Celebrating 50 Years of Giant Pandas

Giant pandas’ native habitat is highly fragmented due to urban development and deforestation. This makes it difficult for the bears to find food and mates. Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute ecologists collaborate with scientists from the China Wildlife Conservation Association to expand panda habitat. Together, they identify key forest corridors and create bamboo restoration plots. They know these corridors are successfully linking panda populations by the fecal samples the bears leave behind.

Increased interaction could bring about the increased risk of infectious diseases for giant pandas and for other species that share their habitats. To better understand panda health, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute veterinarians work with Chinese colleagues at the Wildlife Disease Control Center in Sichuan Province. Together, they use cutting-edge science to monitor and diagnose disease and age-related illness in pandas — all of which will help inform future biomedical studies on the species.

Giant pandas bring colleagues from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and China together for a common goal: advancing global scientific knowledge of the species. Comprehensive workshops and hands-on training courses in medicine, surgery, anesthesia, imaging and field healthcare enable scientists to share expertise and build skills. The lessons learned from these collaborations can be used by future generations of animal care professionals, veterinarians and researchers to care for pandas in human care and in the wild.

To ensure the future of the species, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute scientists have become experts in facilitating giant panda reproduction. Before breeding begins, scientists collect semen, freeze and defrost those samples successfully and decode the signals of behavior and biology that tell them the time is ripe for a pregnancy. Animal care experts pinpoint the behaviors that indicate a female is in estrus and ready to mate, while reproductive biologists conduct artificial inseminations safely and swiftly.

Animal care staff build trust with the Zoo’s giant pandas through positive reinforcement training. This enables the bears to voluntarily participate in their own health care. Keepers and veterinarians examine the pandas, administer medications and conduct medical procedures while they are awake, lessening the need for anesthesia. When the pandas do the behaviors asked of them, they receive verbal praise and a favorite treat, such as honey water.

Every day, the Zoo’s giant pandas receive a variety of enrichment items and activities, which help them keep physically active and mentally sharp. They also encourage the bears to use their natural behaviors. Enrichment can be anything from sensory experiences (spices for scent-anointing or bubbles for popping) to physical objects and toys (puzzle feeders), to social interactions (painting with keepers) and environmental stimuli (exploring a different habitat).

The giant panda team takes care of the Zoo’s giant pandas every day—including weekends, holidays and during bad weather. Their daily duties include monitoring the bears’ behavior, preparing their diets, readying their enrichment, conducting training sessions, collecting urine and fecal samples for scientists to study and cleaning their habitats. Keepers log details about each panda’s activities in their daily reports to track their health and activity trends.

Working with local landowners, the Zoo’s Department of Nutrition Science team harvests the giant pandas’ favorite food — bamboo — from 20 stands across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Depending on the time of year, the pandas may eat the shoots, culm (stalk) or leaves. The bears also receive apples, sweet potatoes, high-fiber biscuits and honey water inside enrichment puzzle feeders or during positive reinforcement training sessions.