Having a solid week of sunshine and 80 degree weather kept us spoiled while training on the multiple behavior studies here at Bifengxia. That was, until today. Even though the clouds are taking pity on us with a light drizzle, without an umbrella you would be soaked to the core having to stand outside for the better part of an hour. Today was our first rain since arriving, and the interns are “going it alone” this morning on a Stereotypic observation of Hu Chun (F, #794, b. 2010).

Hu Chun is an exciting bear to watch. She has a previously noted vocal stereotype that includes honking, but after viewing her for a few minutes, everyone picked up on her graceful pirouettes. To best describe this widely observed behavior, imagine a bear walking up to a wall or cage, raising on their hind limbs and then pushing off the wall and spinning around back to the ground. I’m certain that most panda lovers have seen this at one time or another. If you recall an earlier post on this study, stereotypes are defined as repetitive, invariant behavior patterns with no obvious goal or function. And, they are restricted to captive animals. The prevailing theory on why these behaviors develop is that it is a coping mechanism, and without such, the bears stress might be much higher. Without dissecting the analogy i’m about to give, I like to think of it in human terms.

Picture yourself cooped up on a 15hr. plane ride from the USA to Chengdu. Do you sit still the entire journey or do you get up and pace the aisles a few times? I tend to shake my legs, stretch my arms, and walk back and forth so that I don’t peel the paint off the walls. This is my way of coping with the captive environment. Without the ability to shake, stretch, or walk, I would probably sweat a little more, be a little moody, or even give myself a headache. My captive behavior is giving rise to a way for me to combat the stress from my fuselage-shaped cage (airplane).

One of the questions that we are asking is- Are stereotypic bears reproductively successful? To answer this, we collect data on the bears once a month for about nine months a year, only skipping the breeding season. After calculating the amount of time a bear performs stereotypic behavior, we can compare those results to the group average. This data, together with meticulous breeding records, will allow us test for significance between stereotypic bears and non-stereotypic bears. With any luck, we might be able to get these results out by early next year.

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Stereotypes can often bring on a lot of emotions for panda fans and I am more than obliged to do my best in answering your questions on this topic. Thank you for reading. PDXWildlife is a 501 (c)(3) non profit. To learn more or to donate to our research- CLICK HERE