Panda Cubs Research Articles

Analysis of the breast milk of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the preparation of substitutes.

The first milk substitute for giant panda cubs was developed in 1988 based on limited data about giant panda breast milk and that of certain types of bear. Mixtures of other formulas have also been fed to cubs at some facilities. However, they are not of sufficient nutritional quality for promoting growth in panda cubs. Here, we report analysis of giant panda breast milk and propose new milk substitutes for cubs, which were developed based on the results of our analysis. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding obtained breast milk samples from three giant pandas. Up to 30 ml of breast milk were collected from each mother by hand. Then, the milk samples were frozen and sent to Nihon University. The levels of protein, fat, carbohydrates, ash, moisture, vitamins, minerals, total amino acids, fatty acids, lactose and other carbohydrates in the milk were analyzed. The breast milk samples exhibited the following nutritional values: protein: 6.6–8.5%, fat: 6.9–16.4%, carbohydrates: 2.5–9.1%, ash: 0.9–1.0% and moisture: 67–83%. We designed two kinds of milk substitutes based on the data obtained and the nutritional requirements of dogs, cats and rodents. The nutritional composition of the milk substitutes for the first and second stages was as follows: protein: 38 and 26%, fat: 40 and 40%, carbohydrates: 13 and 25%, ash: 6 and 6% and moisture: 3 and 3%, respectively. In addition, the substitutes contained vitamins, minerals, taurine, docosahexaenoic acid, lactoferrin, nucleotides and other nutrients.

Changes in the Milk Metabolome of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) with Time after Birth--Three Phases in Early Lactation and Progressive Individual Differences.

Ursids (bears) in general, and giant pandas in particular, are highly altricial at birth. The components of bear milks and their changes with time may be uniquely adapted to nourish relatively immature neonates, protect them from pathogens, and support the maturation of neonatal digestive physiology. Serial milk samples collected from three giant pandas in early lactation were subjected to untargeted metabolite profiling and multivariate analysis. Changes in milk metabolites with time after birth were analysed by Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and further supported by Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis, revealing three phases of milk maturation: days 1–6 (Phase 1), days 7–20 (Phase 2), and beyond day 20 (Phase 3). While the compositions of Phase 1 milks were essentially indistinguishable among individuals, divergences emerged during the second week of lactation. OPLS regression analysis positioned against the growth rate of one cub tentatively inferred a correlation with changes in the abundance of a trisaccharide, isoglobotriose, previously observed to be a major oligosaccharide in ursid milks. Three artificial milk formulae used to feed giant panda cubs were also analysed, and were found to differ markedly in component content from natural panda milk. These findings have implications for the dependence of the ontogeny of all species of bears, and potentially other members of the Carnivora and beyond, on the complexity and sequential changes in maternal provision of micrometabolites in the immediate period after birth.

Sarcocystis spp. Infection in two Red Panda Cubs (Ailurus fulgens)

Two neonatal male red panda (Ailurus fulgens) littermates were submitted for necropsy examination. One animal was found dead with no prior signs of illness; the other had a brief history of laboured breathing. Post-mortem examination revealed disseminated protozoal infection. To further characterize the causative agent, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunohistochemistry (IHC), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplification and nucleic acid sequencing were performed. IHC was negative for Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, but was positive for a Sarcocystis spp. TEM of cardiac muscle and lung revealed numerous intracellular apicomplexan protozoa within parasitophorous vacuoles. PCR and nucleic acid sequencing of partial 18S rRNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region confirmed a Sarcocystis spp. that shared 99% sequence homology to Sarcocystis neurona and Sarcocystis dasypi. This represents the first report of sarcocystosis in red pandas. The histopathological, immunohistochemical, molecular and ultrastructural findings are supportive of vertical transmission resulting in fatal disseminated disease.

Estimation of the growth curve and heritability of the growth rate for giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) cubs.

Giant panda cubs have a low survival rate during the newborn and early growth stages. However, the growth and developmental parameters of giant panda cubs during the early lactation stage (from birth to 6 months) are not well known. We examined the growth and development of giant panda cubs by the Chapman growth curve model and estimated the heritability of the maximum growth rate at the early lactation stage. We found that 83 giant panda cubs reached their maximum growth rate at approximately 75-120 days after birth. The body weight of cubs at 75 days was 4285.99 g. Furthermore, we estimated that the heritability of the maximum growth rate was moderate (h(2) = 0.38). Our study describes the growth and development of giant panda cubs at the early lactation stage and provides valuable growth benchmarks. We anticipate that our results will be a starting point for more detailed research on increasing the survival rate of giant panda cubs. Feeding programs for giant panda cubs need further improvement.

