The vast majority of PDXWildlife’s research involves monitoring panda bear behaviors. Another project that has taken a backseat until now, looks at heavy metal contaminants, such as mercury and methylmercury. After finishing our initial analysis and seeking publication, we received a considerable amount of interest in applying the same study to a wider population of pandas. With the publication on hold, we will now combine our original data from Bifengxia, to include additional data from Dujiangyan, Beijing, and wild pandas from the Sichuan province.
My current China trip has many facets to it, which include welcoming the new interns, as well meeting and collaborating with researchers from Dujiangyan, Beijing, and Nanchong. All of whom are amassing a collection of panda hair, blood, feces, and a few bags of bamboo to contribute to the mercury project. It’s quite a bit of travel, but I’m really excited to connect the dots in terms of discovering a potential “mercury gradient” among the different locations. As human beings are a major factor in global mercury contamination, the hypothesis is that pandas from an area with a low population (wild) will have a lower amount of mercury than bears from an area with a high population (Beijing).
So, why do we care to know panda mercury concentrations? Well, the answer is along the very same lines of why we conduct behavior research- To increase the reproductive success of an endangered species and hopefully bolster the overall population. If our research offers an addition tool that can determine the most advantageous location of where to build the next breeding center or zoo, which would minimize the negative impact of pollutants, then we are contributing to the pandas chance for continued survival.
If you would like to know more about our initial study, click HERE.