VOLUNTEER VOICE October 2013 In This Issue... - Denver Zoo

Volunteer Voice(Continued from page 21)Himalayan mountains, with the subspecies fulgens living on the western edge of itsrange in Nepal, India and Bhutan, and the subspecies styani found in southernChina and northern Myanmar. They are considered vulnerable because of habitatloss and poaching. North American zoos currently have 119 fulgens (53 males and66 females) and 61 styani (30 males and 31 females). Denver Zoo has had bothsubspecies in the past and our current pair Daisy and Chewbacca are fulgens.Weeks before the annual master planning meeting the studbook keeper sent outquestionnaires to each institution asking for data from the current year aboutbirths, deaths, and health issues, as well as the needs and wishes of that zoo forthe future.The Population Management Center (PMC) based at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, collected all the data andhelped facilitate the appropriate pairing data. Staff biologists are experts on managing the diversity of the overallpopulation.The master planning committee looked at each individual in all the collections and made decisions about whatshould be done with each one. Should this male be sent to mate with a female elsewhere? Does any zoo havingmanagement problems with certain animals not getting along and where should those animals go? Does any zoohave room for more animals? Where should the babies born this year go? This was an excellent years for babieswith over 40 fulgens and 20 styani born.They looked at the ages of the entire population and the reproductive potential of each animal. Usually if a femalehas not had babies by the time she is seven, she probably will not reproduce. Relatedness between animals is alsovery important. The PMC biologist was online with the meeting all day each day and was an important part of the“chess game” of moving the pandas around the country. The coordinator keeps requests from zoos wanting redpandas for the first time. In that case that zoo would not get a breeding pair, but would be sent older individualsor non-breeding siblings so the institution could gain experience in working with this species.Once the decisions have been made, the PMC sends evaluations and recommendations to each zoo, which has 30days to respond. If there are objections or issues with the plans, there may have to be a reshuffle of animals tomake everyone happy. After the final plan is accepted, each zoo must actaccordingly. Species representatives talk with senior staff about how and when tomove the animals, taking into consideration weather, transportation modes, andavailability of quarantine space.Moving animals has become harder because fewer airlines are willing to transportanimals. Shipping by road can also present challenges. There are only a few availabletruckers so their availability is limited. Also weather and temperature are a bigconsideration.Denver Zoo has a big part in this year’s red panda births. Several years ago we hadthree brothers born here. There are two difficult times in the life of the baby pandas.The first month is very critical. Another crucial time is three to four months whenthe babies are being weaned and learning to eat on their own. One of them, Shifu,only wanted to eat bamboo. The zoo staff worked for several months trying to help him figure out how to eatother foods. It was touch and go up until the last minute deciding if he could eat well enough to be a “normal”panda and move with his brother Sumo to a small zoo which wanted them.After two years one moved to another zoo and both have been paired with females. This year each producedoffspring! How exciting to know the important role Denver Zoo is playing in the success of this species!!Page 22