Panda-monium at Peek Zoo by Kevin Waldron (review)

Reviewed by: Panda-monium at Peek Zoo by Kevin Waldron Jeannette Hulick Waldron, Kevin. Panda-monium at Peek Zoo; written and illus. by Kevin Waldron. Templar/Candlewick, 2014. 43p ISBN 978-0-7636-6658-3 $16.99 R 5-8 yrs. In the frenzy of preparation for an animal parade at his zoo, zookeeper Mr. Peek gets a bit sloppy, unknowingly letting out the penguins, absent-mindedly applying black shoe polish to the tortoises’ shells, inadvertently overheating the polar bear environment, and forgetting to feed Mr. Whiskerwitz, the lion. Luckily, his small son Jimmy is on the ball, and he adroitly and quietly sets things to rights. When [End Page 603] panda cub Lulu is discovered in Mr. Whiskerwitz’s pen, Mr. Peek fears the worst, but not to worry: Jimmy has fed the lion, and the big cat is gently playing with little Lulu. The zoo parade is then held without further ado, but careful viewers will spot Mr. Peek about to step on a banana peel tossed down by a monkey, and the final pages show Mr. Peek triumphant but with his leg in a cast. The jaunty language (“Jimmy, my boy, everything is tickety-boo for our big day at Peek Zoo!”) and carefully structured plot will make this a successful readaloud selection. Numerous illustrative details also clue viewers in on the action that happens outside the textual narrative—a can of shoe polish atop one of the tortoise’s shells hints at Mr. Peek’s mistake with them, for example, and tiny Lulu can be seen heading off to the lion’s cage in one corner as the zookeeper panics about her whereabouts. Though the darker hues make the visuals a little hard to differentiate at times, the zoo antics and the lively, retro digital illustrations recall Savage’s Where’s Walrus? (BCCB 2/11). The exuberant action of the green-suited, handlebar-mustached Mr. Peek, the diminutive Jimmy, and the various zoo residents will keep kids’ attention, though, especially those who loved Rathman’s Goodnight, Gorilla (BCCB 5/94). Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Midbrain neurocysticercal granuloma appearing as “face of panda”

An 8-year-old girl presented with a 5-day history of double vision on attempting to look downward. Examination of her eye movements revealed weakness of bilateral superior oblique muscles, with a normal examination otherwise. The brain MRI revealed a cysticercal granuloma of the midbrain ventral to the cerebral aqueduct with perilesional edema, sparing both red nuclei, and giving the appearance of “face of panda” (figure, A and B). The face of panda sign has been described in cases of Wilson disease, including “face of giant panda” and “face of panda cub” in the midbrain and pons, respectively.1,2

Acoustic Features Indicate Arousal in Infant Giant Panda Vocalisations

AbstractInfant giant pandas are highly vocal during the first few weeks of life, producing vocalisations that are characterised by noisy, aperiodic segments. The aperiodic character of many animal vocalisations results from irregular vibratory regimes of the vocal folds, and one proposed function of this so‐called nonlinear phenomena (NLP) in animal vocalisations is to convey information about the caller's arousal state. This hypothesis was tested in the vocalisations of six hand‐reared giant panda cubs recorded during handling and feeding procedures that had been categorised into low‐ and high‐arousal contexts based on quantified motor activity. Ninety‐three per cent of the vocalisations contained NLP, including deterministic chaos and subharmonics. Vocalisations produced in the high‐arousal contexts, however, were characterised by an increase in chaos, as well as increased call duration and fundamental frequency (pitch). These results suggest that infant giant panda vocal signals have the potential to express different arousal states. Furthermore, because giant panda cubs are the smallest placental mammal offspring at birth compared with adult size, acoustically conveying arousal state to the mother might be crucial for infant survival under natural rearing conditions.

