Panda Updates – Friday, October 11

One thing I’ve gotten a lot more experience with since I started in the Panda Care Team a few months ago is talking during our Giant Panda Wild Encounters. Wild Encounters are a great way for guests to get a better insight into what the Panda Care Team does to ensure the needs of the giant pandas are met. Guests are able to feed one of the giant pandas and watch a training session. As you might already know, everything we do at the Zoo is through positive reinforcement and is always voluntary, meaning if one of the giant pandas doesn’t want to participate in training, that’s totally okay; we just try asking for another behavior or end the session early. It’s been really great getting to see people connect with the giant pandas, and it’s always awesome when a guest says they’ve learned something new. As an animal care professional, that’s one of the best feelings and I’m glad that I’m able to be a part of that experience! 
Amanda D.
Keeper I, Mammals