News from the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat

Please note: Tickets are no longer required to see the pandas.

May 14, Afternoon

We recently got word that the staff at Wolong, including those doing field monitoring as well as tourists visiting the reserve, are all safe. There have been no reports of staff casualties at any of the panda reserves, but the infrastructure at all reserves has been damaged. Everyone who has suffered from the earthquake has our deepest sympathy.

May 14, Morning

We have gotten direct confirmation that the pandas at Wolong, Chengdu, and a preserve in Ya'an are safe. We do not yet know about staff and their families. We have heard that some reserves in Sichuan province were damaged by the earthquake, which caused some of the reserves' observation decks to collapse. Damage to roads has seriously restricted access to the reserves.

May 13, Afternoon

We just found out via satellite phone that all 86 giant pandas at Wolong are safe. We are relieved at this news but have not heard about Wolong's staff or their families. Our thoughts are with them and the earthquake's many victims. We will post an update when we find out more.

May 13, Morning

We have still not gotten any news from our colleagues at the Wolong Nature Reserve, but we know that the area was hit hard by Monday's earthquake. There is no phone access at Wolong, and the reserve's only road to Wenchuan (and Wolong) was heavily damaged. We will provide an update when we learn about the welfare of Wolong's pandas and staff.

The director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has confirmed that all Chengdu staff, their families, and the base's more than 60 pandas are fine.

May 12

We are deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake that struck western China today. Many of you may be concerned about how China’s two giant panda breeding facilities were affected, and of course, we are too. We have heard that the pandas and staff at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding are safe. Wolong Nature Reserve, the birthplace of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, is in Wenchuan County, near the earthquake’s epicenter. We have not heard about the welfare of the pandas and staff there, but are continuing efforts to communicate with our colleagues at Wolong. We are carefully following the news and will provide updates. We hope we will be able to assist China and our colleagues in the face of this tragedy.

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PandaDate.com: A Matchmaking Game
Ever wondered how scientists select panda breeding pairs? Play PandaDate.com to find out.

To allow more people to view the cam, sessions are limited to 15 minutes. If you are unable to connect, please try again later. View Cam on Animal Planet Website

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Watching giant pandas: The panda cams provide a window into the world of the Zoo's giant pandas—two-and-a-half-year-old Tai Shan, his mother, Mei Xiang, and his father, Tian Tian. If you see two pandas on the cam, you're watching Mei and Tian. At Tai's first exam, he weighed a little less than two pounds. In late April, he weighed 181 pounds.
Giant Panda Facts | Get Tai Shan Wallpaper When You Help Us Protect Giant Pandas | Adopt a Giant Panda

More Giant Panda cams
    Camera II

Giant Panda videos
    Tai Shan Exam, September 19, 2005 | Mei Xiang and Tai Shan, October 2, 2005 | Tai Shan Exam, October 31, 2005 | Mei and Tai, November 10, 2005 | Tai Shan's First Year (Highlights)


May 5

Mei Xiang has started to shred bamboo in Den Three. This activity is called “nest building” even though it only involves carrying a piece of bamboo to the den, shredding up part of the culm or stalk, and then sitting on it wherever it lands. As far as other behavior possibly related to pregnancy, Mei has left her carrots uneaten on a few occasions. For some reason known only to Mei, when her progesterone levels rise during pregnancy (or pseudopregnancy), carrots lose their appeal. Also, Mei has been choosing to rest indoors more frequently, often settling in for a long nap, when our plan was for her to shift back outside for bamboo.

Tai Shan last weighed in at 181 pounds on April 30. Tai is also into rearranging his bamboo. He will pick it up and carry it around the yard and sometimes even up in the trees. Perhaps a different hormone, testosterone, is behind his wanderings. We have a small study in progress to analyze hormones in fecal samples to learn about the earliest onset of maturation in our juvenile male panda. Just like the adults, Tai continues to eat up to about 40 pounds of bamboo culm each day. Yellow fibrous droppings are everywhere around the enclosures. Since they digest only 12 to 23 percent of what they eat, all three pandas have the keepers busy with both ends, going and coming!

Tian Tian gets the restless panda award. We continue to rotate yards and give him access to multiple yards to burn off energy. We give him several enrichment activities each day to help keep him occupied. He is an enrichment challenge. Tian still bleats endearingly for his keepers, and relishes our attention. These are cherished moments for the panda and his keepers.

click toRead previous panda updates.

Giant pandas are black and white bears that live in temperate-zone bamboo forests in central China. Among the best recognized—but rarest—animals in the world, they have come to symbolize endangered species and conservation efforts. As few as 1,600 giant pandas survive in the mountain forests of central China. More than 160 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world; most of these pandas are in China.

Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are at the National Zoo on a ten-year loan from the China Wildlife Conservation Association. They are the focus of an ambitious research, conservation, and breeding program designed to preserve this endangered species.

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