The first batch of "Nanchong City Top Ten Outstanding Talents" Zhang Zejun's "Panda Feelings"

Photo Zhang Zejun (right) and foreign scholars in the field survey. (Courtesy of the interviewee)

At the age of 24, he studied under Hu Jinyan, a well-known giant panda research expert, and at the age of 36, he was invited by the World Association for natural protection (IUCN) to become the organization's youngest giant panda expert at that time. Today, at the age of 46, he is still immersed in research and "hugging" pandas to live... He is Zhang Zejun, a researcher at the School of Life Sciences of China West Normal University and the winner of the first batch of "Top Ten Outstanding Talents of Nanchong City".

Learn from the "Godfather of Pandas" to explore the mystery of the survival of national treasures

On February 12, the reporter walked into the office of Zhang Zejun of China West Normal University and saw that all kinds of books on panda research were neatly arranged on the bookcase, and Zhang Zejun was immersed in reading. Speaking of getting involved with giant pandas, Zhang Zejun said it was a beautiful accident.

In 1992, Zhang Zejun studied biology education in the Department of Biology of Sichuan Normal University (now the College of Biological Sciences of Xihua Normal University). "I was planning to become a teacher after graduation, but I didn't expect to do scientific research." Zhang Zejun said that from 1993 to 1995, the policy of abolishing biology subjects in the college entrance examination was carried out from pilot to full development, which was undoubtedly a huge impact on him who wanted to become a biology teacher.

Just at this time, Hu Jinyan, an expert in giant panda research, was recruiting graduate students, and Zhang Zejun, who had excellent grades, was recommended to study for a master's degree without exams and became a disciple of Professor Hu. He followed Hu Jinyan into the door of giant panda research and began to have various contacts with giant pandas, from campus to the wild, from theory to practice, systematically and comprehensively learning about giant pandas and exploring the mysteries of the survival of national treasures.

In 2002, Zhang Zejun was recommended by Hu Jinzhan to pursue a doctorate at his proud protégé Wei Fuwen (now an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a famous giant panda expert). In October 2005, Zhang Zejun went to the Zoological Society of San Diego to do postdoctoral research, and undertook the work related to the Sino-US giant panda cooperation project "Foping Giant Panda Ecology Research". During the cooperation and exchange with the internationally renowned animal behavior scholar Ronald Swaisgood, Zhang Zejun continuously improved his scientific research literacy in project design, field investigation, data analysis, scientific research attitudes, etc., laying a good foundation for later research work.

Field survey Get up close and personal with giant pandas

"It has been 22 years since I started working with professor Hu Jinyan on giant pandas." Zhang Zejun said that the study of giant pandas will inevitably have to run in the wild often, because wild pandas live at high altitudes and in primitive jungles, so their investigation camps are often stationed in inaccessible and isolated deep mountain forests. In 2006, China and the United States jointly carried out a giant panda ecological research project in Foping, Shaanxi, and he and his team came to Foping to establish a wild giant panda ecological research station, with him as the first station manager.

The arduous field research environment makes every opportunity to track giant pandas very precious, and the data obtained is extremely precious, and Zhang Zejun still remembers the pictures of tracking giant pandas. During an investigation in Foping, during a field survey, he inadvertently found two male wild pandas waving bear paws and fighting each other in order to compete for a mate. In order to observe up close and collect more accurate data, Zhang Zejun boldly followed the fighting pandas.

In the primeval forest, a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulates. Although Zhang Zejun carefully followed the giant panda that hit the hand, the crisp sound of the leaves under his feet alarmed the giant panda, which mistook Zhang Zejun for a "competitor", turned around and pounced, there was nowhere to hide on the hillside, in a hurry, Zhang Zejun quickly climbed a large tree with a thick bowl mouth. At this time, the giant panda sat under the tree and began to "roar" at Zhang Zejun, a symbol of hegemony. In order to scare off the giant pandas, Zhang Zejun also kept yelling in the trees. After a few minutes of stalemate, perhaps finding that he was not of the same kind, or perhaps there was nothing he could do, the giant panda left in a daze.

In the wild, it takes a lot of luck for ordinary people to look at giant pandas from a distance, and this "confrontation" is Zhang Zejun's closest contact with giant pandas, which also makes him still remember it vividly.

Courageously take responsibility and commit to the protection of giant pandas with actions

According to the Fourth National Giant Panda Survey, there are only more than 1,800 wild giant pandas in the world, which are endangered and belong to the national first-level protected animals. The protection of giant pandas naturally became important. The study of giant pandas is already a social mission. Should giant pandas be protected in situ or ex situ?

"Many of the ecological habits and ecological characteristics of this species of giant panda are formed in the long-term adaptation to the wild natural environment, and leaving its living environment actually has a great impact on all aspects of the giant panda." Zhang Zejun said that protecting wild giant pandas is not only to protect a species, but also to protect the complete ecosystem of the habitat where giant pandas live. The protection of giant pandas is divided into two ways: in situ conservation and migration protection, and ex situ conservation and in situ conservation should be organically combined, and in situ conservation is the foundation of the cause of wild giant panda conservation.

"Through monitoring and statistical data, in recent years, with the construction of protected areas in the distribution range of giant pandas and the implementation of natural forest protection projects, the giant panda population is growing and the number is also increasing." Zhang Zejun said that at present, the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species has reduced the endangered level of giant pandas from endangered to vulnerable.

In Zhang Zejun's eyes, universities can not only be limited to teaching and educating people, scientific research personnel are not only issuing articles and evaluating titles, as a social person, they should have an ideological height and assume responsibility and obligations for society. "Although it is a long way to change the situation of endangered animals and maintain the safety of the ecological environment, every scientific researcher should take ecological protection as his responsibility, be committed to serving the society with scientific research results, and assume the responsibility of a social person with actions." Zhang Zejun said. (Reporter Luo Hong)

■ Character Profile:

Zhang Zejun, male, Ph.D., graduate supervisor, director of the Scientific Research Office of China West Normal University, mainly engaged in the conservation ecology and evolutionary ecology of rare and endangered species such as giant pandas and red pandas. He has published 9 books and published more than 100 research papers at home and abroad, including more than 40 journal papers included in SCI, and his research results have been widely reported or commented on by the Central People's Government website, Xinhua News Agency, Sichuan Daily, Nature, Science Now, Reuter, BBC, Science Daily and other media at home and abroad, and won 4 provincial and ministerial awards such as the first prize of the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award. Standing Director of the Chinese Veterinary Society; Member of the Species Survival Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Member of the IUCN Bear Expert Group; Member of the Animal Ecology Professional Committee of the Ecological Society of China; Consulting Expert of Giant Panda Conservation and Management of the State Forestry Administration; Member of the Technical Committee of the Fourth National Giant Panda Survey, Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Mammals. Enjoy the special allowance of the State Council and be selected by the Ministry of Education's "New Century Excellent Talents Support Program".