My name is Zuri Gagnon and I am a senior
studying Biology with a concentration in Environmental and Conservation
Biology. This semester, I have been working with my mentor, Dr. Elizabeth
Freeman, to monitor the behavior of red pandas before birth. Red pandas are
listed as endangered because their population is decreasing due to habitat
loss. Although protecting them in their native habitat is the top priority,
zoological institutions breed red pandas in captivity as a safeguard for the
species and with the hope for reintroduction into the wild. Breeding red pandas
in captivity comes with problems such as variable gestation lengths or
pseudopregnancy. This project uses behavioral data to compare the behavior of
pregnant and non-pregnant red pandas to help predict the time of birth.
My dream of
saving animals and becoming involved the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
Institute (SCBI) is what primarily got me interested in this project. After
spending Fall 2016 at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation and completing
an internship at SCBI, I knew I wanted to continue research with endangered
species. I was encouraged to reach out to Dr. Elizabeth Freeman because she has
done research with the red pandas at SCBI. She became my mentor and has been so
helpful throughout this project.
I had never
studied animal behavior before, so this was a completely new experience for me.
On a weekly basis, I spend time coding red panda videos using an iOS
application, Animal Behaviour Pro. I use an established ethogram, or list of
the different behaviors observed in an animal, to record behaviors and their
durations. It’s been great learning about animal behavior and I hope to
continue this research in the future.
