Witness the miracle of life of giant panda flames

Photo by the flames of the flame at the birth

Every year and April of each year is the estrus season of the giant panda. After more than 4 months of long waiting, expectant mothers have a pregnancy reaction one after another, which indicates that another harvest season is quiet. In the summer of 2021, a special panda baby was born at Wolong Shenshuiping Base at the China Panda Protection Research Center. We recorded its growth process and witnessed the miracle of a small life ...

Spring estrus, special fruit in autumn

In mid -March 2021, the volume of adult female pandas was significantly increased significantly. In the next half a month, it appeared in the next half a month. We received the signal that we played the matchmaker and carefully bridged it for it. In the end, the male giant panda Bai Yang and Yiran fell in love at first sight and successfully completed the natural mating.

Since then, Yiran's daily appetite, physiological changes, mental state, activity rate, and excretion are recorded in detail. After nearly a month of dynamic observation, we initially judged: Yiran is pregnant!

On the day of the due date on September 2nd, everyone came to the night shift position in advance, and several colleagues who had a break also came to help. It is rare that there is no obvious outflow of amniotic fluid in the entire production process -this situation is the first time. Fortunately, around 8:20 pm, the baby was born smoothly. According to the habit, we called it to be a cub.

The annual cub season is the busiest time. Once there is a giant panda cub, in addition to completing the daily feeding management work, it will need to be on duty for 24 hours, and record the details of each bark of the newborn cub and the details of each mother and child behavior.

Use refined breeding for life and health

Cub on Flame Li Guo Photo

After the brief joy, we quickly discovered that, unlike most newborn cubs, Yi Ran cubs did not have a sharp and high -pitched cry, nor did it struggle to struggle. Right. After careful medical examination, it was found that its two rear feet were only 4 toes, which was one of the lack of one than normal cubs -it seems that this is a baby panda that develops abnormal. According to previous statistics, the survival rate of baby panda in this situation is extremely low ...

Yiran has many experience in producing cubs, and has a strong motherhood. It quickly put the cub in his arms and give it in time to appease. Thirty minutes passed, the cry of the cub was still hoarse -bad, this is a dangerous signal!

I was worried that my mother would abandon it if we found that the cub was weaker. Within 7 days after birth, the giant panda cub is the first period of life in life, and it is also the stage with the highest mortality rate. From the moment of birth, we need to monitor various indicators such as the call, vitality, body temperature, milk eating, etc., and observe whether the mother holds the cubs, cubs, licking the cub, and adjusting the posture of the cub. Intervention in manual assistance in time.

For a long time after birth, due to the lack of vitality, weakness, small mouth, and inadequate toes of the hind limbs, the strength of the cubs caused insufficient strength to eat breast milk for a long time. We had to artificially assist it to eat breast milk, once every 3-4 hours, and continued until the unprecedented 50 -day age.

As Yi Ran grew up day by day, the demand for breast milk gradually increased, and then it was obvious that the breast milk supply clearly obviously felt that the breast milk supply should be in short. We adjusted the breeding plan in time, began to feed the formula, and the amount of milk was gradually increased from 100 grams per day at the age of February, and gradually increased to 600 grams per day at the age of August. Slowly, its constitution has changed significantly, and its weight has gradually increased from 2 kg to 12.8 kg, but compared with the cubs of the same day, it is still 8-10 kg.

The medical examination is normal, and the threat of death has been away. Photo by Li Guo

In mid -October 2021, the base veterinary hospital arranged a comprehensive and detailed medical examination for it, and the end result was "the internal organs developed normally." This also announced that with the unremitting efforts of everyone, the threat of death has been far away from this special panda baby.

Named "Flame", which means strong vitality

In a blink of an eye, Yi Ran cub was April, and when he was a toddler. At first, we were worried that the lack of toe will affect it to walk, but later it turned out that Yi Ran cubs not only learned to walk, but also a week earlier than many cubs of the same age. The shaking look is particularly funny -this makes us have to sigh: "Life is tenacious, there will be miracles in the end."

