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- Title
A method for encouraging maternal care in the giant panda.
- Authors
Zhang, G.Q.; Swaisgood, R.R.; Wei, R.P.; Zhang, H.M.; Han, H.Y.; Li, D.S.; Wu, L.F.; White, A.M.; Lindburg, D.G.
- Abstract
We developed a method to facilitate maternal care in a giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) female that rejected her cub immediately after parturition. After removal of the cub, the female was systematically exposed to a regime of infant-related stimuli, including a surrogate toy panda, accompanied by infant vocalizations and urine, and the mother's own milk. The female displayed several measures of maternal behavior toward the surrogate, for example, spending 61% of her time holding the surrogate in positions typical for the species. There was some evidence that maternal proficiency increased across the 4 weeks of the experiment. Results also indicate that the female was responsive to both infant vocalizations and urine, but not milk. After a transitional period in which we assisted the female in her efforts to nurse and groom the infant, all maternal care-giving responsibilities were returned to the mother. Over the next 3 months, the pattern of maternal care followed the species-typical course of declining mother-infant contact, grooming, overall interaction time, and responsiveness to the cub's vocalizations. This study marks the first successful reunification of a giant panda mother with an infant separated at birth and, it is hoped, will serve as a model for similar efforts elsewhere. Zoo Biol 19:53-63, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
- Publication
Zoo Biology, 2000, Vol 19, Issue 1, p53
- ISSN
0733-3188
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(2000)19:1<53::AID-ZOO6>3.0.CO;2-9