Cloning, expression and tissue distribution of IGF-1 from giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

AbstractInsulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a polypeptide that regulate growth, differentiation and muscle regeneration in several species. This study was designed to analyse the cDNA sequence of IGF-1 in giant panda, its gene expression and tissue distributions in relation to growth, development and reproduction of captive giant pandas. A cDNA encoding IGF-1 was cloned by reverse transcriptase-PCR from a male giant panda cub liver tissue. Sequence alignment analysis showed the cysteine residues and other amino acid residues of the mature IGF-1 peptide of giant panda are highly conserved in mammalian species. DNA encoding the mature IGF-1 peptide of the giant panda was ligated with pET-DsbA expression vector and expressed inE.coliBL21. Western blot confirmed the IGF-1 antigen activity of the recombinant protein. By in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry analysis it is demonstrated that the IGF-1 mRNA distribution abundance were significantly higher in the liver, muscles and heart than those in the other tissues studied. However, the IGF-1 peptide distribution abundances in all the tissues studied did not show any significant differences. The localization of the IGF-1 peptide was in accordance with that of mRNA for each tissue. These results may suggest that IGF-1 play an autocrine or paracrine rôle in regulation of the giant panda growth and development.

Behavioral and developmental consequences of early rearing experience for captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

Mother-reared (MR) and peer-reared (PR) captive giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) cubs were compared to evaluate the effects of early removal from mother on behavioral development. Males and females and twins and singletons were compared to assess the effects of social setting on behavioral development. Subjects included 2 PR females, 3 MR females, 3 MR males, and 3 mothers. MR cubs spent more time manipulating bamboo and fell more often than PR cubs. PR cubs spent more time inactive. Male cubs directed more playful behavior at their mothers. Twins spent more time play fighting with their mothers than with their siblings. The results suggest that peer-rearing does not provide young pandas with the same level of social stimulation as mother-rearing.

Growth and development of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) cubs at Beijing Zoo

AbstractWe studied the postnatal body weight gain and development of 11 male and nine female giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca cubs born at Beijing Zoo from 1985 to 1998. Growth rates of the cubs appeared to be sexually dimorphic from the fourth month after birth; the male grew slightly faster than the female cubs. Growth rates between artificially fed and naturally fed cubs were significantly different from the fourth month after birth. The growth rate of the artificially fed cubs was slightly higher than that of the cubs fed by their mothers, indicating that the substitute milk satisfied the nutrient needs of the cubs. The body length of the cubs increased rapidly after birth; 8‐month‐old cubs were three times longer than newborn cubs. Chest circumferences of 8‐month‐old cubs also increased to twice that of newborn cubs. Tail length relative to body length was reduced from 14.9% at birth to about 8.6% in 8‐month‐old cubs. Cubs started to grow teeth when they were 3 months old. By the age of 1 year, the cubs had fully grown deciduous teeth. The teeth formula of one 1‐year‐old cub was 2·1·3·0/2·1·3·0=24. We recorded the changes in fur colour, development of the sense organs and limbs of the giant panda cubs. Finally, we compared the body weight and life‐history parameters of giant pandas with those of bears and raccoons and discussed the management regime for the care of captive‐born giant panda cubs.

Mother‐cub relationships in giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains, China, with comment on rescuing abandoned cubs

AbstractSix cases of mother‐cub relationships in wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) were observed in the Qinling Mountains, China. It was found that panda cubs are normally left alone in the den for 4–8 h while mothers forage. The mother's absence during bouts of foraging should be considered when rescuing abandoned cubs in order to avoid adding to the decline of the wild population. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Altricial and precocial mammals: A model of neural and muscular development

AbstractThis model of growth offers a quantitative definition for altricial and precocial newborns, makes muscular strength a benchmark for locomotor independence, and discriminates related genera as well as genera across major taxonomic divides. The model contrasts four theoretical conditions of the neonate (I, small brain, weak musculature; II, small brain, strong musculature; III, large brain, weak musculature; IV, large brain, strong musculature) with species from three orders of placental mammal. Each species exhibits a distinct mother‐infant strategy from the altricial red panda cub (condition I) and the golden lion tamarin (condition III) to the precocial wildebeest calf (condition IV). The model proposes that early growth rates of brain and muscle correlate with nutrition, maternal effort during gestation and lactation, and parental care, whereas postnatal muscular growth correlates directly with adult body size and locomotor repertoire. An example of condition II (small brain, strong musculature) has not been found. This suggests that muscle does not grow in advance of the brain and that the brain acts as a pacemaker of growth. In order to increase our understanding of exotic species, noninvasive measures (body weight and length) and observations (opening of the eyes and ears, hair density, weaning, and the abilities to ther‐moregulate and to move) should be supplemented with analysis of the differential tissue and organ growth. In both theoretical and practical ways analysis of deceased individuals contributes to the understanding of all species.

Short Life for Panda Cub

Short Life for Panda Cub