Panda Keeper Day, Part 3

By
Karen Barnes
– July 23, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Events at the Zoo, Pandas

Yun Zi keeps his caregivers busy.

Be sure to read Panda Keeper’s Day and Panda Keeper’s Day, Part 2.

By the end of the mid-day feedings at the San Diego Zoo, it is time for the late-shift keeper to take lunch. The other keeper(s) are busy recording the bamboo weights of the prepared bundles and the weights of the leftover bamboo for each feeding. Notations are made in the daily diaries for pandas and for the deer. A training log is completed for each animal after each training session. A daily keeper report must be completed, highlighting the more significant events of the day, such as medications given or training done or each panda’s weight and overnight bamboo consumption or work completed in the area by another department, such as Construction & Maintenance Department staff clearing a drain or Horticulture Department staff thinning the plants in one of the deer exhibits.

In addition to the paperwork, other chores are done; such tasks include tidying leaf litter in the area; cleaning the bamboo cooler; returning to a deer exhibit to rake leaf litter or replace the hay under a shelter; perhaps returning a phone call or an e-mail; preparing the additional food items for the next day’s diet, such as folivore (leafeater) biscuits, and apples, yams, and carrots for the pandas, and chopped yams and carrots for the deer.

The early keeper(s) leave in the afternoon, taking the daily keeper report with them. The late keeper sets up the rooms for Gao Gao and Zhen Zhen with their last feeding of the day. As each is brought into their respective rooms, their enclosures are cleaned and the pond drained in preparation for the next morning. The other exhibits are also cleaned and new food made available. At this time, the urine holes in Su Lin’s bedroom will be thoroughly dried in preparation for tomorrow’s urine collection. All locks are checked and certain lights turned on as the facility is closed for the evening. Now that we are into later summer hours, a late keeper from another area will give bedroom access for the exhibits later in the evening.

Panda keepers are part of the Sun Bear Forest team. Certain species require bedroom access later in the day. Usually, the sun bear area keepers have already communicated any extra requests to the late keeper; however, before leaving the panda station to provide access, the phone is checked for any final instructions. For example, a langur may need a second dose of a medicine in the evening; a bucket with crayfish has been left for the otters as a final treat for the day; a sloth bear had a routine exam and the keeper wants a late check of the animal; misters for the cat species need to be shut off for the night. The keeper is often asked questions by guests, and the keeper must be able to answer them or radio elsewhere for a correct response.

Animal work is varied and can be unpredictable. The keeper must know how to access each exhibit, if needed, and which animal needs a food treat to lure back onto exhibit and which one doesn’t. We have many other tasks to accomplish, with varying frequency, throughout the day. For example, the nutritionist may stop by to discuss a potential diet increase for a growing panda or to help an older deer maintain weight; each panda is weighed at least once a week. Supplies must be obtained during a visit to the Zoo’s warehouse. It is a constant effort to keep the general area clean of cobwebs and leaf litter, and floors need to be scrubbed. Monthly safety meetings must be attended by everyone, and there is a monthly department meeting that is attended by those working that day. Periodic meetings with the rest of the Panda Team keep everyone informed.

Dirt is needed to fill in areas where erosion has occurred on steep hillsides or where repeated raking has occurred. Potted plants are watered until there’s time to plant them in an exhibit. A new shipment of sod is placed in exhibits for enrichment and aesthetics. A hoof trim is scheduled for a deer. A keeper does an interview with a film crew, especially when milestones occur, such as a panda’s birthday or the naming of a panda cub. The list goes on and on….

In short, a panda keeper’s day is full and varied, fitting in myriad tasks around the daily feeding schedule for the animals. It is also rewarding and just plain fun!

Karen Barnes is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

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