We have cubs born in 2022 available now for our platinum adoption level. Check out the ten newest pandas up for symbolic adoption. Questions? Contact us at info@pandasinternational.org.
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Where in China can you find wild giant pandas?
a) Northeast China
b) Southwest China
c) Southeast China
d) East Coast China
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By Carol McGrath
The panda community has lost one of their own. On July 7th, Judy Young passed away. She lived near Washington, DC her entire life and was a dedicated animal lover, especially pandas. Judy was a loyal and active supporter of Pandas International for many years. Her dedication to Giant Panda conservation was greatly appreciated.
Judy visited the first pair of pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing at the National Zoo when they arrived in the 70's. Years later she would visit the second pair, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. Everything changed when Tai Shan was born in 2005. This is when the magic of pandas began for Judy and many of us. Through the years and with the birth of each cub, the circle of friends grew. Judy was an important part of that group. Panda fans visited from around the world and she would always make it a point to see them. She would show them around the zoo and sometimes Washington, DC itself. Her photography of the zoo and the city she loved stood out among the best.
Judy was also a world traveler. The place that became the most meaningful to her was China. She visited a few times and was looking forward to another visit. She engrossed herself in the culture, people and historic landmarks. The most important part of all was the pandas. She visited the reserves and loved watching the cubs play. Her favorites were the bears from America, especially her girl Bao Bao.
Her kindness and generosity will be greatly missed. Judy leaves behind two sisters, Brenda and Cheryl, nieces, nephews and many dear friends, both human and animal.
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2,000-year-old giant panda remains unearthed in China for first time |
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For the first time in history, giant panda remains have been unearthed from a royal burial pit dating back to the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-AD25), which was released in a documentary that aired on Saturday.
A complete skeleton of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was discovered by archaeologists at the end of 2021 during an excavation of more than 20 small subsidiary pits around the grand mausoleum of Emperor Wendi of Han in the outskirts of Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, according to a report by the news website cover.cn on Tuesday.
The skeleton had well-developed canine teeth, and was placed within a neatly laid brick structure facing toward the direction of the emperor's tomb, with its tail pointing westward. After comparing the skeleton with existing giant pandas', researchers from the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology discovered that it belonged to a giant panda.
"Based on the discovered panda skeletal remains, the panda should belong to the Qinling subspecies," Hu Songmei, a researcher at the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, adding that "compared to Sichuan giant pandas, the Qinling subspecies are relatively larger in size and have rounder faces."
China's giant pandas are classified into two subspecies: Sichuan giant pandas and Qinling giant pandas.
The analysis of the animal's bones also provided insights into the climate and environment of that era, according to Hu. She speculated that this giant panda might have originated from the forests on the northern slope of the Qinling Mountains, where the then-climate was likely warmer and more humid than today.
In 1975, archaeologists also discovered a buried giant panda near the tomb of Empress Bo, mother of Emperor Wendi.
Cao Long, a researcher at the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, said that it is not yet possible to conclude that Emperor Wendi or Empress Bo had a special preference for giant pandas. "Based on the current number of subsidiary pits and the identified animal species, it still appears to be a royal garden feature, rather than being specifically buried with giant pandas due to personal preference," he said.
Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were found in the burial pits, including tiger, tapir, Indian wild buffalo, oryx, serow, and yak remains, which reflects the belief in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) that people will live a life in the underworld similar to when they were alive, according to the report.
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South Korean zoo celebrates birth of first twin pandas |
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A giant panda at a South Korean zoo has given birth to the country’s first twin cubs.
The palm-sized female pandas were born at the Everland Resort theme park southeast of the capital Seoul on July 7.
Video posted to YouTube showed their mother Ai Bao picking up the first cub, weighing 180 grams (6 ounces), with her mouth, then delivering the second cub, weighing 140 grams, an hour later.
The twins’ birth is considered rare – there’s less than a 50% chance of pandas giving birth to twins – and in the wild, they struggle to survive as mothers can often only care for one of their cubs.
Both the mother and her offspring are in good health, the zoo said in a statement, with staff providing postpartum care based on their experience helping the now 9-year-old deliver her first cub, Fu Bao, three years ago.
“I am very happy that twin baby pandas were born for the first time in Korea,” said Kang Cheol-won, a zookeeper responsible for setting up the panda enclosure at the park. “I will continue to take good care of them so that they can become a panda family that will deliver hope and joy to the public.”
The mammals, known for their penchant for bamboo, are native to China and deemed a “national treasure.” For decades, Beijing has been sent them abroad as ambassadors to show goodwill in what is known as “panda diplomacy.”
