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Holding
adopted "grandbaby"
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During the past year Pandas International has been able to provide
a variety of equipment to both the Wolong Panda Reserve and the
Bifengxia Panda Center. Two of our Board members visited both
areas in November 2003, at their own expense, and transported
with them two new Laptop computers, a donated used laptop, 2 new
digital cameras, new software for blood analysis equipment previously
provided to Wolong, a newly purchased blood chemistry analysis
machine for Bifengxia, and various additional supplies.
While there, we were also allowed to take inventory of their current
equipment and their needs. We immediately purchased a variety
of modern digital scales for a variety of uses at both panda reserves.
And the experience of doing business at a "Chinese Scale
Store" in the large city of Chengdu was very entertaining
and educational for us.
Due to your generosity and special pricing from Abaxis-for the
VetScan the Chinese veterinarians can now:
Other individuals and organizations provided us with gifts to
give the panda caretakers and they were delighted with their new
T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Since the Board members paid for the cost of overweight and extra
luggage on the airlines, it saved the Panda Reserves hundreds
of dollars. The Veterinarians were very grateful and the pandas
appreciated it also!
Please study the "Wish List"
of other items needed to assist in breeding, raising, and reintroducing
Pandas back into their habitat. If you’d like to donate
towards an item, or have the means of obtaining a new or used
item, please contact us any time. Again, both the Board and the
pandas thank you!
Sincerely,
Karen Rose
Chair of Pandas International
P.S. Dr Tang at Bifengxia
is currently caring for this adult Panda rescued from the
wild. She was found with a broken leg and chewed off ears
and was extremely emaciated. No one
knows how she was injured. The caretakers have calmed her
and increased her nutrition and weight, but she is unable
to use her badly crippled leg.
Dr. Tang hopes to reset the leg so that she can use it again,
but he needs some additional equipment to be successful. He
immediately used the new VetScan we provided to analyze her
blood for possible other problems! Help us to Help her! |
Badly injured panda rescued from the wild. |
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Andrea Sheremeta,
daughter of Pandas International Board member Kim Fong Sheremeta,
was fortunate enough to spend two months doing an internship
at Wolong in the fall of 2003. Here are some of her thoughts
and impressions.
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I feel like my whole world changed. I worked with a girl named
Cindy who is the same age as I am and we got along really well.
One of the first days the power decided to go out around 10:30
which was ok except that when it came time for lunch.....we couldn't
get any. The cooks who make our lunch for us everyday use an electric
stove. So since we were all starving we went over to the pickle
man. He sells pickled vegetables. We bought some pickled beans
and scrounged around for some rice. It was not very filling but
then around 12:30 the power came back on.
My new friend Cindy and I went to another friend’s apartment
and he fed us some bread and cookies. It was sufficient and I
found out Scott is my next-door neighbor and can also speak very
good English. Plus he has a TV and a DVD player... yipeee. I also
learned that in China during the seasons when it is warm, the
lunch break is from 11:30 until 2:30 because everyone likes to
take naps. I can definitely deal with that.
I worked with a man and a girl named Miss Song who was my age.
They both spoke English so it was very helpful. They are in charge
of watching and recording the pandas’ behavior. On Tuesdays
and Thursdays we watch 2 pandas in the morning for 45 minutes
each. All of their movements and behaviors are recorded in a code
system, which I had to memorize. In the afternoon we watched one
more panda for 45 minutes. During the time we are not watching
the pandas we are entering the data into an excel sheet so we
can later analyze it. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we must
climb up the mountain to view the panda in the reintroduction
program. It is a good 45-minute hike straight up the mountain.
I was in good shape when I got back. We went up the mountain once
in the morning and then again in the afternoon! Needless to say,
I slept well at night!
I became friends with Scott and Miss Song. Scott loved to play
soccer, so after work we would gather up a few other people and
play some soccer. I never thought I would be playing soccer in
China. Scott often invited me back to his apartment where he cooked
dinner, some sort of sticky bread and soup with rice balls in
it.
The hike up the mountain was such a great experience. We started
hiking at 8 in the morning and made it up in about 45 minutes,
a very quick pace. Then we proceeded to a big enclosure for a
two year old panda bear. The enclosure had been built about two
months before I arrived. He is the first bear to start the reintroduction
into the wild program. He is surrounded by tons of bamboo and
is free to do what he wants. In the normal enclosures, the staff
usually feeds the pandas cut bamboo. They are teaching him to
forage for his own food and water with less human contact. It
was amazing. We went into the enclosure and had to search until
we could find him in the dense forest. When we finally spotted
him we would watch him for about an hour. As he moved around,
we followed. On one occasion he went up a small tree and at that
point I was about 10 feet away from him. It was absolutely amazing.
