Panda has Fallen

By Lisa and Madeline Shin



A few months ago, the 7th graders at West got a guinea pig in their science classroom. Panda, as it was named, resided with Mrs. Fargeorge and was adored by many. She was popular for being docile, yet brimming with enough energy to endure being handled by many students. One of the best qualities of Panda was that she was very sociable. In just some weeks, she soon adjusted to being picked up by students and did not dart away when a human came near.


Unfortunately, on March 20th, Mrs. Fargeorge and some students noticed that Panda was trembling. It was rather unusual behavior, especially from a guinea pig who actively runs throughout the day. When we saw it, it was evident that her immune system had been compromised. She appeared to sneeze frequently and had symptoms of lethargy and hyperventilation. Eventually, through diagnoses from multiple students, teachers and a vet, it was determined that Panda had a respiratory disease called pneumonia. Pneumonia is usually caused by an infection from bacteria or a virus. A person with pneumonia has lungs partially filled with fluid, which causes shortness of breath and other flu-like symptoms. Although it does not have to be treated immediately, it can become quite deadly if treated too late. In many cases, the disease can be fatal for guinea pigs.


For Panda, we believe we caught it very early, so we thought she was very fortunate. However, the vet revealed that Panda might’ve had the disease for quite some time. From a perspective from science, prey animals like Panda hide that they are ill when they become sick. Why do prey animals do this? Well, out in the real world, predators stalk the sick and the weak, since these diseased animals are easier to hunt and kill. So what prey animals would do is hide their ill symptoms and appear strong and healthy. This may be shocking to many, because why would Panda, who is in a controlled environment with all the necessities she could use, act healthy? Well, the problem was, her natural instincts were still deeply rooted inside of her. So when she caught the illness, she pretended she was never ill. Eventually, the illness took too much of a toll on her body, and Panda could not pretend any longer.


Mrs. Fargeorge and the students immediately took action when they saw Panda’s weird behavior. They separated Panda from Peanut, another guinea pig who recently arrived a month ago. Panda was put in another cage and was given clean water and food. To keep her warm, she was given a fluffy, thick red blanket. Mrs. Fargeorge even shrouded the cage with cloth to keep heat from escaping. Mrs. Fargeorge has also announced that she will be taking Panda to her home for a whole week because during the night, the school becomes very cold. Peanut remained in the original cage where Panda had come to Wood Hill months ago.


Fortunately, Peanut did not have any signs of also having the disease and is doing well. Panda, however, appeared to be dying from agonizing pain. Her chest would go up and down, as if she had run two marathons. Panda was so still that she seemed like an inanimate stuffed toy! What was more worrying was that Panda was not trying to hydrate or feed herself. The most important thing for an animal with an illness is to drink water to replace bodily fluids. During an event of illness, the body desperately needs the bodily fluids to fight off the infection and keep other bodily functions normal. That is why it is important not only for animals but for humans to drink water when they are sick. It was after many hours when Panda finally started to move slowly around her cage and drink some water.





It was 3:00 pm. We were writing on Panda’s sudden illness, and her hopeful recovery. During this time, Ms. Fargeorge found Panda lying on her side. She was as still as a lonely rock on a mountain. The next morning, the dreadful announcement came from Ms. Desjardins. The unthinkable had happened. Panda was dead. Anyways, all our prayers are going out to Panda, the lovable and always adorable guinea pig. We miss you Panda and we hope that you are doing well, wherever you are now.