Pandas Live on

Are we listening to Mother Nature?

Dee — 2013-04-21T00:20:23-04:00

Here are two articles from the International Rivers organization concerning the Wenchuan earthquake.

Earthquakes Triggered by Dams

Earthquakes can be induced by dams. Globally, there are over 100 identified cases of earthquakes that scientists believe were triggered by reservoirs (see Gupta 2002). The most serious case may be the 7.9-magnitudeSichuan earthquake in May 2008, which killed an estimated 80,000 people and has been linked to the construction of the Zipingpu Dam.

How Do Dams Trigger Earthquakes?

In a paper prepared for the World Commission on Dams, Dr. V. P Jauhari wrote the following about this phenomenon, known as Reservoir-Induced Seismicity (RIS): "The most widely accepted explanation of how dams cause earthquakes is related to the extra water pressure created in the micro-cracks and fissures in the ground under and near a reservoir. When the pressure of the water in the rocks increases, it acts to lubricate faults which are already under tectonic strain, but are prevented from slipping by the friction of the rock surfaces."

Given that every dam site has unique geological characteristics, it is not possible to accurately predict when and where earthquakes will occur. However, the International Commission on Large Dams recommends that RIS should be considered for reservoirs deeper than 100 meters.

What Are Some Characteristics of RIS?

A leading scholar on this topic, Harsh K. Gupta, summarized his findings on RIS worldwide in 2002:

Depth of the reservoir is the most important factor, but the volume of water also plays a significant role in triggering earthquakes.
RIS can be immediately noticed during filling periods of reservoirs.
RIS can happen immediately after the filling of a reservoir or after a certain time lag.

Many dams are being built in seismically active regions, including the Himalayas, Southwest China, Iran, Turkey, and Chile (see map). International Rivers calls for a moratorium on the construction of high dams in earthquake-prone areas.

Click here for the factsheet on RIS worldwide.

Sichuan Earthquake Damages Dams, May Be Dam-Induced

Date:

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The tragic Sichuan Earthquake of May 12, 2008, which killed an estimated 80,000 civilians, also damaged hundreds of dams in Sichuan Province. Soon after the earthquake struck, the Chinese government reported that at least 391 dams had been damaged in the quake, including major cracks on the largest dam in the area, the Zipingpu Dam. Since then, the Ministry of Water Resources has reported that as many as 2,380 dams were damaged in the earthquake. Scientists in China and the US also fear that the earthquake may have been induced by the weight of the Zipingpu reservoir, in a phenomenon known as Reservoir-Induced Seismicity.

According to the State-run Xinhua News Agency, the Zipingpu Dam on the Min River experienced "extremely dangerous" cracks, along with a collapsed powerhouse and other associated facilities. Seismologists from China's Earthquake Bureau had warned the government back in 2000 that the project should not be built given its proximity to a major fault line, yet these warnings were ignored. The government later reported that its experts had inspected the dam and declared it safe, although it is not clear exactly how thorough the inspections have been.

Despite the risks posed to millions of inhabitants downstream if a large dam were to break, the Chinese government continues to build scores of dams in the country's most earthquake-prone region, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in southwest China. In light of the damages to the dams, mainland experts, environmental groups, and activists have issued an open letter to the authorities. The letter calls for thorough risk assessments of all large hydropower projects in this region before companies are allowed to go forward with construction.

Follow these links for more information about the earthquake and the damage to the Zipingpu and other dams:

More information:

Read the Science article about how the Sichuan Earthquake may be linked to the Zipingpu Dam's reservoir. See here for the original article by Christian Klose (2008).

Read a 2003 article that includes background about the Zipingpu Dam.

Learn more about Zipingpu Dam.

Giant Pandas at BFX okay after earthquake

Dee — 2013-04-21T00:06:19-04:00

Thanks to PANDAS INTERNATIONAL for the update on the pandas at the Bifengxia panda base, that is closest to the recent earthquake. Its too early to know how the wild pandas are doing.