He just stayed up there smacking his lips and then proceeded to
take a nap. The experience itself was thrilling and I can't believe
I got to do all this stuff. Some days finding the panda proved
to be an adventure we could spend almost an hour just searching
for him and believe me it was not easy. Hiking on a very steep
mountain with forests of bamboo and trees surrounding you is very
hard. Plus the dirt is very muddy and slippery and I fell on my
butt several times thinking I would slide down the entire mountain!
But definitely well worth it in the end! Although I had to wash
my clothes more often, because I was black with dirt after the
day was over.
What were the highlights of my trip-
- the opportunity to see 7 beautiful panda cubs born and watch
them slowly get bigger and of course getting to hold one!
- realizing that for the most part the staff at Wolong is the
best panda staff out there and the pandas are in great care.
- living in Wolong was breathtaking for me I can't imagine getting
the opportunity to live in a prettier place.
- the friends I made which I am still in contact with today.
- getting to work one on one everyday with pandas was a dream
come true
- knowing my work was helping to reintroduce pandas into the wild
- at the end of my trip having Pandas International Board members
arrive and donate lots of equipment!
- going to the new panda Reserve at Bifengxia and seeing how much
happier the pandas seemed to be, left me with hope that all Reserves
will look like that one day.
So long, Hua Mei
Hua Mei ("China USA" is the literal meaning of her name)
was born in August 21. 1999. She is the first surviving giant panda
born in the Western Hemisphere since 1990. Her birth instantly captured
the hearts of the animal lovers worldwide, proclaimed Zoo officials
in San Diego Zoo, California.
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Hua Mei has given much joy and enchanted the visitors to the
zoo. Like all pandas, she has several different vocal sounds that
often accompanies her pacing or strolling in different gaits around
her enclosure. She liked to roll down the small hill & then
climb back up. She foraged for food at times when her keepers
would hide treats from her. Hua Mei got to know members of the
panda team at the Zoo well and "interacts" with them.
In fact when she was little, she wanted her keepers to play with
her as if they were her panda mom. She is used to leaning on the
water fountain for a drink of water, plunging into a small pond
to take a dip. She knew the difference between freshwater and
did not drink from the pond after she waded in it. She spent most
of her time eating and napping. When sheis napping, many of her
"poses" look regal and graceful. We cannot help but
remember the meaning of her nameis also "regal beauty."
We knew Hua Mei was leaving "sometime in February" so,
as a representative of Pandas International, I went to bid her
"bon voyage". I was amazed to see that there were several
parties who practically parked themselves in front of her enclosure
and were shooting long footage on their camcorders. I learned
that they have known Hua Mei since she was first noticed from
the ultra sound scan of her mom, Bai Yun (white cloud).
I was invited to attend the annual panda update. There were dignitaries
from China – the panda’s homeland, as well as the
American delegation at the event. The theme was to say good-bye
to our American Sweetheart – Hua Mei. She was born and lived
in San Diego Zoo for over 4 years.
Like her panda dad, Shi Shi, Hua Mei’s presence in the U.S.
will surely be missed dearly and be in the hearts of many admirers;
but we know that pandas, are a very rare species and high on the
endangered list. For further studies and research work, Hua Mei
left for Wolong in her ancestral land at the China Research &
Conservation Center. There she will enjoy the fresh air and the
waterfalls near the Sichuan’s lushly verdant Qiong Lai Mountains
& Pitiao River. There are many tall trees in the natural and
semi-natural setting at the Wolong Reserve. She could be starting
her own genealogy next summer or fall. We wish you well and fertile,
Hua Mei, and we will be coming for visits soon.
Submitted by Anita Chen, San Jose Chapter Volunteer, Pandas
International
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Hua Mei UPDATE:
San Diego Zoo animal care staff have received word from officials
at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Station that Hua Mei is
settling into her new home and is doing well. Dr. Wei Rongping
stated, ``We hope she can get pregnant by the end of March.''
Hua Mei has been assigned four prospective mates. Picture
at the left shows
Hua Mei busy eating bamboo. If you loved Hua Mei in San Diego,
help Pandas International support her in her new home.
San Diego Zoo
Gao Gao and Bai Yun and their new cub Mei Sheng, who is currently
nursing, are under the care of Dr. Don Lindburg, at the San
Diego Zoo.
Other U.S. Pandas
There are two Pandas at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.,
two at the Atlanta Zoo and two in Nashville, TN. |
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This is Xiang Xiang, a two-year-old male who is the first panda
in the reintroduction program. One of the goals of the captive
breeding program at Wolong is the reintroduction of pandas back
into their natural habitat.
Xiang Xiang is the first to enter the initial stage of the program.
He is in a 2-acre enclosure on the top of the mountain at Wolong.
He is given vitamin biscuits, checked on twice a day by staff,
but must find all his own bamboo within the enclosure. In order
to ensure he is maintaining proper weight, he is weighed daily.
