Panda News from around the world
  • Zhang Ka Gives Birth to Twins in the Wolong Semi Wild Centre

    Another success for the Wolong semi wild team, Zhang Ka an 11 year old wild born Giant Panda has given birth to twins. The second cub was a girl and weighed 137.4g at birth. The second cub was removed because Giant Panda mothers can only raise one cub at a time and the second is usually left to die.

    She was mated with Bai Yang on May 26th 2011.

    Mother and cubs doing well.
  • Su Lin Provides First Cub of 2011

    At 12:36 Local time on July the 7th 2011 Su Lin (Born at San Diego Zoo), gave birth to the first cub of the year.

    When the Cub was first born, Su Lin was a bit surprised but after a few minutes a strong maternal instinct took over and Su Lin began to mother the new cub.

    At 13:12 another cub was born but this was an underdeveloped fetus and soon died. The keepers immediately took away this cub.

    Su Lin and Cub are both being watched very carefully by staff via CCTV cameras.

    Well done Su Lin, and congratulations to the hard working staff of CCRCGP at Wolong.
  • Su Lin Moves to New Home

    The Wolong Panda Park Blog has released some photos of when they transfered Su Lin to the semi wild enclosure near to Wolong.

    Su Lin along with 5 other pandas who were bred this year have been release in to semi wild enclosures. These enclosures are a lot bigger than the ones at Bi Feng Xia and the pandas will not interact with humans.

    It is hoped that the pregnant Giant Pandas will give birth and bring up their cubs in a more natural way. This is one of the first steps of many of being able to release Giant Pandas back in to the wild.
  • Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara

    Pambassador Yumiko Kajiwara has just come back from a trip to Beijing Zoo, where she got to meet the Pandas There. She has given me permission to use her photos for our "The Pandas" section.
  • 3 Year Old Shui Ling Dies Suddenly

    I'm very sad to report that Shui Ling has died just weeks before her 3rd birthday.

    It's been reported that she had died of Mesenteric Torsion which is where the intestines get wrapped up and blood supply to them gets cut off causing the intestine to die and rot.

    The symptoms are very hard to spot until it is too late, then the animal dies of shock.

    Shui Ling is the daughter of Long Xin and younger sister of Fu Ni one of the pandas who was sent to Adelaide. Long Xin has had a total of 7 cubs so far.
  • One of the Beijing Cubs Dies

    I've got a report from news-163.com that the Giant Panda cub who was left with Ying Hua died 20 hours after being born. Reports say that the sister who was flown to Bifengxia is doing well.

    UPDATE: It appears that Ying Hua was too tired to notice that the little one had fallen off her body and was left exposed. The panda cub had a large area of haemorrhage to her right shoulder which effected her lungs
  • First Giant Panda Babies Born at Beijing

    Wonderful news, I'm getting reports that a pair of Giant Pandas have been born at Beijing Zoological Park, China.
  • Pandas International donate new cameras

    The wonderful people at Pandas International have sent some camera equipment over to the panda club. They hope that they can be of use in monitoring and recording when pandas are giving birth.

    Pandas International provide lots of items for the pandas including incubators and panda milk. After the earthquake they also supplied emergency equipment for both pandas and humans.

    Pandas International is currently running a Pennies 4 Pandas drive, why not head over and make a small donation to help protect our wonderful friends the pandas.
  • Pandas International May Newsletter / Appeal.

    This months newsletter from Pandas International. Republished with permission.

    One Year Later, Earthquake Damage Affects Pandas & Staff
    Dear Friend of Pandas International,
  • 6 Pandas fly to Beijing

    China view is reporting that six Pandas have been transfered to Beijing Zoo to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

    The pandas Hua Ao, Jin Yi, Wen Yu, Xiang Ge, Shui Ling and Qing Feng took the two and a half flight to Beijing from their home at Bifengxia near Ya'an. After the journey some of the pandas staggered out of their transportation cages whilst other had to be coaxed out.

    The pandas are expected to make their first public appearance in Beijing on May the first.
  • Gu Gu defends himself again.

