The Playful Giant Pandas

Koala Can

As one of China’s leading content creation and operation agencies in China， Koala Can is formed by senior media professionals， writers， publishers， content researchers， and brand operators， and have promoted the publication of over two hundred books and their derivatives.

The Giant Panda’s Road：

A Colorful History of Panda

Koala Can

Modern Press

March 2023

108.00 （CNY）

This book tells the story of two species， humans and pandas， which were destined to have a profound bond from the time they met. Over eight million years， the giant panda and human civilization have become closer. Once humans threatened the giant panda population， they worked together to save this rare species from endangerment， turning it from a palpable physical presence into an abstract cultural symbol.

Wild giant pandas are not afraid of people but always take an evasive approach when encountering other species. Captive pandas spend a lot of time with humans and are more gentle in demeanor. Standing up， a giant panda is nearly as tall as an adult， but only has the intelligence of a 5-year-old child. They show a strong curiosity for anything new and are eager to explore.

The life of a giant panda has an underlying sense of ritual， being extraordinarily elaborate in terms of both eating and sleeping. In addition to resting and foraging， pandas spend rest of their lives playing and satisfying their curiosity. It is said that a giant panda is always a playful child， whether an adult or not.

When wild juvenile giant pandas are first born， they are so different in size from their mothers that they need to follow and be protected by their mothers at all times. This guarding and nurturing relationship lasts for a long time， about two and a half years. Before they can eat bamboo， juvenile giant pandas depend mainly on their mothers’ milk for survival. The female giant panda who raises her cubs stays close to them. While the mothers go to drink or seek food， they hold their cubs by the back of their necks with their teeth. The mothers concentrate on foraging， and the panda cubs are well-fed and have plenty of time to spare.

The giant panda cubs have a lot of fun looking at the new world. Giant panda cubs love to wander around their nests， observe vicious golden cats preying on red-bellied hornbills， venture into cold streams， and chase small animals in the forest， all of which are little games they enjoy playing.

Giant pandas are masters of tree-climbing， an act that usually occurs during estrus among adult pandas and is an effective means for female pandas to escape the ardent advances of male pandas. But for giant panda cubs， tree climbing is an enjoyable and playful activity. They can follow their mother’s example and quickly climb up the trees or even sit in the canopy. The canopy is closer to the sun， so they can press their feet against the trunk and lie on it for a sunbath unobstructed. The branches in the canopy are also softer， and giant panda cubs are small enough to swing in the canopy by grabbing a thick branch and swaying it with just a little effort.

In addition to climbing trees， the cubs have many other games to play. They enjoy rolling around and never get tired of it. Georges Schaller has seen giant panda cubs roll down from a high place and climb back up again， repeating this action with joy. He had previously been puzzled by the obsessive insistence of the Chinese on the cuteness of the pandas， and at that moment， he had his answer.

Rolling in the grass is a specialty of giant panda cubs， and when the snow falls， they play even more happily in the snow， regardless of their mother’s calls. Occasionally， the giant panda cubs will also pester their mothers， climbing onto their backs and sliding down again， repeatedly. As the giant panda cubs grow up， they become more and more curious and less obedient to their mother’s discipline. Sometimes when they are too playful， they bite at their mother’s fur， and at times， being unfamiliar with their force， they may hurt their mother. Naturally， they’d be viciously “reprimanded” by her.

Climbing trees， swinging， rolling， playing on their mother’s back， chasing and scaring small animals， these are all activities for fun that can only be done by the giant panda cubs who are not yet weaned by their mothers. Once they reach two and a half years old and leave their mothers， they don’t have much time to play. Once pandas start eating bamboo， constant feeding becomes a necessary way to sustain their life functions， and time for play is squeezed out of their lives. Adult wild pandas have only a few opportunities to unleash their playful nature. On many occasions， pandas have broken into the homes of local villagers and taken round utensils such as pots and pans as toys， playing with them and discarding them along the way.

Since the first zoo was established in China， the attitude towards wild animals in zoos has changed frequently， and instead of simply feeding them as pets， they are expected to retain their original wild nature. Wild animals in captivity have no extra socialization and tend to develop stereotypical behaviors， such as constantly walking around on a narrow， bare concrete floor. Giant pandas are curious and playful by nature， and the monotonous facilities in zoos are not enough to meet their needs. In order to improve the living environment of captive pandas and simulate field conditions， many zoos have carried out the construction of enrichment facilities.

Animal enrichment is a new form of animal conservation ideology that is combined with animal scientific knowledge to improve the living environment of wild animals in captivity. Animal enrichment enables zoo animals to show normal behavior， release their nature and play with curiosity like children. By analyzing the living environment of wild pandas， zoos build various enrichment facilities for captive pandas， including complex wooden frames for climbing， pools filled with water， wooden slides， unbalanced wooden bridges， etc.

In the zoos， adult pandas do not need to worry about food and can make full use of amenities for after-dinner recreation. They can climb the wooden frames and play on them freely. The wooden frames are made up of many sturdy wooden sticks that can be twisted and turned， with platforms to lie down on， bridges that connect two platforms， simple climbing ladders that extend to the trees in the park， and even individual tree branches that pandas love to sit on. There is not enough space for the forest in the zoos. Thus， these complex wooden frames are built to meet the nature of giant pandas who love to climb trees and play around.

In the zoos， there are pools always filled with fresh water and nozzles for water mist. Though their living locations have changed， the pandas’ passion for water is deeply rooted in their bones. Every day after eating， they go to the pool to enjoy a drink.

The environment of the zoos is different from that of the pandas’ homeland， where the forests in the mountains are shaded and humid， and the pandas in captivity usually have to face unbearable heat. The pools filled with fresh water provide the heat-stricken pandas with perfect conditions for them to bathe and cool down， and the misting nozzles also help maintain the temperature in the small environment. These facilities provide a comfortable living environment and conditions for them to play with water.

Captive giant panda cubs have more play items， and the various enrichment facilities in the captive environment are more pleasing to the younger pandas. They would try to ride the wooden horses and sway on them， but always ended up tipping them over. They often climb up the wooden frame and sleep on the high platform in the sunlight. They like to climb up the hammock along the trees and enjoy the feeling of swinging with their bellies exposed. They also enjoy chasing the balls given by the staff and hold them in their arms. And they even like to roll around with their heads in a nonsensical manner， rolling from higher to lower places like a ball.

Juvenile pandas in captivity do not have to worry about the dangers they may encounter in the wild and can always play until they grow up. Even when they grow up and lose their curiosity and desire to learn， they still have time to unleash their playful nature， as all the enrichment facilities are set up for pandas to express their nature and retain their wildness.

Wild giant panda cubs have plenty of time to play in the mountains and forests because they are supplied with breast milk and do not have to worry about food. But when the cubs grow up and live independently from the female pandas， their movements are limited by their basic daily nutritional needs， and they cannot find time to play. The captive giant pandas do not have to worry about food and have plenty of time to play and rest， retaining a strong childlike curiosity. The enrichment facilities and planted trees and shrubs in the captive areas create the conditions for them to play.