Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- 1 The giant panda as a social, biological and conservation phenomenon
- 2 The Giant Panda Biomedical Survey: how it began and the value of people working together across cultures and disciplines
- 3 Factors limiting reproductive success in the giant panda as revealed by a Biomedical Survey
- 4 Significant medical issues and biological reference values for giant pandas from the Biomedical Survey
- 5 Life histories and behavioural traits as predictors of breeding status
- 6 Nutrition and dietary husbandry
- 7 Male reproductive biology in giant pandas in breeding programmes in China
- 8 Endocrinology of the giant panda and application of hormone technology to species management
- 9 The value and significance of vaginal cytology
- 10 Parentage assessment among captive giant pandas in China
- 11 The science of behavioural management: creating biologically relevant living environments in captivity
- 12 Evaluating stress and well-being in the giant panda: a system for monitoring
- 13 The neonatal giant panda: hand-rearing and medical management
- 14 Consequences of early rearing on socialization and social competence of the giant panda
- 15 Medical management of captive adult and geriatric giant pandas
- 16 Diseases and pathology of giant pandas
- 17 Ultrasonography to assess and enhance health and reproduction in the giant panda
- 18 Gastrointestinal endoscopy in the giant panda
- 19 Historical perspective of breeding giant pandas ex situ in China and high priorities for the future
- 20 Role and efficiency of artificial insemination and genome resource banking
- 21 Analysis of demographic and genetic trends for developing a captive breeding masterplan for the giant panda
- 22 Partnerships and capacity building for securing giant pandas ex situ and in situ: how zoos are contributing to conservation
- Index
- Plate Section
- References
11 - The science of behavioural management: creating biologically relevant living environments in captivity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 August 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- 1 The giant panda as a social, biological and conservation phenomenon
- 2 The Giant Panda Biomedical Survey: how it began and the value of people working together across cultures and disciplines
- 3 Factors limiting reproductive success in the giant panda as revealed by a Biomedical Survey
- 4 Significant medical issues and biological reference values for giant pandas from the Biomedical Survey
- 5 Life histories and behavioural traits as predictors of breeding status
- 6 Nutrition and dietary husbandry
- 7 Male reproductive biology in giant pandas in breeding programmes in China
- 8 Endocrinology of the giant panda and application of hormone technology to species management
- 9 The value and significance of vaginal cytology
- 10 Parentage assessment among captive giant pandas in China
- 11 The science of behavioural management: creating biologically relevant living environments in captivity
- 12 Evaluating stress and well-being in the giant panda: a system for monitoring
- 13 The neonatal giant panda: hand-rearing and medical management
- 14 Consequences of early rearing on socialization and social competence of the giant panda
- 15 Medical management of captive adult and geriatric giant pandas
- 16 Diseases and pathology of giant pandas
- 17 Ultrasonography to assess and enhance health and reproduction in the giant panda
- 18 Gastrointestinal endoscopy in the giant panda
- 19 Historical perspective of breeding giant pandas ex situ in China and high priorities for the future
- 20 Role and efficiency of artificial insemination and genome resource banking
- 21 Analysis of demographic and genetic trends for developing a captive breeding masterplan for the giant panda
- 22 Partnerships and capacity building for securing giant pandas ex situ and in situ: how zoos are contributing to conservation
- Index
- Plate Section
- References
Summary
INTRODUCTION
As for many highly specialised carnivores, breeding giant pandas in captivity has had sporadic gains and setbacks over its 40-year history (see Chapters 1 and 19). Although many husbandry issues have been addressed successfully, we are still learning about behaviour and its relevance to ex situ management. This chapter updates the state of captive breeding at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in the Wolong Nature Reserve (hereafter referred to as the Wolong Centre). We also provide details of our scientifically guided husbandry and management strategies that are contributing to a rapidly growing database of scholarly knowledge as well as to recent improvements in reproductive success.
Even with our limited knowledge about giant pandas in nature, it appears that, in the presence of plentiful natural resources and the absence of human disturbance, giant pandas mate, become pregnant and rear offspring without problem. Thus, reproduction is not a limiting factor to wild population viability (Lu et al., 2000). Because this is not the case for the ex situ population, we can surmise that reproductive problems are rooted in the captive environment – a place that fails to fully meet the needs of at least some individuals. In principle, and with a proper understanding of species-salient factors, it should be possible to create captive environments that result in, or even surpass, reproductive rates occurring in the wild. Targets for improvement include health, nutrition, husbandry and behavioural management, this chapter concentrating on the latter two factors.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Giant PandasBiology, Veterinary Medicine and Management, pp. 274 - 298Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
References
and (1994). Effects of environmental enrichment on reproduction. Zoo Biology, 13, 447–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1977). The origin and functions of adjunctive behaviour. Animal Learning and Behaviour, 4, 325–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forthman, D. L., McManamon, R., Levi, U. A. and Bruner, G. Y. (1995). Interdisciplinary issues in the design of mammal exhibits (excluding marine mammals and primates). In Conservation of Endangered Species in Captivity: An Interdisciplinary Approach, ed. , and . Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, pp. 377–99.Google Scholar
and (1998). Biological conservation and stress. Advances in the Study of Behaviour, 27, 405–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoyo Bastien, C. M., Schoch, J. F. and Tellez Giron, J. A. (1985). Management and breeding of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) at the Chapultepec Zoo, Mexico City. Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Giant Panda. Bongo, pp. 83–92. Bongo, Berlin.