Next year Dr. Li hopes to start a larger reintroduction program
with several pandas in an enclosure, which will be several square
miles and the pandas will be totally on their own. One
of Dr. Li’s urgent needs will be a Global Positioning System
(GPS), for this project, in order to monitor their
progress and ensure their health and safety. Reintroduction must
be a very slow and gradual process to ensure the captive born
panda will survive in the wild. The reintroduction objective is
to re-establish a significant wild population. Once pandas are
released they will once again be free.
Wolong has the largest breeding program in the world and yet in
2003 they only had 7 births. Their best year ever was 2001, when
11 cubs were born. When twins are born, one must be kept in an incubator
to ensure they both survive. With panda babies coming soon, end
of the summer through early fall more incubators are critical!
It is hoped that this will be a good year for cubs, including one born to Hua Mei.
A 16 year old female giant panda named Shuan Shuan, from Mexico made a long trip to Tokyo's Ueno Zoo to meet her "love match". ''She appears very upbeat despite the long journey,'' said zoo spokesman Masanori Ono, ‘‘She had a big appetite last night.''
Officials hope she will mate with 18-year-old Ling Ling during her stay — a suitor she has met previously on Ling Ling's three past trips to Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo. Those attempts ended unsuccessfully after Ling Ling exhibited signs that he was ill at ease, Ono said. Zoo officials decided to bring a female to Tokyo hoping that Ling Ling would feel more comfortable on his own turf.
If the breeding is successful, Shuan Shuan will remain in Japan until the spring of 2006 to watch over her offspring. If she does not get pregnant, she will return to Mexico in August. Officials estimate that her best chance at getting pregnant is between March and May. Ling Ling was given to Ueno Zoo by China in 1992 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the normalization of ties between Japan and China.
Karen Rose, Chair of Pandas International, John Etchepare, Director of Agriculture for the State of Wyoming, Evelyn Waldman a Pandas International volunteer and Suzanne Braden, Director of Pandas International, made a trip to Wolong and Bifengxia in November of 2003, to deliver needed medical equipment and other supplies.
After a long drive with a few near misses, we reached the Panda Inn at Wolong early evening although it was already dark. We met with Andrea Sheremeta and enjoyed dinner. The next morning, we woke to the first snow of the season; the mountains beside the reserve were covered in snow and frost, creating a very beautiful sight.
We started our morning at the new hospital offices meeting with Cindy Lu of the Wolong Panda Club at the new hospital offices. John & Karen went to the nursery with Cindy to choose cubs to adopt in the name of their grandchildren. Since they were adopting for their 3rd generation, they wanted 3rd generation Wolong cubs and chose the 2 month old cubs of Gong Zhu which means Princess, born on September 6,2003.
The twins were being raised in the nursery from birth since Gong Zhu was a first time mother and wasn’t adept at nursing them. After the necessary paper work, Karen and John were the proud grandparents of Sun Nu Ming Mei which means "fond dream granddaughter" and Sun Er Mei Miao meaning "Splendid grandson."
The delegation then toured the construction of the new Panda Garden at Wolong. Approximately two-thirds of the old panda cages were demolished and new, larger enclosures were being built on the old sites. The design for the area was done as a U.S./China partnership. The more natural enclosures will include indoor areas plus large outdoor areas with flowing water, each housing one or two pandas. The new design will also improve viewing for visitors.
After touring the entire center, we delivered the new rotors for the VetScan to Dr. Wang. They had been experiencing malfunctions with the VetScan so we installed new software, and started a self-check on the machine.
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 John Etchepare
with FU
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After a quick lunch we had an appointment with a 2-year-old panda
named Fu, who sits on a bench and poses for pictures with guests
as long as he has carrots as a treat. When posing with Suzanne she
dropped his carrot and placed one paw on Suzanne’s leg to reach
for the carrot. The large paw with serious claws was a gentle reminder
that he is a powerful animal.
Later in the afternoon, the delegation met with Dr. Li, Assistant
Director and Senior Veterinarian at Wolong, to assess his needs,
the activities and progress at the Center. The meeting with Dr.
Li was very productive, focusing on his most urgent needs for the
new hospital, which included: scales, new incubators, a sterilizer
and syringes. (
Complete list on below) Of
all the needs he mentioned, he stressed the need for scales the
most. Various scales are needed to weigh the cubs to monitor their
growth, to weigh pandas to monitor the amount of formula and nutritional
supplements and at the hospital to determine the correct amount
of medication and anesthetic, and to monitor the weight of pandas
in the reintroduction program.
 One
year olds on climb structure
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During the meeting with Dr. Li, Dr. Wang came in with a printout
report from the VetScan to show us that it was working properly
again. He spent the day catching up on the pandas’ blood analysis.