    The age is reporting that Gu Gu an eight year old panda living at Beijing Zoo has attacked someone else.

    This time student Li Xitao, jumped the 1.4 meter fence to get closer to the pandas, where Gu Gu and another panda were. Gu Gu took massive bites out of both the students legs, it's been reported that the bites were so bad that bone could be seen. Emergency medical officials said that chunks of the students legs were left in the ambulance.

    Gu Gu was later seen munching away on his bamboo, no news currently on the well being of the student, or if he will be charged.
  • They're coming home, pandas are coming home

    China view is reporting that the eight Olympic pandas that went to Beijing for the Olympics will be returning home this Sunday.

    Since the pandas arrived in Beijing that have been seen by over two million visitors. After the news was released visitors have seized the chance to take more photos of the bears.

    Whilst the bears have been in Beijing can eat 159kg of Bamboo, 2kg of apples and other food a day. A remarkable difference since they first went when they only ate 2-3 kg of bamboo a day.
  • North line visits Olympic pandas

    March 15th 2009, The north line of CCRCGP's "Thanks tourism around China" visited the 8 pandas sent to Beijing for the olympics.
  • Concern over reconstruction plan

    Plans that have been started to reconstruct the destruction caused by the massive earthquake on May 12th 2008, but some experts are warning that hasty rebuilding could accelerate the fragmentation of the fragile pandas habitat.

    "The earthquake and the human response to the earthquake are actually posing new threats to the long-term viability of the wild pandas," said Marc Brody, founder of the conservation group Panda Mountain—U.S.-China Environmental Fund. Brody has been working in the region for nearly a decade and is helping the Chinese government with blueprints for reconstruction.
  • Wolong facility begins reconstruction

    It has been reported on MSNBC that repairs have started at the Wolong Research Centre, which was all but destroyed during the May 12th earthquake. Director Zhang Hemin said that it should take three years before the repairs are completed and the rescued Pandas can return.
  • Tourists numbers back up after Quake.

    After the devastating earth quake on May 12th, Tourists to Wolong and Chengdu Research Centres fell. Whilst Wolong has been pretty much destroyed and will take some time before it is fully functional again Chengdu is reporting that tourists are returning and numbers are about the same as last year.

    October is the golden month in the Base’s annual tourism season. During the 7-day national holiday (this year from September 29 to October 5), about 31,822 tourists from home and abroad visited the Base, engaging in an exploration of the panda’s life and its survival secrets.
  • Chester Zoo (UK) gives extra funding to Quake hit Pandas

    CHESTER Zoo has come to the aid of a vital Chinese research base which was hit by a devastating earthquake.
    The Sichuan Province area of China was left shattered by a huge earthquake in May this year; the largest natural disaster in the country in nearly 60 years.

    Measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, the earthquake led to the deaths of more than 70,000 ADVERTISEMENT people.

    The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which has been financially supported by Chester Zoo for a number of years, suffered some structural damage.
  • Tv Show about Wolong Panda Research Centre

    For those of us in the UK, Animal Planet is due to start a new series on the pandas at the Wolong Breeding Centre.

    Starting Tuesday, September 9th, 20089:00pm to 10:00pm.

    Follow the reference for the complete list on when it's on.

    (My other half had better set up SKY+ to record this whilst I'm away. :) )
  • "Olympic Pandas" bear up well in Beijing; likely to stay until year-end

    The eight pandas who left Wolong to go to Beijing for the Olympics will be staying until their homes are rebuilt, which will be in the new year at the earlest.

    Thursday's Legal Affairs Evening News quoted Zhang Jinguo, deputy chief of the Beijing Zoo, as saying that the bears, aged one to two, had all put on 1.5 kg to 2 kg during their stay in the zoo.

    "They are fully adapted to the climate and life here in Beijing," said Zhang, who added that rebuilding their home at the Wolong base was another reason they had to stay. They were originally supposed to go home in October.
  • Olympic Pandas

    Some wonderful pictures of the "Olympic 8" at Beijing zoo