The zoo knows a whole lot more about the endangered critters than it did when the first pandas arrived nearly 29 years ago. But, barely a year after its last panda died, it is eager to resume its studies. The pandas will be monitored by 20 video cameras strategically placed in the Panda House and outdoor yard. It's an urgent cause. The San Diego Zoo and Zoo Atlanta also have pandas on loan, and San Diego has had one successful cub birth.
Any offspring are the property of China.
But their long years at the zoo contributed to panda conservation studies in China and taught scientists and keepers much about panda behavior, health and reproduction. We were flying blind. She directed much of the zoo's pioneering research, though she initially didn't want anything to do with the pandas. But I started sneaking in and doing observations on them early in the morning and late afternoons. I got hooked.