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.
  • Photos of Lin Ping at 105 days old

    Chiang Mai Zoo's little girl panda cub reached 105 days old on 9th September 2009.

    While she was examined and weighed some wonderful photos of her were taken.

    She's a healthy 7.25 kilos and has 11 milk teeth.
  • Thailanda Cub to be on display July 4 - 6

    Thailand's new giant panda cub will be on display for two shows a day from the 4th till the 6th of July. The cub will be in a glass display, Visitors lucky enough to get in are asked not to touch any animals before coming as they could spread disease.
  • Thailand's Pandas booked up till January.

    If you're planning to visit Thailand to go see the new Giant Panda Club and haven't already got a ticket to see them, then you may be in for a bit of a wait, till January next year.

    65,000 advanced tickets for this year have already been snapped up. People sometimes pre-book to see various animals before visiting but never on this scale it has been reported.

    So you'd better get your ticket soon else it could be a very very long time before you can see her.
  • Thailand's pandas to get new winter home

    Chiang Mai Zoo has built a new winter home for their pandas "Chuang Chuang" , "Lin Hui" and her newly born cub. The new home is a snow dome where the temperature inside will be a cool minus 5 degrees Celcius.

    The pandas are not due to move in till the winter, but visitors should be able to visit from some time this month.

    Visitors will enter along a wall built to look like the great wall of china, and inside will be a Chinese-style house.

    The only thing left to finish on the new enclosure is the fake snow.
  • Chuang Chuang maybe daddy to China based cubs

    Chuang Chuang the male panda who is the father of the new panda cub born in Thailand this year, will have his semen frozen and taken over to China and be artificially inseminated in to female pandas next year.
  • New Thailand panda cub video

    A video of the new panda cub at Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand being examined by the vets there.
  • 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.
  • Thailand to ask to keep panda cub for longer

    The Bangkok post and China View is saying that Thailand's government will start negotiations with China to be allowed to keep the panda cub born on May 27th 2009 for longer than the two years which is currently under contract to do.

    If I remember correctly (I'm sure someone will set me right) Mei Sheng stayed longer than two years after he was born, so Thailand could get to keep the new princess for a little longer.

    Thailand's Zoological Park Organization has been assigned to conduct a study to see whether a permanent panda reproduction research centre is feasible.
  • Video of new panda

    Video of the new panda at Chiangmai
  • It's a girl.

    The Canadian Press is reporting that the panda cub born in Thailand is a girl. Experts from China have flew over to examine Lin Hui and her new cub. Lin Hui seems to be a natural mother giving lots of care and attention.

    The experts who were watching Lin Hui say that she is displaying behaviour that signifies that she may have another. Only the next couple of days will tell if there's another one.
  • First panda of 2009 born

    Brilliant News the CCRCGP Chinese blog is reporting that the first panda of 2009 has been born at Chiang Mai Zoo, Thailand on May 27th.

    I'll update this post later with more information when I have more time, just wanted to let you all know the great news. Lets hope this is the start of another bumper year of panda cubs and we can beat last years total of 32 healthy pandas.

    UPDATE Currently the sex and weight is unknown. The cub was born at 10:10 am without any complications.
  • 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,
  • Hope for Panda Cuba in Thailand

    Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand have said that Linhui has ovulated twice and they have performed two artificial inseminations.

    "Every step in the process went smoothly because we have extensively monitored the pandas' behaviours for a long period." said Zoological Park Organisation director-general Sophon Damnui.
  • 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.