Wei Rongping, Zhang Guiquan, Yin Feng, Zhang Hemin, Liu Dingzhen
Key Laboratory for Reproduction and Conservation Genetics of Endangered Wildlife of Sichuan Province and China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, China.
Zoo Biol. 2009 Jul;28(4):331-42. doi: 10.1002/zoo.20232.
From 1997 to 2002, a female giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was artificially stimulated and lactation was maintained, after her neonates were removed due to the female's inability to provide maternal care. Milk samples were collected and the amount of milk collected was quantified. The lactation curve of this animal was estimated based on the Gamma function: Y(t)=at(b)e(-ct). The amount of milk collected showed significant, positive relationships with the number of days after parturition both in 1999 and in the whole study period from 1998 to 2002. This female's lactation curves fit the type I pattern of a typical mammalian lactation curve. Daily milk collection (g) during the first 30 days after parturition, and from 31 to 60 days after parturition, showed a consistent pattern with one peak at around 8:00 hr. More milk was collected during the latter period than during the former period. The amount of milk (g) collected on mucus excretion days was significantly less than that on days after mucus excretion had ended, yet no significant difference was found between milk collected one day before mucus days and on mucus days, or between milk collected one day before and one day after mucus days. Mucus excretion from the gastrointestinal tract significantly impacted the amount of milk collected. The results from this study may aid the captive propagation and conservation of giant pandas and other endangered and rare captive mammal species.
1997年至2002年期间，一只雌性大熊猫（大熊猫）在其新生儿因母兽无法提供母性照顾而被移走后，接受人工刺激并维持泌乳。采集了乳汁样本并对采集的乳汁量进行了量化。基于伽马函数估计了这只动物的泌乳曲线：Y(t)=at(b)e(-ct)。在1999年以及1998年至2002年的整个研究期间，采集的乳汁量与分娩后的天数均呈显著正相关。这只雌性大熊猫的泌乳曲线符合典型哺乳动物泌乳曲线的I型模式。分娩后前30天以及分娩后31至60天的每日乳汁采集量（克）呈现出一致的模式，在大约8:00时出现一个峰值。后期采集的乳汁量多于前期。在有黏液排出的日子采集的乳汁量（克）显著少于黏液排出结束后的日子，但在黏液排出前一天采集的乳汁量与黏液排出当天的乳汁量之间，或黏液排出前一天与黏液排出后一天采集的乳汁量之间，均未发现显著差异。胃肠道的黏液排出对采集的乳汁量有显著影响。本研究结果可能有助于大熊猫及其他濒危和珍稀圈养哺乳动物物种的圈养繁殖和保护。
