GIANT PANDA SISTERS DEPART SAN DIEGO ZOO; SCIENTISTS GATHER VALUABLE DATA DURING THEIR STAY

The San Diego Zoo  said goodbye to two giant pandas this weekend, but not before collecting valuable scientific data about the panda's ability to hear.

     Early Saturday morning, 5-year-old Su Lin and her 3-year-old sister, Zhen Zhen, were accompanied by San Diego Zoo animal care and veterinary staff members on a plane trip to their new home at the Wolong Nature Reserve Giant Panda Bi Feng Xia Base in the People's Republic of China. The pandas will join an important conservation program where they will contribute to the preservation of this endangered species.

     Since the birth of these two pandas at the San Diego Zoo, scientists have been gathering facts about panda biology. As Su Lin and Zhen Zhen got older they became the backbone of cutting-edge research that is giving scientists insight into what a panda can hear and how man-made noises can affect the species' ability to communicate and reproduce.

     "Having Su Lin and Zhen Zhen at the San Diego Zoo was a great learning experience for us," said Megan Owen, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research conservation program specialist. "Su Lin was the first giant panda we were able to collect comprehensive hearing data on. We also learned a lot from Zhen Zhen on what a young bear can hear."

     Asking a giant panda to notify its zookeeper when it hears a tone isn't as simple as raising a finger at the doctor's office. Zookeepers go through several steps to train the bears to first be comfortable in a sound-dampened enclosure, sit still to listen for the sound and then touch a target with its nose when the bear hears the tone played.

     This study will continue once Su Lin and Zhen Zhen's parents, Bai Yun and Gao Gao are trained to follow the same procedures. Gathering additional information from the two adult bears may help determine if a younger bear's hearing is different from older bears. Incorporating the male Gao Gao will also provide insight into possible differences between panda males and females.

     Giant pandas are on loan to the San Diego Zoo from the People's Republic of China to study this endangered species. As part of this long-term program, the San Diego Zoo is collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Science in studies of behavior, ecology, genetics and conservation of wild pandas living in the Foping Nature Reserve.

     The San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research is dedicated to generating, sharing and applying scientific knowledge vital to the conservation of animals, plants and habitats worldwide. The work of the Institute includes onsite research efforts at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (historically referred to as Wild Animal Park), laboratory work at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research, and international field programs involving more than 180 researchers working in 35 countries. In addition to the Beckman Center for Conservation Research, the Institute also operates the Anne and Kenneth Griffin Reptile Conservation Center, the Botanical Conservation Center, the Keauhou and Maui Hawaiian Bird Conservation Centers and the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center. The Zoo also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which includes a 900-acre native species reserve, and the San Diego Zoo. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.