Giant Panda Updates
Zoos SA
Find out more about our Giant Pandas, as well as the construction progress of their exhibits and the new front entrance precinct.
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Giant Panda Updates
Panda blog has moved
The panda blog has moved to its new home on our Giant Panda website. All future updates will appear on the Giant Panda site from now on.
Meet Australia's Giant Pandas
Meet Funi and Wang Wang, the two Giant Pandas who will be calling Adelaide Zoo home. Come and meet them here from 13th December 2009!
On schedule
Construction of Adelaide Zoo’s Giant Panda House is on schedule to be completed by September 25. This allows two to three weeks to commission the building prior to the Giant Pandas arriving to complete a minimum of four weeks quarantine in the middle of October.
The official opening of the Panda House is scheduled for Monday December 14. Adelaide Zoo’s Giant Panda House is extensive and has many interesting features including:
Giant Panda Trip - 17th May
Today we go home looking forward to seeing our families and friends but also slightly disappointed the journey has come to an end. We have been living and breathing Giant Pandas for the last 2 weeks and have loved every minute of it. The experience we have gained both in China and Hong Kong has been absolutely invaluable. No amount of research could have given us the same experience as working with these beautiful animals on a daily basis.
Giant Panda Trip - 16th May
Today Gert and I arrived at Ocean Park Zoo and were met by the General Curator Grant Abel. Grant has worked at the park for the last 4 years and has the unique experience of working in the place that his father was involved in designing over 30 years ago. He spent a lot of his childhood at the park and is now leading the way with new developments.
Giant Panda Trip - 15th May
Today we flew out of Chengdu and into Hong Kong. Wayne Boardman has a contact in the Ocean Park Zoo and has arranged for us to meet some of the staff there tomorrow. Ocean Park has just opened its brand new Giant Panda exhibit so it will be fantastic to see a very modern facility and its workings.
Giant Panda Trip - 14th May
Today we met with 2 representatives from the Panda Reserve and the Powerhouse team to discuss each organizations' different roles in moving Wang Wang and Funi to Adelaide. It was another long meeting with our interpreters working overtime to make sure there were no communication breakdowns. Many issues were discussed and we now have enough information to start preparing for the move.
Giant Panda Trip - 13th May
This morning we met with Alex Kijurina from Powerhouse and one of his colleagues who is based in Shanghai. It is an enormous job getting our pandas from Bifengxiu to Adelaide and that is why we need specialised help. Some huge factors to consider are what types of aircraft we can use, whether the freight area is temperature controlled and how much space is required around the pandas to give them maximum comfort during the journey.
Giant Panda Trip - 12th May
Today was the 1 year anniversary of the horrific earthquake that devastated the Sichuan Province. Being in China for this solemn occasion was very eerie. I felt so sorry for the people who had lost loved ones and found myself really missing my own family back home.
Giant Panda Trip - 11th May
The procedure was done with a keeper and a vet. Each panda den has a section in the bars where the panda can put its whole arm through into a tube-like extension. At the end of this extension is a bar for the panda to hang on to. This is a similar action to holding a stalk of bamboo. The keeper asks the panda to hold on to the bar while the vet shaves and sterilises the site in preparation for the needle. The keeper feeds the panda pieces of apples, carrot and “cake” while the vet is drawing the blood. The panda didn’t flinch once or seem bothered in any way by this procedure. Taking blood regularly like this is vital for their research and can also detect pregnancies and signs of bad health.
We were also extremely fortunate to witness a full training session today with one of Funi’s exhibit mates.
Giant Panda Trip - 10th May
Today the Panda Reserve generously gave us a mini-bus and a driver to go out sightseeing. Whilst driving in the mountains it amazed me how you could just stop the car wherever you liked to get out and take photos. No one looked at you sideways, they just happily drove around you when the coast was clear (or not in some cases!). It would be similar to getting out of your car on the way up to Mount Lofty. I couldn’t help but imagine the abuse you would get and the traffic chaos you would cause in Australia.
Giant Panda Trip - 9th May
The weather here has been very consistent over the last few days. Misty and bleak in the morning, slightly brighter but still cloudy in the early to mid afternoon and misty and drizzly again by late afternoon. It hasn’t really rained much but it is always wet. This is just how I imagined the mountains of China.
