Conservation of the Giant Panda: Applications of Research in Communication, Reproduction, and Welfare

This program involves a very close collaboration between the Giant Panda Conservation (GPC) unit of CRES and the San Diego Zoo and extensive collaborations in China, especially with our principle collaborating institution, the Wolong Breeding Center. Highlighted here are the programs spearheaded by the Applied Animal Ecology Division's GPC, which primarily conducts behavioral research, although much has been done in collaboration with other disciplines.

We detail here the behavioral work of the GPC that has contributed to a dramatic turnaround in conservation breeding of giant pandas, including three births in San Diego. Despite these successes, however, there is plenty yet that needs to be done to fulfill our conservation mission for this species. The giant panda is notorious for its reluctance to mate and rear offspring in managed care facilities, so the GPC set out to address these major obstacles to captive propagation. An early hypothesis was that captive pandas were suffering from a sort of communication failure. A series of experiments revealed that pandas have a very sophisticated olfactory communication system and, more importantly, that olfactory management was a key to reducing aggression and increasing sexual motivation to prepare normally solitary pandas for mating.

Another focus is reproductive biology. Detailed studies of behavioral and physiological indicators of the female’s estrus allowed better predictions of the fertile period, and studies of male-female interactions aided in managing breeding introductions. However, management for optimal reproductive performance does not take place just during the mating season, so a series of studies and management changes were implemented (such as enrichment) to address improved panda well-being and stress reduction.

Research on pregnancy, birth, maternal care, and cub development was applied to improve management following conception. The result of these and other activities is that today almost all pandas at Wolong mate naturally and successfully rear their offspring, leading to a fourfold increase in the population in 10 years (from 25 to 108 and counting). Although our emphasis is moving toward more in situ work, we will continue with our existing research programs and embark upon new ones.