Assessing the health status of released, captive-bred giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) through activity patterns

Abstract

Translocation is believed to be one of the important methods to protect small and isolated populations of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) from local extinction. Dynamic monitoring of the giant pandas' health statuses after release allows timely rescue measures or termination of the release procedure when necessary, thereby reducing the risk of death. However, it is difficult to diagnose the health of a giant panda after translocation by routine veterinary examinations. Based on data collected from GPS tracking collars, we analyzed the behaviours of six giant pandas after release. We compared the behavioural differences between the giant panda Xuexue (XU), which died due to disease, and four healthy giant pandas after release into the wild to identify a new method to assess the health statuses of giant pandas after release. Our results showed that daily activity levels of the healthy giant pandas were higher than XU after released into the wild; the healthy giant pandas were diurnal, but XU tended to be nocturnal. All healthy giant pandas and XU were not active in the crepuscular phase. These results suggest that daily activity levels and circadian rhythms can be used to assess the health status of giant pandas during the translocation project.