Couple scaps from Tuesday:

Po wrangling a piece of bamboo



Xi Lan wondering why the tire was way up high?

Two cubbies, two different days, one "toy" ~ The Treat Can

07-11-2011 Xi Lan and the Treat Can (2x Flickr video)

LOL, by the time the camera switched back to him the can was already emptied ... so it became a play toy

VIDEO LINK
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandalover ... hotostream





07-14-2011 Po and the Treat Can! (1.6x Flickr video)

For more highlights from Po's morning in the teepee room, click on this VIDEO LINK www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-oX_uHfbIw

VIDEO LINK
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandalover ... hotostream

Friday morning Lun Lun pulled Po down off the rails to nurse, but he didn't want any part of it


Po yawns while Lun looks up



Po has a little piece of boo in his paws



Po rolls up and nibbles on the boo

Nope, not interested!

07-15-2011 Xi Lan and the Weeble (1.5x Flickr video)

Once he gets going, there is not stopping Xi Lan

VIDEO LINK
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandalover ... hotostream

Panda Cub Updates

Friday, July 15

Some of the recent updates have been about training Po. We have received requests for more details about that, which I will share in this update. Like all of our animals at Zoo Atlanta, Po is trained using positive reinforcement. That means that if he performs the behavior he is asked to perform, he receives a reward or reinforcement. The most common type of reward used with our animals is food. But a reward can be anything that the animal likes (e.g., a favorite toy, attention from keepers, an opportunity to be with or see a favorite social partner). For the giant pandas, the most powerful reward is preferred food, like sugar cane, fruit, or leafeater biscuits. Because Po is just starting to eat small amounts of solid food, we don’t have a very powerful reward to offer him, yet. But as he gets older, nurses less, and eats more solid food, he will be more motivated to participate in training. Then the keepers will start to work on more behaviors with him.

An important tool in positive reinforcement training is establishing a bridge. We use a whistle as a bridge. We pair the whistle sound with the reinforcement (e.g., food) repeatedly and pretty quickly the animal learns that the whistle or bridge means that he or she has done the right thing and that the reward will be coming. The bridge is important because we want the animals to know immediately when they’ve done the right thing and sometimes we can’t deliver the reward immediately.

Behaviors are taught in different ways. Sometimes a behavior is captured, which means the animal does a behavior on its own and we just catch the animal doing the behavior and reinforce it. Then we work to establish a cue, like a word command or hand signal, for the behavior. Sometimes we shape a behavior, which means we reinforce closer and closer approximations of the behavior we want until we reach the goal behavior. For more complex behaviors, like participating in an ultrasound, we chain together different behaviors to reach the goal behavior.

That gives you a brief overview on how we train animals at the Zoo. The concepts are fairly simple and basic, but applying them consistently and effectively requires practice and is a highly developed skill among our keepers. It is absolutely amazing to see the training accomplishments of our keeper staff. Many of them will tell you that training is one of their favorite parts of their job. It certainly makes it easier to care for the animals. And it makes the animals’ lives less stressful and more interesting.

Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Mammals

07-15-2011 Po's Friday Feats, Foibles, Falls and Fun! (1.4x Flickr video)

Po's a fantastic climber, but sometimes things don't go the way he planned ... or did he?

VIDEO LINK
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandalover ... hotostream

Love his little rump and leggies Lrh:


Lun Lun tackles Po and rolls back with him on her chest ... sweet


Po seemed more intent on biting the tire than playing with it!

Panda Cub Updates

Monday, July 18

Normally, keepers get a little upset when the animals in their charge simply aren't cooperating and make them late for lunch. Today, however, it was a different story. Usually before lunch, we need to bring Lun Lun off exhibit so that we can clean her exhibit and offer her a fresh bundle of bamboo, along with her lunch allotment of fruit and biscuits. After servicing Yang Yang and Xi Lan, we went to attend to Lun Lun and Po. She is normally waiting for us and Po is usually in the climbing structure taking one of his afternoon naps. We looked through the window of the dayroom to see where everyone was, and Lun Lun was not waiting for us, and although Po was on the climbing structure, he definitely wasn't taking one of his naps. Po was in full alert mode, defending the climbing structure from Lun Lun, who was trying to dethrone him in a game of "king of the hill." Po wound himself in the limbs on the structure and held on tight, but Lun Lun was just too much for him. He was yanked from the tree and unceremoniously dropped to the ground. The whole crowd of visitors gasped at this, thinking that Po would be hurt. Giant pandas, even the little ones, are virtually indestructable, so a little fall into some mulch didn't even faze Po. Lun Lun did not savor her victory in the climbing structure long, and came down to lay her claim the rest of the exhibit. Po, who was more than happy to concede the rest of the dayroom, made a mad dash up one of the limbs on the structure to once again claim his spot. Lun Lun just couldn't let Po get the best of her, and climbed back into the structure to regain her title of queen of the structure. This scenario played itself over and over for about 25 minutes, much to the joy of the keepers and visitors alike. Once we saw that the little man was tiring some, we were able to get Lun Lun off exhibit and we were able to offer her some fresh bamboo and biscuits. Po was given a piece of banana and a biscuit, which he enjoyed immensely. The whole melee made us about 20 minutes late for lunch, but I guess we can forgive them. After putting Lun Lun back into the dayroom, the day went back to normal: Lun Lun sitting, enjoying her fresh bamboo, and Po, who was a little tuckered out, having one of his nice afternoon naps.

Kenn Harwood
Lead Keeper of Carnivores