A method for encouraging maternal care in the giant panda

We developed a method to facilitate maternal care in a giant panda (Ailurop oda melanoleuca) female that rejected her cub immediately after parturition . After removal of the cub, the female was systematically exposed to a regi me of infant-related stimuli, including a surrogate toy panda, accompanied by infant vocalizations and urine, and the mother's own milk. The female di splayed several measures of maternal behavior toward the surrogate, for tra mple, spending 61% of her time holding the surrogate in positions typical f or the species. There was some evidence that maternal proficiency increased across the 4 weeks of the experiment. Results also indicate that the femal e was responsive to both infant vocalizations and urine, but not milk. Afte r a transitional period in which we assisted the female in her efforts to n urse and groom the infant, all maternal care-giving responsibilities were r eturned to the mother. Over the next 3 months, the pattern of maternal care followed the species-typical course of declining mother-infant contact, gr ooming, overall interaction time, and responsiveness to the cub's vocalizat ions. This study marks the first successful reunification of a giant panda mother with an infant separated at birth and, it is hoped, will serve as a model for similar efforts elsewhere. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.