Pandas International Thanks to Karen Wille and Annette Yuen for pulling together more information for us:

EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA - UPDATE We've been assured that the staff and pandas at BFX are OK. There was some damage (broken glass, etc) so they are busy cleaning up. They do not have water or power. The road up to BFX was damaged so many keepers had to walk part of the way up to the base last night. The pandas were scared, especially due to aftershocks, but they seem to be calm now. There are lots of aftershocks. It seems that more damage was reported in Lu Shan. As Karen says, "Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers to everyone in China - both human and animal - that were affected by the earthquake." We will provide updates as we find out more.

The work that goes on at the Wolong panda base

Dee — 2013-04-09T15:18:09-04:00

This was a tough video to put together because of the condition of the Wolong base after the earthquake was depressing. The scientist are focusing on their pandas and best methods for ensuring success of the cubs once they are released into the wild, so the condition of the base is not relevant at this time.

Alot of planning went into this program before they moved back to the Wolong base. Certain areas of the base were damaged or destroyed but the main admin building and breeding pens/yards are still in good shape. Fortunately, a large section of the mountain was not impacted by the earthquake that caused landslides to destroy the entranceway to the base and the kindergarten area which is further down from the breeding pens. This is the section that they are able to utilize for the wild release training for the cubs. The former kindergarten area was inaccessible.

So, I tried to set the scene, kind of give you an idea of what the area is like, mountains, rivers, in other words rugged. Then give a little history of the earthquake and then moving onto their first graduate of the wild release program, Tao Tao and his mom Cao Cao.

Our Earthwatch schedule was moved all around because Tao was scheduled to be released around the time we arrived and of course this was not open to the public. But we have some great photos thanks to the staff at the base who have been keeping up with the mom and cub pair during the course of the cubs 2 1/2 years of training.

In the meantime, a new base, larger with facilities for breeding, wild release training and buildings that will house a panda museum and educational displays about giant pandas is currently under construction. They are working at the base with a few pandas but there is still alot of construction going on and the roadways are still being prepared also.

I hope this gives you a sense of how the Chinese are working hard to help save the giant pandas in the Wolong area. Thanks to everyone who are involved in this effort.

A new Giant Panda Book to add to your Collection!

Dee — 2013-04-06T10:32:56-04:00

Always excited to find another book about giant pandas to read and of course, look through the photos of these beautiful bears, but best of all this one is backed up by research.

Congratulations to both Dr. Zhang Zhihe and Dr. Sarah Bexell, who work together at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Best of Luck on the success of this book!

Not so black and white

Updated: 2013-04-05 07:46

By Mark Graham (China Daily)

The life of pandas is not as clear cut as many people think, says the co-author of a new book on the Giant panda expert Sarah Bexell sets out to debunk a few myths about China's most iconic animal in a new book, including the general perception that they are lazy and sexually shy.

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The American is the co-author of Giant Pandas, Born Survivors, a serious but highly entertaining work on the severely endangered species. It is a joint project with her colleague, Chengdu Panda Base Director Zhang Zhihe, who has a spectacular library of panda images, many of them showcased for the first time in the book.

Bexell first went to study pandas at the base almost 14 years ago and became totally mesmerized by the animals, returning for long spells every year to observe them at close quarters.

With her punchy text and Zhang's fabulous photographs, Giant Pandas, Born Survivors, is likely to be the seminal English-language work on the fast-dwindling animals. The tome endeavors to set the record straight on panda-breeding habits, in captivity and in the wild, and help highlight how quickly the population is declining.

According to Bexell, the most recent census estimated there were some 1,600 animals left in the wild, mostly around the mountainous regions of southwestern Chengdu province, with some 300 in captivity.

"The giant panda is a conservation icon," she says. "If we can't save pandas, what hope can we have for the world? I think this is the first book that says 'this is it guys, if we can't save the animal we all profess to love, what hope is there for us.' We are trying to lay it on the line, pointing out that it is now or never.

Bexell first came to China to work with pandas in 1999 and fell in love with them.

"You get the chance to bond when you see them 10 hours a day, you start seeing what they are thinking and why they do what they do."

Bexell is serious and sincere about her work but she is far from a stuffy scientist. In person she is jaunty and affable, with a loud and unaffected laugh. Her open personality is reflected in the book's text: fascinating facts are presented in a chatty way, including a section devoted to the sex life of giant pandas.

