Our park has been super involved in the Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee, held in China and other countries almost every year. We love sharing our breeding successes and exchanging info with other researchers! Back in 2009, at a meeting for the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA), we even gave a presentation on "Blood Collection in Giant Pandas through Husbandry Training." At that time in Japan, only animals like whales, seals, and elephants were getting health checks through training, but not other animals. Our presentation, along with the growing awareness of animal welfare in Japan, really helped spread husbandry training for captive animals across the country.
We also team up with universities and research institutions for joint studies. When our pandas first arrived in 1994, both the male and female were only 2 years old and not yet ready to breed. So, for about 10 years starting in 1995, we worked with Kitasato University to research their digestion. This research helped us understand things like how fast food moves through their system and how they digest bamboo, which even influenced our park's decision to focus on a bamboo-heavy diet. Since breeding really took off around 2000, we've continued our research, like analyzing panda milk components with Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, testing out Morinaga Sunworld's new Panda Milk-10, and studying reproductive physiology with Kobe University.

Presentations made at the China Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee

Presentations at the JAZA National Zoo Technicians Research Meeting

Collaborative research with universities and research institutions