Even though I just returned from China, we are preparing to send Meghan off later this week. With reintroduction studies kicking into high gear in Gengda, we are both scrambling to prepare behavioral ethograms and camera equipment as this is new territory for our research. Zachary David will join Meghan in Chengdu before meeting up with the CCRCGP reintroduction team.
Like two ships passing in the night, Meghan and I sometimes feel like we greet each other at the airport. However, we managed to get in a few weeks of holiday data organization and analysis. Our main focus has been to work through a mountain of Stereotypic data logs. Of which, we are making really great progress and hope to have a finished data set that we can begin to write up and publish before the breeding season gets into full swing (late February).
So, as we launch into 2017, we are hitting the ground at a steady running pace. It promises to be an enjoyably busy year with multiple projects coming to fruition in publishable form. Given that most of these projects have been going since 2010, this is a VERY exciting time at PDXWildlife. We invite all of you to join us in the adventure as either an intern or as a casual visitor. Here’s to a great year!
(Photo above- Meghan, Dee, Nathan & Ed- our pet panda)
Goodness–you are like ships passing in the night! Best of luck in the new year on all your projects–and Meghan, please say hello to my favorite pandas in Gengda (I think you know who they are!).
Thanks–
Frances
Here’s to a great year! Thank you for your dedication to the betterment of the panda species! I enjoy your posts and those of the interns!
Hi JoAnn,
Thanks for following our research and for commenting. Any plans to visit Bifengxia in the future?
I am saving my $$ to come to China -I have a shared adoption of Lin Ping’s #2 cub which renews in June and I am retired so I would love to come to BFX but I want to do the most good for the panda – so priority is supporting panda – that is why you all’s posts and research are so important to me!
Thanks,
JoAnn
I am very curious about the “reintroduction studies kicking into high gear in Gengda”. Do you really mean Gengda or did you mean Hetaoping?
I read an article on Pandas International about the design/building of the Gengda panda base. It was to include an area for reintroduction studies.
I just went to check PI writeup about Gengda, and it seems to have been updated since the last time I read it — https://www.pandasinternational.org/panda-reserves/new-wolong-panda-center/