Generally speaking, you have to practice climbing trees shortly after walking, but this law is not very applicable to Yi Ran cub. "The cub should climb the tree!" We couldn't wait to tell it every day, and taught it to climb the trees. At the same time, imagined it with excitement and feet.

Successful climbing on the tree Xiao Biao Photo

One day passed, the longer the toe of Yiran cubs, the longer the toe, and the two toes in the middle were sticky and separated from the front and rear. Fortunately, in the early stage, it can still climb to the less difficult low wooden racks and stakes to play. One day after mid -March, Yi Ran cub finally climbed up the tree for the first time -this was more than two months late than the normal cub! Even at the age of August, when climbing the tree, its two hind limbs were still not very stable, the speed was slow, and it was often slipped in the tree climbing process. We hope that the brave cubs can overcome the innate deficiencies and accumulate.

Under the careless care of my mother and the meticulous care of us day and night, the little cub grew up day by day, and at the age of August, he weighed 12.8 kg. At the same time, the personality is becoming more and more lively. When feeding and interaction, I often hold the bottle that I have finished drinking without letting go. I always chase us, holding their legs to eat and drink. Play, learn to have the same ... Wei Rongping, which is clearly visible to the back of the back, is taken by Wei Rongping

According to the convention, even if the giant panda is born 6 months, even if it survives, you can quickly join the family spectrum and issue your ID card. We found that at the black shoulder strap on the back of Yiran cub, there was a hand of black hair about 8 cm long, shaped like flames, extending to the white hair of the neck, and the characteristics were bright and cute. Vitality.

(Small question 4) One year old flame opened a new life

On April 8th, we found abnormalities while inspecting the clinging house in the morning class: in the past, I liked to hold the cubs to sleep lazy, how can we ignore the reunion. Today, I actually got up early. Walking around, the bamboo in the circle was dragged by it, and there were obvious acts of water, which seemed to have been restless for a night. These changes suddenly appeared in spring morning, the biggest possibility was that it was in estrus. We speculate that the flame no longer eats breast milk, which led to the slowly reduced lactation amount until it stopped, thereby entering a new estrus cycle.

Judging from the previous breastfeeding panda's estrus record, most of them appeared after the cubs 1 and a half years old. After the estrus of the Panda mother, in order to better find a partner, at the same time, because of the protection of the cubs, to avoid being attacked by the male partner, it will exclude and drive the cub.

Yi Ran was in estrus, and the flame could only look at the railing across the railing. Xiao Bao Photo

Yi Ran's estrus came too suddenly, which would cause the mother and child relationship to change rapidly, bringing many problems to our breeding management. Considering the safety of the flame, we decided to separate the mother and child, that is, let them live in different circles in a room, and the steel mesh is installed in the middle. In this way, the mother and child can maintain communication through the sound and odor through the net, and avoid direct contact and cause damage.

The estrus period of female pandas usually lasts about 20 days. At this time, another problem came: Will the flames accept the flame again after the estrus is over? Generally speaking, the panda mother who has changed her body and mind after her estrus will no longer accept her cubs.

Sure enough, on May 8th, the mother and child had been breeding for 20 days, and Yiran's attitude towards the flame still didn't improve. After careful consideration, we started looking for adoptive mother for the flames of August. We chose multiple candidate mothers, and finally took into account multiple considerations to choose a hydrangea that was willing to accept flames. The hydrangea gave birth to a single cub in September 2021. Youyou, his motherhood is very good, and the nurturing ability is strong.

Flame and adoptive mother hydrangea and sister Youyou are together. Xiao Bao Photo

With the love of the new mother and the company of younger sister Youyou, coupled with our careful care, now, the one -year -old flame has opened a new life.

Come on, flame!

(Correspondent: Dong Chao, Lang Shunzhen, Zhang Le, Liu Huaiting, Gong Haibing Guangming Daily All -Media reporter Zhang Lei)

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