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15 - Medical management of captive adult and geriatric giant pandas
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- By Donald L. Janssen, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Patrick Morris, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Meg Sutherland-Smith, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Mark Greenberg, San Diego Medical Center, Desheng Li, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Nathalie Mauroo, Ocean Park, Spelman Lucy, National Zoological Park
- Edited by David E. Wildt, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington DC, Anju Zhang, Hemin Zhang, Wildlife Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, Donald L. Janssen, Zoological Society of San Diego, Susie Ellis
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- Book:
- Giant Pandas
- Published online:
- 09 August 2009
- Print publication:
- 27 July 2006, pp 353-376
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
The medical management of giant pandas has advanced significantly in recent years due to cooperative programmes between Chinese and western institutions, specifically zoos and breeding centres. Key to these partnerships have been veterinarians who have become committed to understanding the diseases affecting this species. Progress has emanated from efforts such as the Biomedical Survey (see Chapter 4) and international personnel exchanges related to giant panda loans to western zoos (see Chapter 22). The result has been many opportunities for veterinarians working with giant pandas to share philosophies, tools, expertise and knowledge which, in turn, have vastly improved medical care of this species in captivity.
There are unique as well as overlapping medical issues impacting the giant panda according to age. For example, Chapter 13 has already addressed health-related topics facing neonates and juveniles. After four years of age, however, the giant panda has matured physically and sexually, leaving behind many of the diseases associated with its youth. Then, after the age of 20 years and during the period of reproductive senescence, another set of potential problems face managers and veterinarians – degenerative changes related to the geriatric condition. Because health and reproduction are improving so rapidly in the ex situ panda population, it is a given that more animals will live longer, requiring more sophisticated veterinary management to ensure well-being for up to 25 years of age or beyond.
This chapter describes the authors' medical experiences with adult and aged giant pandas living in zoos, especially in the USA.
13 - The neonatal giant panda: hand-rearing and medical management
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- By Mark S. Edwards, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Rongping Wei, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Janet Hawes, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Meg Sutherland-Smith, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Chunxiang Tang, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Desheng Li, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Daming Hu, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Guiquan Zhang, China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda
- Edited by David E. Wildt, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington DC, Anju Zhang, Hemin Zhang, Wildlife Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, Donald L. Janssen, Zoological Society of San Diego, Susie Ellis
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- Book:
- Giant Pandas
- Published online:
- 09 August 2009
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- 27 July 2006, pp 315-333
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
Among eutherians, ursids have a significant disparity between maternal weight and neonatal weight (Leitch et al., 1959). The giant panda also produces a smaller litter mass relative to maternal body mass than, for example, the American black bear (Oftedal & Gittleman, 1989; Ramsay & Dunbrack, 1996; Zhu et al., 2001). The giant panda neonate is particularly altricial (i.e. highly dependent on parental care), requiring 24-hour care during the first weeks of life. This chapter deals with the issues and intricacies associated with the newborn giant panda cub, including hand-rearing and medical management.
NEONATAL CARE AND HAND-REARING: METHODS, RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Indications for hand-rearing
Although maternal care is always preferred for the giant panda cub, there are situations when human care-giving is mandatory. The most obvious is maternal abandonment, which usually becomes apparent within the first five to ten minutes of birth. A female that abandons her cub will typically leave it on the ground and move away, showing little or no interest. Intervention is also required when the dam holds the cub improperly (malpositioning). Such a cub can neither nurse nor rest, often moves about excessively (in an attempt to achieve proper positioning on its own) and then can fall to the ground. A third complication is the common production of two or more cubs (mean litter size is 1.7; range 1–3) (Schaller et al., 1985).
17 - Ultrasonography to assess and enhance health and reproduction in the giant panda
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- By Thomas B. Hildebrandt, Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research Berlin, Janine L. Brown, National Zoological Park, Frank Goritz, Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research Berlin, Andreas Ochs, Zoological Garden Berlin AG, Patrick Morris, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Meg Sutherland-Smith, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego
- Edited by David E. Wildt, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington DC, Anju Zhang, Hemin Zhang, Wildlife Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, Donald L. Janssen, Zoological Society of San Diego, Susie Ellis
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- Book:
- Giant Pandas
- Published online:
- 09 August 2009
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- 27 July 2006, pp 410-439
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
Ultrasonography is a routine diagnostic procedure used for assessing soft tissue characteristics in the human and veterinary medical fields of ophthalmology, cardiology, neurology, nephrology, obstetrics, oncology and orthopaedics. Because various forms of ultrasonography have existed for more than 50 years, it is surprising that this technology has only recently been applied to the study and management of wildlife species (Hildebrandt & Göritz, 1998; Hildebrandt et al., 2003). Nonetheless, there already is enough evidence making it clear that ultrasonography, combined with other technologies, can address issues that directly impact the health and reproductive welfare of wildlife species. This chapter focuses on the relevance of this technique for assisting in the assessment of medical and reproductive health in the giant panda.
The struggle to propagate and maintain viable wild animal populations in captivity is often related to information gaps that limit our ability to develop breeding and health strategies that are species appropriate. As demonstrated throughout this book, the giant panda presents some significant challenges to ex situ managers, which are exacerbated by a lack of basic biological knowledge about the species. Ultrasonographical studies are helping fill these physiological and anatomical voids by allowing the:
characterisation of reproductive tract morphology;
description of reproductive events;
monitoring of foetal development;
documentation of progression and treatment of pathologies.
Ultrasonography is also playing a significant role in developing and using artificial insemination (AI), which plays a critical role in the genetic management of this species (see Chapters 20 and 21).
4 - Significant medical issues and biological reference values for giant pandas from the Biomedical Survey
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- By Donald L. Janssen, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Mark S. Edwards, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Meg Sutherland-Smith, San Diego Zoo, Zoological Society of San Diego, Jianqiu Yu, Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, Desheng Li, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Guiquan Zhang, China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda, Rongping Wei, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Cheng Lin Zhang, Beijing Zoo, R. Eric Miller, Saint Louis Zoo, WildCare Institute, Lyndsay G. Phillips, School of Veterinary Medicine, Daming Hu, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Chunxiang Tang, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
- Edited by David E. Wildt, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington DC, Anju Zhang, Hemin Zhang, Wildlife Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, Donald L. Janssen, Zoological Society of San Diego, Susie Ellis
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- Book:
- Giant Pandas
- Published online:
- 09 August 2009
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- 27 July 2006, pp 59-86
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
The Giant Panda Biomedical Survey sought to establish a baseline of scientific information on giant pandas living in Chinese zoos and breeding centres as a first step towards establishing a self-sustaining captive population (Zheng et al., 1997; see also Chapter 2). To produce the most information that would allow an understanding of the health and reproductive status of the extant population, we chose an interdisciplinary approach to examine as many health and reproductive traits as possible. What was crucial was the trusting relationship that developed early in the process between the Chinese and American teams which led to a thorough understanding of giant panda biology – information that not only was fascinating from a scholarly perspective but also valuable to improving ex situ management.
This chapter provides detailed methods and medical findings following the assessment of more than 60% of the living Chinese population of giant pandas (as existed in 1996 when the need for a Biomedical Survey was recognised). The results in this chapter address issues ranging from disease conditions to reproductive compromise, all of which ultimately allowed classifying each animal as to its usefulness in achieving the goal of population self-sustainability. The practices and reference values described here will also be useful to those who are interested in closely studying and managing giant pandas in the future.