Camp Panda: "Camp Panda"–"Hope Brings Success"

After a three-year hiatus (spent restructuring the program and rebuilding after the earthquake), stage two of the panda reintroduction program began again in earnest.

The discrepancy in size between a newborn panda and an adult panda (4 ounces at birth, growing up to 350 pounds) is the largest that exists among mammals.

“Behaviorally, [the panda cubs] are assessed using a complex evaluation that looks at movement, climbing ability, communication, and interaction with the mother,” explains Huang Yan of CCRCGP.

“The behaviors we monitor include eating bamboo, locomotion, drinking, resting, sitting, exercise, investigating their surroundings, and scratching. The protocols are constantly being updated as the research progresses.”

“The behaviors we monitor include eating bamboo, locomotion, drinking, resting, sitting, exercise, investigating their surroundings, and scratching. The protocols are constantly being updated as the research progresses.”

Meanwhile, the team lingered in the background: the vet provided medical checkups and vaccinations when needed (checking for parasites, injuries, and disease; measuring weight and growth), and other team members monitored the pandas around the clock.

The radio signal emitted from the collar can be tracked.

The collars are designed to have a minimal effect on the pandas and thus on their behavior, and they don’t seem to mind wearing them.

Once they’re in the wild, the bears are elusive and often hard to spot, even with the collar.

Also on the change docket is varying the season in which the cubs are released.

Fall and winter releases will soon make way for spring or summer releases—in an effort to capitalize on the panda breeding season for a smooth transition.

One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four. That’s how many pandas were, at last count, living in the wild. That number represents a sizable population increase—17 percent over the last panda count.

But to ensure it has a future in the wild, the thirty-three small, scattered panda populations must become self-sustaining—not dependent on humans and ongoing conservation efforts.

But to ensure it has a future in the wild, the thirty-three small, scattered panda populations must become self-sustaining—not dependent on humans and ongoing conservation efforts.

If the mountain gorilla or the elephant or the Galápagos penguin goes extinct, it will trigger a variety of unforeseen consequences—but one sure result is that a link in the natural food chain will be altered and countless other animals as well as plants in the ecosystem will be negatively affected. Ultimately, this ripple reaches people who depend on the environment for food, water, and resources.