Cub resting on tree branches.

I primarily focus on the maternal care study for the Winter Internship at Bifengxia, so I thought it’d be appropriate for me to talk about the different mothers I observe. I will focus on 3 mothers in this blog post – Qiao Qiao, Xi Dou, and Su Shan. All three have been taking care of more than one cub these past few weeks so I’ve spent over 10 hours observing them. Unfortunately, the mothers and cubs stay in the Breeding Centre, which is a private area, so I could not take pictures. However, I am including pictures of some of the public kindergarten cubs.

 

Cub walking on a light dusting of snow.

Qiao Qiao #860

Qiao Qiao was the first mother I observed and the most “rewarding” because I know I’ll always get a bunch of mother-infant interactions with her. She is a very protective mother and rarely departs from the infant for more than a few minutes. She will drag the bamboo to where the infant is so she can be in contact with the infant while feeding. When the keepers clean the pen, they lock the shift door separating the bedrooms and this sometimes result in separating the cubs from the mother. A keeper told me that Qiao Qiao has strong maternal instincts and once grabbed her cub through the bars when they were separated. Qiao Qiao’s infants also enjoy being close to their mother and will follow her around when she’s locomoting. Qiao Qiao is the cleanest panda I have seen and only poops in the corner of her pen.

Cub beginning its ascent up a tree.

Xi Dou #654

Xi Dou is a more laidback mother, which is the opposite of Qiao Qiao. She does not have a lot of stereotypic behaviours so oftentimes, she will be feeding, playing with her cubs, or sleeping. If Xi Dou is feeding, there isn’t much you can do to get her attention. The cubs will interact with Xi Dou by nudging her or climbing on her, but that still doesn’t get her to stop munching on that bamboo. Xi Dou doesn’t mind having her cubs stray from her, but if it’s time for licking, then she will arm cradle the cubs and lick continuously for up to 20 minutes at a time. Xi Dou also likes playing with her cubs a lot, which include gentle bites, pick-ups, and pawing. She likes to lie on her back and have the cubs on her belly. I would say Xi Dou is a calm mother; knowing when to keep them close and when to let them go.

Furballs sleeping in a tree.

Su Shan #827

In contrast to Xi Dou, Su Shan is a highly stereotypic bear and she spends a good chunk of time pacing around her bedrooms while head tossing at corners and turns. However, Su Shan also loves playing with her cubs. Similar to Xi Dou, she likes to lie on her back and have the cubs on her belly. Su Shan likes to gently bite her cubs and carry them around with her mouth. She can get a little rough with the cubs such as when she head-butts or paw swipes at them which can send them sliding 50cm away. Su Shan has really well-behaved and independent cubs that rarely vocalize to get their mother’s attention. The cubs wrestle with each other a lot and like climbing on the bamboo sticks.

Cub sitting on the stairs.

I have really enjoyed observing mother-infant interactions in the last few months, and I am grateful for the opportunity to witness the growth and development of the infants up-close. It helps that the cubs are so darn cute! Best job ever.

View of the newly renovated kindergarten.

 

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Mingfei Li is studying giant pandas from December to February at Bifengxia working on the stereotypical and maternal care studies.