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Panda’s Stereotyped Behaviors
Date: 2017-03-25

  Have you ever seen a panda keep shaking its’ head from side to side?

 


Dancing Granny Shuqing

 

  Have you ever seen a panda walking backwards and pacing back and forth?

 


Yingying is pacing around.

 

 

  What causethey to do those behaviors? Like everybody thinks, it’s just for fun? If not, what are they doing?

 

  Now let’s put those questions aside for the time being and have a look at pandas who are playing toys below. 

 

 

  This cut panda is playing on the tailor-made tire swing is “Mei Lun”. Do you notice the “happy smile” on its’ face? In fact, this tire swing is just made for captive pandas, in order to provide some proper stimulation, and create the wild circumstance that can have a overlook on the high branches.

 

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  And let’s have a look on panda Yuan Run in the kindergarten. There is an inconspicuous ball in the upper-right corner of picture. It’s not the sundries, but the special “toy” for the curious baby such as “Yuan Run”. There is a sweet apple in the ball and the ball is always hidden on the tree stumps or wood shelves. The food will send out fragrance to attract Yuan Run to play. In the process, the food will roll out, and be eaten. It is a training for simulating panda looking for food in the wild.

 

  Now let me show you answer. The performances of Shu Qing and Ying Yingin the video are not as funny as you thinks. Those pandas appear psychological problems just like human beings. They feel boring and helpless because of the narrow, dull and noisy environment which can’t meet their life instinct(like looking around for food and avoiding natural enemies in the high trees and so on). So they appear repeated and meaningless behaviors. And it is called stereotyped behaviors in science.

 

  Stereotyped behaviors are not only found in pandas, but also other animals. Some of them can only eat, sleep and stare blankly, or pace back and forth, shake head from side to side just like robots, and even emerge self-mutilation behaviors like pecking its furs or feathers.

 

image005.jpg
This parrot plucked its feather because of stereotyped behaviors.

 

  Guess right? Maybe we will laugh at this behavior, take it as a funny thing. But when we finally know the truth of stereotyped behaviors, everybody should more willing to see panda’s health condition after accepting the toy stimulation. So, we hope everybody keep quiet, don’t shout and make noise when you visit them.Animal conservationmeans that keeping their mental health and learning their real need.

 

 

 

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