Since 1994, a total of more than 70 staff members have been dispatched to the park from Chengdu Zoo and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to assist with breeding and research. In the beginning, the staff from China would stay throughout the year, and we would carry out our rearing management under their guidance. Starting in 2000, as we began full-scale breeding research, specialists in artificial insemination and newborn cub care also came to Japan, enabling our staff to learn from a great many experiences. From 2008 on, although experts from China only visit during estrus and birthing periods, by regularly sharing data on the health conditions and reproductive behavior of the pandas we build and maintain a relationship of mutual trust. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts from China were unable to visit during the estrus and birthing periods, but thanks to the rearing and breeding techniques we have studied through our years of exchanges, our park staff was able to take charge and successfully manage the situation on their own. Our exchanges with the Chengdu base extending beyond breeding, we have formed close relationships through the active exchange of food and culture as well.

Staff from our park also pay visits to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for exchange and study. Park staff participated in a one-week visit to China in 1996 and a one-month visit in 2009. They primarily studied treatment and health examination techniques, including blood collection, ultrasound diagnosis, and methods of administering vaccinations for infectious diseases, and brought this knowledge back with them to care for the pandas in the park. Staff also had the chance to visit the site of Dujiangyan Panda Valley, which was then still under construction, and build a network of contacts with the staff of the Chengdu base, which would go on to be of great help in future joint research. In 2019 we devised and actually started a six-month long-term training program. The primary goal of this program was to deepen exchanges with the experts at the Chengdu base and build favorable connections for future breeding research. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this program was cut short after just three months, and the staff was forced to return home. Thankfully, during training the staff was still able to acquire various knowledge on and skills in such areas as health management for elderly individuals and overall care for cubs.

Chinese Staff

Training History