Health Management with Husbandry Training

To keep our animals healthy and stress-free, and to catch any illnesses early,
we started using husbandry training in 2008.
We also use it for various things like check-ups and breeding.

Before, we had to use general anesthesia for giant panda check-ups like blood tests and X-rays. But doing exams under anesthesia was really stressful for them, both physically and mentally, so we couldn't do them very often. Here at Adventure World, we wanted to find a way to manage their health and catch illnesses early without all that stress. So, in 2008, we started using husbandry training, and in January 2009, we successfully took a blood sample from Eimei for the very first time! Now, we use this training for all sorts of things, like blood and urine collection, blood pressure checks, X-rays, and even looking inside their mouths. It also helps with treatments like laser therapy and eye drops, plus vulva exams and breeding.

  • What's Husbandry Training?

  • Husbandry training is basically 'cooperative medical care training.' It's a way to train animals to willingly participate in their medical procedures and daily care.

  • Comparing Stress Levels Based on Blood Collection Method

    We measured Eimei's blood stress hormone (cortisol) when he was under anesthesia and when he wasn't. The results showed that without anesthesia, his stress hormone level was significantly lower at 0.5 μℓ/dℓ, compared to an average of 5.3 μℓ/dℓ when he was anesthetized. This clearly suggests that collecting blood with training, without anesthesia, causes much less stress!

List of Procedures
Item Purpose
Blood Collection Health) Blood tests, general biochemical tests
Breeding) Hormone tests
Fresh Urine Collection Health) Urine tests
Breeding) Hormone tests, vaginal cell exams, sperm checks
Mouth Check Health) Oral cavity examination (wear, gingivitis, etc.)
X-rays Health) Chest, abdomen, and skeletal exams
Genital Check Reproduction) Male: Testicle size and hardness measurement
Reproduction) Female: Genital size and color tone measurement
Treatment-Related Health) Eye drops, checking for corneal damage and pupils, laser treatment
●Blood collection

  • ① Move to the blood collection spot
    ② Sit in the right position for blood collection
    ③ Stick out a hand and grab the bar
    ④ While holding the bar, turn the palm upwards
    ⑤ Apply a tourniquet at the elbow (to make the veins easier to see)
    ⑥ Collect blood

●Other Health Management

  • Urine collection

  • X-rays

  • Blood pressure measurement

  • Oral cavity observation