The animals are, as the world knows, famously reluctant to breed when in captivity, meaning artificial insemination techniques have to be employed. Few have seen them mating in the wild but, according to Bexell, they go through an elaborate ritual, which involves the female cooing and chirping to attract male admirers who, in turn, scrap viciously for the privilege of becoming her lover.

Says Bexell: "When a female goes into estrus she goes to a higher area, a tree or a cliff, and then begins to vocalize and males congregate around her and fight for her. This can sometimes last for days and then whoever wins gets to mate with her first.

"After he has mated with her and wandered away some of the losers might be lurking around and she might mate with them as well. It is very aggressive; you can tell the old males, they have scars like adult male lions. We are fairly certain that the females breed with different males every time she might never see again.

"It's a myth that they don't breed well. When they are in captivity they can't go through their mating rituals, it happens with many animals. But in the wild, they are very proficient breeders or they would have become extinct a long time ago. They have been around for 8 million years. The earlier forms of pandas were smaller and more petite; they have gotten bigger over time."

Another widely held misconception is that pandas are bone-idle creatures, just lolling around all day, snacking on the odd piece of bamboo. According to Bexell they are not in the least bit indolent, they just need ample rest after expending tremendous amounts of energy on processing their favorite bamboo food. Hungry pandas have to chomp through the outer layer of bamboo before they can reach the softer inner section.

Images of pandas foraging in the wild, or resting high in the trees, are scattered liberally throughout Giant Pandas, Born Survivors. Many were taken by Zhang, a talented photographer who has a vast library of images and had an earlier best-seller with the book Watch Me Grow, also a collaboration with Bexell, documenting the life of a giant panda, Jing Jing, from birth.

It is hoped that the new book, published by Penguin, will be particularly popular with schools and libraries, ensuring that the world becomes more aware of the plight of pandas as well as endangered species and threatened habitats in general. Bexell says environmental degradation is just as prevalent in her native country, the United States.

In fact when Bexell is asked to take a big-picture view of the state of the planet, it is not a happy, or optimistic, image. The vegan scientist despairs at the greed and avarice that has led to wholesale decimation of forests and the pollution of rivers, lakes and oceans.

She says: "Our population is too big and our consumption habits are quite frankly unethical, especially in developed countries. The more we take, and the more we have babies, we are taking away the chances of survival for every other species.

"We should be thinking about these species we are snuffing out, we are animals too. We think we are all so fancy, and above all that, but we are not. Once we eat everything, we die too.

"Another thing that people forget about is micro-organisms. We tend to think bacteria is not important but it is critically important, worms are important, we take all these animals for granted."

When not doing panda-research stints in China, the Colorado-based scientist can be found as research scholar in residence at the University of Denver's Institute for Human-Animal Connections, or relaxing with her partner, who is also a scientist. Needless to say, most activities the pair are involved in feature animals in some way, shape or form.

She adds: "I met my partner at a fund-raiser for cougars: he is a bat biologist and we spend most of our time talking about bats and pandas. I travel with him to the international bat conferences. A lot of the travel we do is for the animals."

China Daily

Giant Panda on cover of Reader's Digest

Dee — 2013-04-05T12:57:27-04:00

May's 2013 edition of Readers Digest feature story is Animals that act like People. As most of us love all kinds of animals it is a fun read and they cover quite a few different animals as examples besides our dearly beloved giant pandas.

The RD website uses a different title Animal Stories: When Beasts act like Humans. I don't think of pandas as a beast though. What about you?

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian come together for mating

Dee — 2013-03-30T12:47:26-04:00

It's that time of the year, where scientist and keepers are monitoring those female pandas that they plan to breed and then pair up with a suitable male.

Of course, with zoo's that work exclusively with one pair, although it makes it easier with only one pair, it is far from being an easy task. The National Zoo just provided their latest update on Mei and Tian and the challenging work that is going into this years breeding season.

The video below of Mei and Tian shows, unique vocalizations that you may not have heard before if you visit giant pandas any other time of the year. Its a tough time for the males, they come into heat weeks before a female reaches estrus, then there is an extremely short window of one-two days, for any mating to take place. The staff at the zoo are present during the time that they bring Mei and Tian together to insure safety for both pandas. There is alot of behind the scenes training that the zoo does with the pandas before this time arrives and you can see with careful coordination hopefully everything goes smoothy and the pair is successful.

