Natalie, Jr. Assistant Editor
Our Jr. Asst. Editor, Natalie, stands in the bamboo cooler?
Yup. That’s right. A fridge for panda food!
Dr. Andy Kouba is originally from Nebraska. He works at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee. He is the Director of Conservation, and he oversees pandas, amphibians (like the Mississippi Gopher Frogs that are becoming extinct), and other animals. Amphibians, though, are his main love. He used to live in Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked at the Cincinnati Zoo. He transferred to the Memphis Zoo about eight years ago.
In China, less than a year ago, there was an earthquake that did a ton of damage. This earthquake affected the Wolong Breeding Center; it destroyed everything. One panda was killed and one went missing, and a few workers got killed, also. We do not know how this affected the pandas in the wild, so we don’t know how many pandas are left.
It took three years to get pandas in the Memphis Zoo. To get a panda, you have to convince the Chinese Government that you will take good care of the pandas, because pandas are going extinct, and they want to make sure that the pandas will be in good health and in no danger. It’s a good thing they had Ambassador Jim Sasser from the U.S., an Ambassador to China, on their side, who helped convince the Chinese Government. But before they could get a panda, they had to build a whole China display, which was a huge investment. When they finally got a panda, they have to pay $1 million a year, which goes to help the pandas in China.
Le Le, the male panda
Taking a break to chomp on a tasty bamboo treat.
The pandas at the Memphis Zoo are named Ya Ya (female), and Le Le (male). Pandas are solitary animals, and it’s very rare for pandas to interact with one another. So Ya Ya and Le Le are separated – in separate habitats – and have a play date maybe once a day.
Ya Ya, the female panda
Happy, healthy, and thriving in her habitat at the Nashville Zoo.
There is also a training and development of pandas, where the workers help the pandas and make sure that they’re doing the right things they’re supposed to and are in good health. Now, the pandas stalk around when they want something, and go to the keeper door. The workers also helped Le Le build up his back leg muscles by holding up treats and making Le Le stand on his hind legs to get the treats.
The Memphis Zoo owns ten acres of Shelby Farms, where they grow bamboo for the pandas – they grow seven different kinds of bamboo. This is good because pandas are picky. For a week or two, they will eat one type of bamboo, then will not eat it any more. Then, the zoo will have to get another kind in, and the pandas will eat it. And so on. Although, sometimes they decide they don’t need to get more bamboo in, and the pandas can last for a little while longer.
In the zoo’s ‘panda kitchen’ as they call it, there is a bamboo cooler, where they store their bamboo for the pandas. The bamboo is sprayed with sprinkler type things to keep the bamboo hydrated. The cooler stores up to three days’ worth of bamboo.
All year long, the pandas eat the leaves of the bamboo – except in February, March, and April, they eat the middle of the stalks. Pandas have opposable thumbs, so they hold the bamboo with their paw and they tear the outside of the bamboo off so they can eat the middle. Pandas also eat different types of fruit. They sometimes eat small mammals, although this is very unusual. Sometimes the keepers will freeze the fruit or treats in a block of ice so the pandas can be entertained while trying to get their food.
Yum?
Sometimes the keepers will freeze the fruit or treats in a block of ice...
You’re probably wondering, what happens if a panda has a baby in a zoo? If a panda has a baby in a zoo, the zoo keeps the panda for at least four years, and then they must see if the baby can be transferred to another zoo. This has to be approved by the Chinese Government.
As I said before: Dr. Kouba’s main love is amphibians. Recently, the zoo has acquired some Mississippi Gopher Frogs that are tadpoles. They are going extinct, so the zoo is going to help the frogs grow, and then release them into the wild. 168 species of amphibians are already extinct all across the world.
I certainly hope you enjoy what I learned. This has been a great experience for me, and I’m glad I got to share it with you all!
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