Giant panda conservation and research in Asia
China’s Sichuan province is the home of the Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding and the Wolong Nature Reserve, as well as the homeland of Lun Lun and Yang Yang. The Zoo has maintained research partnerships, close collaborations and friendships with scientists in Sichuan province for over a decade.
Zoo staff has conducted behavioral research on giant pandas at the Research Base and the Chengdu Zoo since 1997. Behavioral research focuses on social behavior, particularly maternal care, development and courtship and mating, as well as cognition, captive management and welfare. Zoo staff or graduate students from Georgia Tech’s Center for Conservation and Behavior spend several months a year collecting behavioral data in China. Future studies will examine sex differences in spatial abilities, investigate the role of auditory communication during estrus, and document and analyze the long-term effects of rearing strategies and maternal influence on socio-sexual development.
In addition, Zoo Atlanta contributes 1.1 million dollars per year to China for giant panda conservation, and the majority of these funds go toward conservation of giant pandas in the wild.
