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
13 - The neonatal giant panda: hand-rearing and medical management
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
Among eutherians, ursids have a significant disparity between maternal weight and neonatal weight (Leitch et al., 1959). The giant panda also produces a smaller litter mass relative to maternal body mass than, for example, the American black bear (Oftedal & Gittleman, 1989; Ramsay & Dunbrack, 1996; Zhu et al., 2001). The giant panda neonate is particularly altricial (i.e. highly dependent on parental care), requiring 24-hour care during the first weeks of life. This chapter deals with the issues and intricacies associated with the newborn giant panda cub, including hand-rearing and medical management.
NEONATAL CARE AND HAND-REARING: METHODS, RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Indications for hand-rearing
Although maternal care is always preferred for the giant panda cub, there are situations when human care-giving is mandatory. The most obvious is maternal abandonment, which usually becomes apparent within the first five to ten minutes of birth. A female that abandons her cub will typically leave it on the ground and move away, showing little or no interest. Intervention is also required when the dam holds the cub improperly (malpositioning). Such a cub can neither nurse nor rest, often moves about excessively (in an attempt to achieve proper positioning on its own) and then can fall to the ground. A third complication is the common production of two or more cubs (mean litter size is 1.7; range 1–3) (Schaller et al., 1985).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Giant PandasBiology, Veterinary Medicine and Management, pp. 315 - 333Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
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