Thanks to the zoo for their regular updates and the chance to view their mating. Best of luck to Mei and Tian and the zoo staff. Here is the latest update from the zoo. Go here to keep up with all of their updates and live cam: Smithsonian National Zoo Giant Pandas

Thanks to Daniel of Daniels Multiple U.S. Panda Cam Feeds for the photos of Mei and Tian, be sure to go to his site to check out other live panda cams he has and information on pandas too!

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO UPDATE - MARCH 30

Spring has sprung and the giant pandas are breeding again at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Scientists detected a rise in urinary estrogens March 26, in its female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG). This rise and her behaviors indicated that Mei Xiang was in estrus and ready to breed. A team of Zoo scientists and veterinarians, including Tang Chunxiang, the assistant director and chief veterinarian of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at Wolong, performed an artificial insemination (AI) earlier this morning after keepers determined no competent breeding between Mei Xiang and the Zoo’s male giant panda Tian Tian (tee-YEN tee-YEN) had occurred overnight.

"We are hopeful that our breeding efforts will be successful this year, and we’re encouraged by all the behaviors and hormonal data we’ve seen so far," said Dave Wildt, head of the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. "We have an extremely small window of opportunity to perform the procedures, which is why we monitor behavior and hormones so closely."

Mei Xiang was put under general anesthesia for the artificial insemination and will likely undergo a second procedure later today. During the artificial insemination, the team of scientists and veterinarians used a combination of fresh semen collected from Tian Tian early this morning and frozen semen collected from Tian Tian in 2003.

The Zoo will provide further updates through its Facebook page and Twitter using the hashtag #PandaAI.

The David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, which has been closed since March 26, will reopen tomorrow, March 31. Visitors to the Zoo today should not expect to see the pandas. In the meantime panda fans can watch Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on the panda cam, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund, except during an artificial insemination.

The Zoo’s plans for breeding Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were developed in accordance with the Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement, which lasts until 2015. Tang traveled to the Zoo to assist with breeding as part of the agreement. He performed two artificial inseminations on Mei Xiang alongside a team from the Zoo in 2011.

Zoo scientists will monitor Mei Xiang’s hormone levels in the coming months and conduct ultrasounds to determine if she is pregnant. A pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days. Female giant pandas experience delayed implantation, during which the embryo does not implant in the uterine wall until a few weeks before birth and a fetus does not start to develop until the final weeks of gestation. It is impossible to determine from behaviors and hormone analyses alone if a female is pregnant or experiencing a false pregnancy (pseudopregnancy).

The Zoo received approval for its breeding plans from the China Wildlife and Conservation Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which monitors giant panda research programs in the United States.

A look at the Chengdu Panda Base

Dee — 2013-03-11T04:49:26-04:00

Did you see the home page on Bing today? Awesome photo of cubbies at the Wolong Panda base.

I finally got back to my videos of my trip to China and skipped ahead to Chengdu until I can figure out how to put together the old Wolong base videos. The old Wolong base was a place to go and volunteer to work with the pandas and get your photo with the cubbies. It is smaller in size compared to the Bifengxia & Chengdu bases, which brought you up close and personal with the pandas. Unfortunately, the tragic earthquake in 2010, destroyed most of the base.

The base is still being used but only to prepare pandas for release into the wild and so it is not open to the public. It is really depressing to see the condition of the base, after seeing so many wonderful photos and hearing fun stories of other people's visits. But the new Wolong base is now open, although not yet to the public. So, over this next year they will be working to reorganize all of their staff and pandas and we should hear something about tours to the new base soon.

This video is of the Chengdu Research Center for Giant Panda Breeding. This base sets on the rim of the city of Chengdu. They work separately from the Wolong reserve bases. It is a big base, designed with curved walkways all bordered with flowering trees and beautiful tall bamboo. I did not go into the research center as I only went as a visitor. They have a nice museum, large lake with swans, geese and tons of Koi fish, as well as a nice restaurant. It is alot of walking, but the hills aren't as steep as they are at Bifengxia!

Enjoy the video, you really need to be sure and give yourself a day to see this base.

One of my favs from Chengdu is this adorable video of the cubs playing on the slide back in June 2012. Thanks to ChengduPAW