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
11 - The science of behavioural management: creating biologically relevant living environments in captivity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 August 2009
- 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
As for many highly specialised carnivores, breeding giant pandas in captivity has had sporadic gains and setbacks over its 40-year history (see Chapters 1 and 19). Although many husbandry issues have been addressed successfully, we are still learning about behaviour and its relevance to ex situ management. This chapter updates the state of captive breeding at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in the Wolong Nature Reserve (hereafter referred to as the Wolong Centre). We also provide details of our scientifically guided husbandry and management strategies that are contributing to a rapidly growing database of scholarly knowledge as well as to recent improvements in reproductive success.
Even with our limited knowledge about giant pandas in nature, it appears that, in the presence of plentiful natural resources and the absence of human disturbance, giant pandas mate, become pregnant and rear offspring without problem. Thus, reproduction is not a limiting factor to wild population viability (Lu et al., 2000). Because this is not the case for the ex situ population, we can surmise that reproductive problems are rooted in the captive environment – a place that fails to fully meet the needs of at least some individuals. In principle, and with a proper understanding of species-salient factors, it should be possible to create captive environments that result in, or even surpass, reproductive rates occurring in the wild. Targets for improvement include health, nutrition, husbandry and behavioural management, this chapter concentrating on the latter two factors.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Giant PandasBiology, Veterinary Medicine and Management, pp. 274 - 298Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
References
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