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Factors associated with normal breeding behavior in male giant pandas in Chinese breeding centers
(October 2002)

This information was presented by David Powell, Ph.D. at the 4th International Symposium on the Behavior and
Physiology of Zoo and Wild Animals in Berlin, October 2002.

One of the main reasons that the captive population of giant pandas is still not self-sustaining is that there are very few animals that will breed naturally. Most males show no interest in females in heat, or they are overly aggressive to them.

We did a study to try to determine what characteristics of exhibits (the areas where they live in captivity), husbandry, or animal management are correlated with normal breeding behavior. During the summer of 2001, assessments of husbandry practices, exhibits, breeding management protocols, and sexual performance of 11 captive male pandas were conducted in three Chinese facilities.

Surveys of husbandry practices and breeding management protocols were administered to animal-care staff. Keepers also completed a survey of how frequent or intense certain courtship and breeding behaviors were during the 2001 breeding season.

Among male pandas, the only breeding behavior that differed across sites was increased activity. In these Chinese facilities, the staff know that certain males are “good breeders” whereas other males aren’t so good. So they tend to only use their good breeders during the breeding season.

Males that were introduced to females during the 2001 breeding season did not differ from males that were not introduced to females in the relative frequency of “low-intensity” courtship or sexual behaviors such as increased activity, dirt bathing, body rubbing, scent marking, or attempts at social interaction.

There was no difference in courtship or sexual performance between captive and wild-born males; however, captive-born males in this study were significantly younger than the wild-born males in the study, and age was significantly correlated with the frequency of some scent-marking behaviors and mounting of females.

Aspects of the caretaking routine and enclosures in which the animals lived also did not differ between males selected for breeding and those that were not. For breeding males, attempts at social interaction across barriers and
scent-marking behaviors were positively correlated with access to male and female olfactory cues. This was usually achieved by swapping animals in enclosures so that males could go into cages previously occupied by females or other males.

Among breeding males, mating behavior was most frequent in exhibits that provided high vegetation and climbing opportunities. Males that were touched by their keepers frequently also showed higher levels of mating behavior. In exhibits where the public had more areas from which to watch the pandas, mating behavior was less frequent.

Summary
Based on this study we were able to recommend that male pandas be housed in exhibits with climbing opportunities and exhibits with lots of “cover” or refuge from the public. We also suggest that males should be given lots of opportunities to investigate odors of other pandas before the breeding season, and that males should be allowed to interact with females through a barrier, like metal bars, before the breeding season. Finally we suggest that keepers establish comfortable relationships with pandas, allowing touch for example, so that the animals may be less stressed by the presence of humans.

Powell, D.M., Hong, L., Kleiman, D.G., Zhang, H., Zhang, G., Zhang, Z., Yu, J., Zhang, J., Yanping, L., & Snyder, R. 2002.Factors associated with normal breeding behavior in male giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Chinese breeding centers. Advances in Ethology 37, p. 185.

DAVID M. POWELL1, HONG LIN2, DEVRA G. KLEIMAN1, ZHANG, HEMIN, 3ZHANG, GUIQUAN3, ZHANG ZHIHE4, YU JIANQU4, ZHANG JIN GUO5, LU YANPING5, and REBECCA SNYDER6

1Department of Conservation Biology, Conservation & Research Center, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, U.S.A. ; 2Division of Wildlife Management, Guizhou Forestry Department, Guiyang, P.R.C. 3China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan, P.R.C.,4Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan, P.R.C.,5Beijing Zoo, Beijing, P.R.C.,6Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.

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