Today we visited the Nursery section of the Panda base! Currently they have 13 cubs that are all around 8-9 months old. Giant Pandas only breed at a certain time of year so all cubs are basically around the same age. August to September are the months cubs are born.
Giant Panda Trip - 8th May
This morning we had the privilege of witnessing a successful Giant Panda mating! The individuals involved were a very experienced female and a young 5-year-old male who had never mated before. The male was a result of a successful breeding in San Diego Zoo. As with all Zoos who are fortunate enough to be loaned pandas, the cubs must be returned to China to participate in the breeding program. I’m sure the staff at San Diego would be very proud to know they successfully raised a panda that will go on to contribute to the breeding program.
Experienced females are always put in with virgin males. After witnessing the mating I fully understand why!!
Giant Panda Trip - 7th May
Today we are going to the Giant Panda Base in Bifengxia. It’s still hard to believe that within an hour we will be face to face with over 70 Giant Pandas. I’ve only ever read books and viewed footage of them, but I have never seen a Giant Panda in the flesh. To say I am excited would be an understatement!
The trip from Ya’an to the Panda base took about 45 minutes. The scenery along the way was breathtaking and certainly makes you realise how hard it would be to study Giant Pandas in their natural habitat. The roads were good but the lanes very narrow. You can’t help but think there is a lot of luck involved in getting up and down the mountain each day.
The China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda is over 1000 hectares in size and 1000 meters above sea level. Around 74 Giant Pandas are housed here, with 13 of those cubs.
Giant Panda Trip - 6th May
With most of the first day taken up by the 12-hour journey to Hong Kong via Melbourne, we were all very excited in anticipation of our trip to the city of Chengdu.
After a 2 hour flight, a driver picked us up in a mini bus at Chengdu Airport. Our next destination was Ya’an, which is the closest small city to the Panda Reserve. The drive took just over 2 hours and the scenery along the way was spectacular. There were thickly vegetated hills covered in mist, which grew in size the further we drove. In between the lush surroundings were pockets of rice paddies, tea tree plantations, canola fields and traditional Chinese houses. It amazed me how they used the topography of the land to maximise their crop growing ability. Not one field was empty and the whole family seemed to get involved in the work.
Giant Panda Trip - 5th May 2009
On May 5th 2009 I was very fortunate to be part of a team who represented Zoos SA in China as part of our Giant Panda Project. The team consisted of:
- Gert Skipper, Curator of Collection Development
- Wayne Boardman, Head of Veterinary and Conservation Programs,
- Jason Hakof, Assistant Curator of Mammals
- Colin Wang, Interpreter/Advisor
- Nicole McCuaig, Documentary Producer; Channel Ten
- Chris Campey, Cameraman; Channel Ten
- Chris Savill, Sound Technician; Channel Ten
My role was to look at all aspects of Giant Panda husbandry including Breeding, Exhibit Design, Diet, Behaviour, Training and general day to day management.
Taking Shape
Progress on the Panda/Front Entrance project is taking shape! Significant milestones have been reached recently including extensive water features in the males exhibit and external plantings around the precinct entrance.
Gathering Momentum
Momentum has started to gather with the majority of all underground services installed to the Giant Panda Exhibit and the Entrance Precinct. Retaining walls to the moats around the Giant Panda Exhibits have been constructed and have almost cured enough to begin to back fill.
Preparations in full swing despite the heat
Its hot hot hot at the Zoo! Despite this, we are in full swing! The plumbing and electrical supply (below ground) are almost entirely completed to the Giant Panda exhibit and are progressing well across other areas of the site. This has cleared the way for the pouring of the concrete footings to the Giant Panda holding building which will become Wang Wang and Funi's new home. This work is scheduled for later this week, pending further hot weather.
Front entrance construction resumes
After a short break for Christmas, the site is back to work again. The Frome Rd entrance to the site is again being staffed with flagmen to direct traffic as vehicles enter and leave. Temporary fencing to secure the work area is largely complete, and the site sign is expected to be delivered any day.