We departed Gengda for Chengdu as we are now shifting gears to our research at Bifengxia. The fall interns arrive this weekend and we will all head to Ya’an on the 21st. It was hard to leave Zack and Nicki, but we are more than happy to hand over the responsibilities to such a capable team. Our reintroduction research is incredibly complex with multiple moving parts, but we couldn’t ask for a better duo.

Four happy pandas- Meghan, Zack, Nate, and Nicki

Our two week stay in Gengda was full of high elevation hikes, limited food choices, and non-stop protocol adjustments. As with all new research, the ability to adapt to differing field conditions and unpredictable wildlife was more than expected. But, our hard work is already beginning to pay off with several successful video captures. As this project is slated to last several years, we will have plenty of updates to share in the near future.

Now that Ya’an and Bifengxia are in our sights, we will begin training the newbies on maternal care and stereotypic observations. An additional bonus to returning to Ya’an is that we get to visit with all of our old friends. Plenty of hot pot and spicy noodle nights are sure to keep me nice and fat over the next month. Talk soon.