This is the diary of the local ranger works in the Foping Nature Reserve, Shannxi, China. The storyline is straightforward. The story is very authentic and meaningful to all panda lovers.
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On the afternoon of December 7, 2020, He Yiwen, one of the staff of the protection station at Sanguan temple, found a wild giant panda who was weak. Mr. He approached the panda and saw that her back was full of blood, and Mr. He reported the situation to his superiors.
Tang Tang was very weak when we saw her in the wild
After the on-site inspection, we named the giant panda "Tang Tang”.
We carried Tang Tang to the protection station
Tang Tang weighed 59 kilograms, which was really too thin for an adult panda. The reason why Tang Tang was so thin is that she had a wound with an area of about 10cm×10cm on her back, which may have been injured for a long time, and the wound was bleeding and purulent. Tang Tang had difficulty eating, she could support her body by one front paw, and pull the bamboo out by another one. The way she ate was bad for herself. Tang Tang had been injured for a while, and the wound had seriously affected her daily life. The protection station invited 9 veterinarians to consult for Tang Tang, and finally worked out the best treatment plan.
Treatment for Tang Tang's wound
9 veterinarians to consult for Tang Tang
On December 14, we conducted a full-body examination of Tang Tang. The examination result showed that Tang Tang is a female giant panda, about 15 years old, weighing about 61kg, and she had a wound with an area of 10x10cm. Fortunately, she has the normal vital signs. What was urgently needed to deal with was Tang Tang’s back trauma. Due to the serious injury, Tang Tang could not sit down and eat normally.
We carried fresh bamboo back from the mountain to fed Tang Tang. She could only eat bamboo while standing. We took turns on duty for the first night. We checked if Tang Tang has eaten and her wound for every hour. We were all relieved that nothing bad happed to Tang Tang for the whole night.
Tang Tang under anesthesia
Tang Tang under anesthesia
Tang Tang was having a medical examination
After a period of treatment, Tang Tang’s trauma has improved and his appetite has increased.
Beside bamboo, we provided honey and apples for Tang Tang, which was good for her recovery. While, Tang Tang did not seem to like the snacks. First, she just threw the apple away and grabbed the bamboo. Then, we tried many ways to encourage her to get more nutrient by spreading honey on the apple. However, Tang Tang just licked the honey and left apple. All we need to do was tried this for several times, and finally she ate the apple. Since then Tang Tang would have 4-6 apples for a day.
Tang Tang’s picky about the fresh bamboo, and she did not eat old bamboo. Therefore, we went to the mountain and took bamboo back everyday, and we put the root of bamboo into the water to keep them from getting dry.
We spent 42 days with Tang Tang and took a great care of her. We cleaned her house, collected the dung and record the data for everyday.
Tang Tang consumed 20-22 kg of bamboo daily, and the weight of feces was 16-17 kg. Tang Tang recovered very well and gained weight gradually. Sometimes Tang Tang was kind of active to play by herself, like bit the bowl after having the meals, or climbed up the wall. We were so glad to see her playing.
On 18th January, we were very sad to be told that Tang Tang would be transferred to get a better care at Qinling Panda Breeding Center. It was real hard to see Tang Tang leave, since we got along well for a month.
Tang Tang
Tang Tang was sleeping after having bamboo
Tang Tang was eating an apple
The staff cleaned the house for Tang Tang everyday
The staff was taking care of the wound on Tang Tang's back
On January 19, 2021, Tang Tang moved to the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center. May Tang Tang fully recover and return to Qinling as soon as possible!
Tang Tang was transferred to the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center