The twins’ parents, Ai Bao and father Le Bao, were loaned to South Korea in 2016 and went on to deliver Fu Bao, the first locally born panda in 2020. The new twins are yet to be named. Jung Dong-hee, director of Everland Zoo, called the birth of the pandas “another important achievement from the cooperation between Korea and China on panda research.”
Giant pandas have one fertile period throughout the year, lasting just one to three days each time, and their preference to live alone in their natural habitats means they rarely mate. Given the challenge, the zoo said it had analyzed hormonal changes among the pandas to search for the best mating window, and observed the behavioral changes of the mother after she became pregnant.
It is estimated that around 1,800 pandas remain in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, western China.
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#PandaStory: Parties and Pseudopregnancies |
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Just over a week ago, our female giant panda Mei Xiang reached a major milestone—she turned 25 years old July 22! To celebrate her birthday, our Department of Nutrition Science made a special panda-friendly fruitsicle cake just for Mei Xiang. The base consisted of frozen diluted apple juice, and it was decorated with mashed sweet potatoes, mashed carrots, apple slices and bamboo. While visitors sang “happy birthday” to Mei Xiang, she dug straight into the cake, biting into the “25” topper and picking off her favorite produce.
Another big milestone happened earlier this year. Those of you who have followed our #PandaStory updates know that Mei Xiang and her son, Xiao Qi Ji, shared a habitat for two-and-a-half years. In late February, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji’s behaviors indicated that he was ready to be independent from his mother. They have lived separately ever since.
Without a cub to care for or nurse, Mei Xiang went into estrus—the very short window when female giant pandas are able to conceive a cub—in spring. This is not unusual, as giant panda breeding season typically occurs between March and May. However, Mei Xiang is geriatric for her species and is considered post-reproductive. Following Xiao Qi Ji’s birth, our Chinese colleagues retired Mei Xiang from the breeding program, and we have not attempted either natural breeding or artificial insemination since 2020.
During this year’s breeding season, we observed changes in Mei Xiang’s behaviors, physiology and hormones. This indicated that, despite her advanced age, Mei Xiang experienced a full estrus this year!
To monitor Mei Xiang’s hormones, we regularly collect samples of her urine and send them to the Zoo’s endocrinologists. They analyze the samples and look for changes in her estrogen and progesterone levels. When they see her estrogen levels rise, that means Mei Xiang is in estrus. After her estrogen levels peak, it indicates that she is ovulating. This year, they peaked April 22.
Months later, Mei Xiang is now experiencing a phenomenon called a pseudopregnancy. Even though she did not breed, she is going through the same hormonal and behavioral changes that she would if she were pregnant. Her levels of progesterone rise and fall just as they would during a real pregnancy.
Mei Xiang’s behaviors have changed, too. Over the last couple of weeks, she has chosen to stay in her air-conditioned indoor habitat and sleeps for longer periods. Because she spends more time sleeping, she eats less bamboo, produce and other foods. She also has a heightened sensitivity to noise, so we try to work as quietly as possible around her enclosure and den.
t the moment, she still voluntarily participates in husbandry and medical training sessions. As her pseudopregnancy progresses, though, she may choose to rest instead. In the coming weeks, we anticipate she will start nest-building, cradling objects and body-licking, as she has done in the past.
Eventually, Mei Xiang’s hormones and behaviors will return to normal. We are about four-to-eight weeks away from the end of her pseudopregnancy. For now, our team is continuing to keep Mei Xiang comfortable and provide her with the highest quality of care.
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Waterville Valley Academy Raises $900 |
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The student of Waterville Valley Academy, located in Waterville Valley NH, are happy to donate the proceeds of their 2023 Art Show to the Panda International. Each year the art students of WVA select an endangered species to support. With the help of Art Teacher Sarah Heidenis, the students create works of art of and then sell them to the community. This year’s art show, “The Protect the Pandas Art Show”, was held on Thursday March 30th and the student were able to raise $900 for the Pandas!
Waterville Valley Academy is a Snowsports academy for students in 6th to 12th grade located in New Hampshire.
Thank you Waterville Valley Academy for such a generous donation. Your panda art is stunning!
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Panda Things is a free to use resource for learning all about the giant panda and finding the world's best panda products, all in one place! We're proud to support Pandas International and the vital work they do to help save the giant panda.
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Giant Panda Xin Xin Celebrates 33rd Birthday in Mexico |
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World's only panda triplets celebrate 9th birthday in Guangzhou |
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B-roll: Giant Panda Mei Xiang's 25th Birthday at Smithsonian's National Zoo |
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