Panda News from around the world
Recently the Chengdu Panda Research Base held a competition to select 6 Panda Guardians from around the world. Over 14,000 people applied and the judges has reduced that to 60 candidates.
It is now your chance to vote for who you think should be in the final 12 who will fly out to Chengdu in China.
My good friend Jeroen Jacobs of GiantPandaZoo.com is in the final 60, so if you don't know who to vote for please vote for him. http://www.pandahome.com/en/vote.php
For those of us in UK, Channel 5 starts a week of short programmes about pandas on the 30th August 2010. It airs from 6pm everyday. I'm sure if it will be shown elsewhere, put will let you know when I do.
I am very sad to report another panda death this year. That of Tang Tang also known as number 21.
Tang Tang was a wild caught panda thought to be around 23 years of age. She was the mother of 7 surviving pandas including Long Hui the male panda at Vienna, the grand mother of Fu Long and Lin Bing of Chiangmai Zoo's. She also recently became a great grand mother though Ge Ge at BFX, who I used to watch everyday.
The cause of her death is not known at the moment, but according to the news report her body has been shipped back to Sichuan.
On August 23rd 2010 at 14:14 Yang Yang of Vienna gave birth to her second cub. The new cub was born exactly 3 years after her first cub Fu Long who has since gone to China.
Vienna is one of the closest zoo's to me with pandas, and of course plans are now being made to make a visit in time when the new arrival makes his/her appearance.
Well done Yang Yang, and Dad Long Hui
12 year old Gong Zhu gave birth to a baby Giant Panda at 4:32am August 24 2010.
Both mother and panda cub doing well.
7 year old Yuan Yuan has given birth to a twin pair of boys. Yuan Yuan gave to to a single cub in 2008.
Yuan Yuan mated with Lin Lin in march of this year. (Does any one know Lin Lin I can't seem to find him in the stud book)
I recently posted about Ge Ge giving birth, one of the pandas I used to see everyday that I volunteered at Bifengxia. Now one of the pandas I looked after has given birth, Mei Qing.
Mei Qing was born in 2002. When I volunteered at BFX, the two pandas I was assigned to was You You and Jin Zhu, within a couple of days Jin Zhu was transferred to the maternity enclosures as it was thought she was pregnant. (She didn't give birth that year). She was replaced by Mei Qing, who quickly became a favourite.
Late on the 14th of August 2010 she gave birth to a male cub.
In march 2010 Seventeen year old Ji Ni (Jeanie) was transferred to Bifengxia from Beijing to take part in the breeding programme. Five months later she gave birth to a female cub weighing 103g.
This is Ji Ni's second cub, she gave birth to Qing Qing in 2007 after the longest pregnancy on record of 324 days.
I've gotten a report that Rau Hin at the Wakayma Zoo, Japan has given birth to twins.
Rau Hin, also know as Liang Bang was born on the 6th September 2000. This is her second set of twins.
Sorry for the short abrupt post, but I'm very busy with my 'proper' job but wanted to let you know.
If you've been following this site for a while you may remember that I visited Bifengxia (BFX) for three weeks in Septemeber 2008, (Was it so long ago?) I looked after "You You" and "Mei Qing" but in the next enclosure was Ge Ge, A really charming and fun panda, who's photo I took a lot of.
So it's with a happy heart that I announce that Ge Ge has had her first cub.
On 4th August 2010 Na Na a 7 year old Giant Panda at Bifengxia give birth to a male cub, This is Na Na's third cub, She gave birth for the first time last year to twins.
Then a few days later on 6th Aug Qi Zhen gave birth to twins at Chengdu Research Centre. Qi Zhen is a 11 year old, this pair brings her total number of cubs to 5.
The first surviving cub of 2010 is almost a month old. I have a couple of photos from China Panda I thought you might like to see the progress she's making.