Karen Rose also discussed the use of homeopathic medicines with
wildlife. Since homeopathic medications are similar to Chinese medicines,
Dr. Li seemedinterested. Two days before our arrival, a yearling
panda had been brought to the center by a local farmer who found
her in his pig sty. The vets felt she had become separated from
her mother, and was lost. She was very scared anxious, hostile,
grieving for her lost mother and was not responding well to the
caretakers. Since she had to be in quarantine, she was unable to
see other pandas causing even more stress.
One year olds having milk for breakfast. |
Dr. Li and Karen Rose went to discuss her situation and try some
of the homeopathic remedies. While Karen explained the process,
she gathered a crowd of about 10 vets and caretakers around her.
Everyone was very interested. Much of the rest of the day was spent
watching the one year olds in their outdoor enclosure furnished
with multiple interconnected climbing structures. Like all youngsters,
they love to run, chase each other, and roll down the hills. Photo
to right 7 1 year olds having milk for breakfast Dr. Li and his
lovely wife hosted a marvelous dinner in town that evening, and
the next morning we toured the new hospital with him. Although the
building is new, equipment and supplies were very sparse. Dr. Li
displayed the items he needs including connectors and syringes.
Our tour continued with the medical library and offices. From the
roof, we enjoyed a great view of the new pens under construction.
Then we went to watch workers making the "panda bread". With ingredients
of ground bamboo, vitamins, sorghum and other nutrients , each round
loaf is made by hand. While very labor intensive, it is a needed
dietary supplement and much anticipated afternoon treat for the
pandas.
 Enjoying
Panda Bread
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Completing the hospital tour, we moved on to the high point of the
trip, the nursery. We received a rare and great honor, of being
allowed to go inside the nursery, but only after sanitizing our
hands and shoes, covering our shoes.
Four cubs remained in the nursery. One set of 4 month old twins were in a large
"play pen" area on the floor just beginning to crawl. The 3 month old twins of Gong
Zhu were sleeping in incubators. The other 3 cubs born in 2003 were being raised by their experienced mothers.
After lunch, Andrea took John and Suzanne to hike up the mountain to view the
panda in the reintroduction program, while Karen again treated the new wild yearling. The two-year-old panda at Wolong is the first to enter the initial stage of a reintroduction program. He is in a 2-acre enclosure on the top of an adjacent mountain at Wolong. While foraging for his own bamboo, he is given vitamin biscuits, and checked twice a day by staff. To ensure he is maintaining proper weight, he is weighed daily and his weight is compared to his twin brother who is being raised at the reserve.
Next year Dr. Li hopes to start a larger reintroduction program by placing a few pandas in an enclosure, of several square miles to manage on their own. So, one of the urgent needs will be a Global Positioning System (GPS), for this project.
Outdoor enclosure at Bifengxia |
After Wolong, our group left for the new panda base, Bifengxia,
in Yaan City where Dr. Tang greeted us. Dr. Tang gave us a grand
tour of the new base, which was not officially open yet. This panda
reserve is north of an existing wildlife park housing many species.
The panda enclosures are larger than at Wolong and provide both
indoor shelter and an outdoor area with paths and natural foliage
and enrichment features. The entire center is about 1,000 acres.
Eleven pandas had been moved to Bifengxia so far — 8 from Wolong,
3 from the wild in Baoxing County. One of the pandas from Baoxing
is thought to be about 12 years old, but he is closer in size to
a yearling. His stunted growth is thought to be the result of malnutrition
due to a chronic intestinal disorder. Another panda, a 3 legged
female found in the wild, now maneuvers well following the amputation
of her severely injured leg. The newest patient is another wild
female with a poorly healed broken leg, bruises, lacerations and
chewed off ears. These various medical problems highlight the extent
of Dr. Tang's mission.
Twins in indoor area at Bifengxia |
We visited the bakery were Dr. Tang was very proud of the bamboo
shaped nutritional biscuit he had developed. Due to lack of funds
he has been unable to test its nutritional value. He also designed
the machinery which mechanically mixes, extrudes and bakes the sticks.
After feeding a great many of the biscuits to "Harvey" the panda
adopted by Suzanne and Jerry Braden, we can attest to their popularity
with the pandas.
With at least 3 seriously ill or injured pandas Dr. Tang has major medical
difficulties, so he was extremely grateful for the VetScan from Pandas International. He hugged us, kissed the VetScan and started blood chemistry analysis that day.
 Outdoor
enclosure at Bifengxia
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After one more quick trip for Suzanne to see her Harvey, we headed
for the Sheraton in Chengdu and the first HOT shower in several
days. We then visited a scale store in the city, purchased 7 differently
sized scales with the assistance of our guide, translator and honorary
board member Peter Wood. Dr. Li had previous bargained the prices
and arranged for delivery to the two reserves.
No funds from Pandas International were used for the trip. Each
person paid their own way in full and also donated additional funds
while at the reserves.
