traverses her habitat. As such, mom can probably reach her objectives quicker if the cub is stashed somewhere safe while she satiates herself. To this end, young panda cubs are often left alone by their mothers. In some cases, wild cubs have been noted as being left alone for more than 24 hours at a time.

Historically, panda cubs are at risk of predation by animals such as tigers, leopards, and martins. In order to reduce the likelihood of succumbing to predation, solitary cubs climb high and remain several meters above ground until their mother returns. This makes them a harder target, since their clumsy, slow gait on the ground would be easier pickings for a stealthy predator. Additionally, cubs spend hours and hours asleep up in those trees. When they are resting quietly in the branches, they can be hard to spot. Even our cubs, sleeping in trees pruned to allow for better visibility for our guests, can easily be overlooked.

Today, pandas have fewer predators than they did historically. Tigers are generally not found in what remains of panda habitat, and leopards are found in reduced numbers. But the drive to remain safe is still the same and is exhibited even in pandas housed in zoos and breeding centers.

Since young pandas rely on their mothers for their nutrition, they are able to fill their bellies with milk. It seems a bit unfair, but as mom is stuck ingesting low-calorie grasses, the cub enjoys a highly caloric meal with fats to aid in growth (and satiation!). In fact, when our nutritionist aided the Wolong staff in the development of a formula for hand-reared panda infants, the mixture was a hybrid of human and dog formula substitutes—a richer food source than many of you might have predicted given the bamboo-feeding tendencies of the panda mother. This appetite-quenching meal from mom can help keep cubs content for hours on end, allowing them to wait patiently for mother’s return from foraging bouts.

At about a year of age, panda cubs begin ingesting bamboo. Initially, the quantities ingested are very small and can’t account for much in the way of meeting caloric needs. But within a few months, some of the burden for satiating themselves shifts to the cubs and their new bamboo feeding skills. Perhaps their ever-increasing size requires more calories than mom can provide, or perhaps as maternal fat stores become depleted, this alters the caloric content of mother’s milk. Either way, cubs begin spending more time on the ground, increasing their time spent feeding and focusing more heavily on bamboo consumption.

This, of course, is in preparation for life on their own. When weaning occurs, the cub is well equipped to feed itself and meet its caloric needs without its mother. Even in the final days of mother-cub association, nursing may be occurring, but not at a high rate. At that point, most of the young panda’s nutrition is coming from direct ingestion of bamboo and other plant materials.

Zhen Zhen is nearly a year away from making that transition. She hasn’t even begun to ingest bamboo yet and won’t for several more months. Which is why she will continue to enjoy spending most of her time in the high perches of her enclosure. As frustrating as it may be for our Zoo guests or Panda Cam watchers to have limited visual access to our cub at times, we hope you will understand that this is a normal and healthy part of our little one’s life, and we would expect no less from her. She is showing us that, like her siblings before her, her panda instincts are right on track.

Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician with the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Unit.

Note: Snow Day for pandas has been moved up to Sunday, April 27!

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