and (1988). The notion of ethological ‘need’, models of motivation and animal welfare. Animal Behaviour, 36, 1696–707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1983). Ethology and reproduction of captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Zeitschrift für die Tierpsychologie, 62, 1–46.Google Scholar
and (eds.) (2004). Giant Pandas: Biology and Conservation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
, and (2001). Hormonal and behavioral relationships during estrus in the giant panda. Zoo Biology, 20, 537–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindburg, D. G., Swaisgood, R. R., Zhang, J., Narushima, E. and Zhou, X. Stereotyped behaviour in the giant panda. In Making Enrichment a 21st Century Priority: Proceedings, 5th International Conference on Environmental Enrichment. Sydney: Australia (in press).
, and (1994). Mother–cub relationships in giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains, China, with comment on rescuing abandoned cubs. Zoo Biology, 13, 567–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, Z., Pan, W., Zhu, X., Wang, D. and Wang, H. (2000). What has the panda taught us? In Priorities for the Conservation of Mammalian Diversity: Has the Panda had its Day?, ed. and . Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, pp. 325–34.Google Scholar
and (1987). Enriched and Impoverished Environments: Effects on Brain and Behaviour. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shepherdson, D. J. (1994). The role of environmental enrichment in the captive breeding and reintroduction of endangered species. In Creative Conservation: Interactive Management of Wild and Captive Animals, ed. G. Mace, and . London: Chapman & Hall, pp. 167–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (eds.) (1998). Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
, , et al. (2003). Behavioural and developmental consequences of early rearing experience for captive giant pandas. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 117, 235–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snyder, R. J., Lawson, D. P., Zhang, A. et al. (2004). Reproduction in giant pandas: hormones and behaviour. In Giant Pandas: Biology and Conservation, ed. and . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 125–32.Google Scholar
, and (1999). Giant pandas discriminate individual differences in conspecific scent. Animal Behaviour, 57, 1045–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , and (2000). The effects of sex, reproductive condition and context on discrimination of conspecific odours by giant pandas. Animal Behaviour, 60, 227–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , et al. (2001). A quantitative assessment of the efficacy of an environmental enrichment programme for giant pandas. Animal Behaviour, 61, 447–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (2002). Discrimination of oestrous status in giant pandas via chemical cues in urine. Journal of Zoology (London), 257, 381–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2003a). Commentary: improving well-being for captive giant pandas: theoretical and practical issues. Zoo Biology, 22, 347–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2003b). Application of behavioural knowledge to giant panda conservation. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 16, 65–84.Google Scholar
Swaisgood, R. R., Lindburg, D. G., White, A. M., Zhou, X. and Zhang, H. (2004). Chemical communication in giant pandas: experimentation and application. In Giant Pandas: Biology and Conservation ed. and . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 106–120.Google Scholar
Tepper, E. M., Hare, V. J., Swaisgood, R. R. et al. (2001). Evaluating enrichment strategies with giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo. In Proceedings, Fourth International Conference on Environmental Enrichment, ed. , and . San Diego, CA: Shape of Enrichment, pp. 226–39.Google Scholar
(2001). Chemical Communication in Giant Pandas: The Role of Marking Posture and Age of Signaler. San Diego, CA: San Diego State University, Masters Thesis.Google Scholar
, and (2002). The highs and lows of chemical communication in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): effect of scent deposition height on signal discrimination. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 51, 519–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (2003). Chemical communication in giant pandas: the role of age in the signaller and assessor. Journal of Zoology (London), 259, 171–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , et al. (2000). A method for encouraging maternal care in the giant panda. Zoo Biology, 19, 53–63.3.0.CO;2-9>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (2004). An evaluation of the behavioral factors influencing reproductive success and failure in captive giant pandas. Zoo Biology, 23, 15–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2001). The reproductive strategy of giant pandas: infant growth and development and mother–infant relationships. Journal of Zoology (London), 253, 141–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 8
- Cited by