How Smithsonian National Zoo keepers are helping giant pandas feel at home | Smithsonian voices

When she first met Qing Bao, Asian Trail keeper Marielle Lally wondered if a giant panda might be a handful.

“We tried to call her, but she didn’t come. She just sat in her tree all day and didn’t want to bother with us,” said Lally, who worked with bears at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute for eight years. Lally’s first meeting with a three-year-old female panda took place in October 2024 at the Giant Panda Conservation Center in Dujiangyang, Sichuan, where a Smithsonian delegation had gathered to prepare the pandas for their shipment. move to Washington DC. later that month.

A month later, Lally’s relationship with Qing Bao became stronger. “She’s still a little independent, so I might have to call her a few times before she decides to listen,” she laughed.

What is the secret of friendship with a giant panda? If you ask curators like Lally, the key is to combine the well-tested, science-based process used in zoos and wildlife centers around the world with the Smithsonian’s expertise in giant panda conservation.

Guardians are the key to success

It takes a village to make a panda feel at home. While veterinarians and nutritionists focus on the physical side of pandas’ overall health, the goal of pet owners is to make sure pandas feel safe and confident in their new environment.

Before Qing Bao and Bao Li make their official public debut at Asia Trail in January 2025, staff build that confidence by gradually introducing three-year-old pandas to habitats, daily routines and other parts of their lives at the zoo.

Keepers like Lally are often in the best position to acclimatize new animals. As daily care providers, “we are the people the pandas see the most, so we want them to feel safe around us and to trust us. Ultimately, this is what helps us care for them in the most stress-free way possible.”

Observing Behavioral Signals

Watching pandas eat bamboo, climb trees and snooze all day might seem like a dream job—just ask the millions of online visitors who tuned in to watch the zoo’s livestream. Giant Panda Camera over the years, but careful monitoring is necessary to maintain the animals’ welfare, Lally explained.

While biologists on site closely monitor the growth and development of Qing Bao and Bao Li, and sometimes look into some stool samples—Lally and a team of keepers are recording the behavior of the pandas. Any signs of stress or discomfort coming from the pandas are noted and taken into account, Lally explained.

In the meantime, the team is slowly and carefully introducing activities designed to encourage pandas to interact with their environment, watching for signs that the animals are playful and content.

“We want to see pandas eating, playing, sleeping and exploring in their exhibit. We want to see parts of their personalities revealed. We want them to feel safe and confident in their new spaces,” she said.

Lalli stressed that while giant pandas generally behave in a similar way, keepers have to take into account the nature of the bears – and what is true for one panda may not be true for another. For example, while Qing Bao often approaches new enrichment with patience and restraint, Bao Li’s outgoing and energetic nature means he is more likely to dive right into it, she said.

The Asia Trail care team recently provided each bear with a large pile of ice shavings, replacing the snowdrifts found in the giant pandas’ natural mountain habitat.

“Qing Bao didn’t care, but Bao Li liked it. He stepped on it, rolled on it and pushed his ball towards it. Everything is new to him, so he’s having a lot of fun right now,” she said.

Training builds confidence

The relationships that owners build and the understanding they gain are critical to providing greater control and consistency, which is important for any animal, especially one as large as bears.

If you were to ask a 200-pound predator to voluntarily perform a basic action in a medical procedure—like holding up a paw for a routine blood draw—you’d probably be out of luck. But if you trained with this animal for several months, while making clear the connection between participation and receiving a treat or favorite toy, your chances of success would be much higher.

In the zoological world, this method is called positive reinforcement. Animal care experts such as Lally use this form of operant conditioning to encourage an animal to participate in important tasks that the animal would not otherwise be interested in, without having to rely on sedatives or restraint devices.

The Asia Trail team, along with Qing Bao and Bao Li, are still in the early stages of this process. “Although giant pandas may refuse to participate, they usually do so by giving the animals a lot of praise and encouragement,” Lally said.

“Like many young pandas, Qing Bao and Bao Li are very interested in food, which means they are very happy to work with us,” Lally explained.

And the most desired prize for participation? Carrots, she said.

“Apples come in second place.”

Just a few weeks after Qing Bao and Bao arrived, Li Lally and his team conduct several training sessions with the pandas every day.

Over time, the pandas will be trained to take part in a range of activities related to their overall well-being, such as standing on scales while veterinary teams check their weight, or smoothly switching between indoor and outdoor spaces when keepers need to clean part of the area. their habitat. Some of these behaviors may take months or even years to perfect, but Lally is confident that with a constant supply of patience and support, pandas will succeed.

Getting ready for a grand debut

When the Giant Panda Exhibit reopens in January 2025, Qing Bao and Bao Li will welcome visitors from around the world as ambassadors of their species to the zoo, serving as living ambassadors for the Smithsonian Institution’s cooperative giant panda breeding program while introducing guests to breeding efforts. conservation of giant pandas. protect wild pandas in their natural habitat.

By then, the care team will have applied what they learned during the acclimatization period to make the Asia Trail a great place to hang out—and not just for pandas, Lally said.

“When people come to the zoo, they see the pandas eating bamboo, playing and having fun… We do our best to make the experience not only rewarding for the pandas, but for the visitors as well.”

Craving more updates on giant pandas? Tune in Preparing to meet pandasa digital series that takes you behind the scenes of how experts at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo care for these beloved animal ambassadors.