Vaisala's Cutting-Edge Wireless Technology Monitors the Wellbeing of the Pandas in Ähtäri Zoo in Finland

China’s recent gift of panda bears, Lumi and Pyry, are in good hands in Ähtäri Zoo. In addition to the dedicated attention of their caretakers, the pandas' living conditions will be monitored 24/7 by Vaisala's state-of-the-art viewLinc Environmental Monitoring System.

Vaisala has partnered with Ähtäri Zoo to ensure the wellbeing of the pandas by monitoring humidity and temperature in the panda enclosures with the viewLinc continuous monitoring system.

"Pandas are rare in the nature. In Ähtäri Zoo, we are trying to identify the optimal conditions for the pandas'," says Ähtäri Zoo CEO Jonna Pietilä. "For this we need continuous environmental monitoring and we are very happy to get the world's leading measurement technology provider Vaisala on board in our mission."

Vaisala’s viewLinc monitoring system has long been used in life science environments for monitoring high-value assets and processes. It is also used in museums and archives, semi-conductor manufacturing, warehouses, aerospace manufacturing, temperature-critical storage and distribution, and IT-server rooms. With the addition of the Snowpanda project in Ähtäri, the system has its newest application: animal conservation.

"It is a great honor for Vaisala to contribute to the wellbeing of these precious animals. We are delighted that our viewLinc system is able to provide data that can be used to ensure the best possible living conditions for the panda couple. Hopefully the data will offer insights to help protecting the whole species," says Vaisala President and CEO Kjell Forsén.

The monitoring system includes the viewLinc 5.0 software and wireless data loggers networked with Vaisala's new long-range wireless technology - VaiNet. Unlike most wireless data loggers, VaiNet’s wireless signal is unimpeded by concrete walls and metal structures and can communicate well over 100 meters indoors. The data loggers are compact, rugged, unencumbered by networking or power cables, and easy to place in hard-to-reach locations. In addition to providing accurate data, the system also sends remote alarms to staff if conditions go beyond thresholds.

The temperature and humidity loggers are located both indoor and outdoor the panda enclosure, covering approximately 6400 m². Currently the system comprises 10 data loggers for temperature and humidity, but other parameters like CO₂ and outdoor weather can be incorporated later. The monitoring data is also available for the zoo visitors from the viewing deck monitors. In addition to enclosure conditions, the system monitors the pandas' main food supply, bamboo, which requires controlled temperature and humidity to stay fresh and edible.