Panda News from around the world
Mei Lan has been selected by the WWF as the Global Ambassador of Earth Hour.
At 8:30 pm on saturday 27 March, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show to the world what can be done to resolve the delemma of global warming.
Mei Lan took up her role in her new home town of Chengdu, the first city in China to support Earth Hour 2010.
On a side note it appears that Mei Lan doesn't like Chinese New Year, as all the firecrackers disturbed her, and she was seen running around her cage.
Atlanta Zoo's nearly 18 month old Giant Panda will be gradually weaned away from his mother in to a solitary life in keeping with how pandas live in the wild.
San Diego developed the step wise programme and it was used to wean Mai Lan (Atlanta's 3 year old that has just gone to China) and also used at other zoos in America. The programme gradually increases the time away from the mother.
Xi Lan should be fully weaned by early march. Xi Lan has already started to eat solid foods including bamboo, leafeater biscuits and fruit.
I've received a report that China will be sending a pair of breeding pandas to Tokyo Ueno Zoo early next year. It will be the first time in three years that the zoo have had pandas after their last panda Ling Ling died
Unless you've been hiding under a rock the news has been full of the departure of two giant pandas from America to China.
A family in Baoxing County are regularly visited by a panda who has developed a taste for pork spare ribs including the bone.
The police in Sichuan China, have arrested a 41 year old man for selling a panda skin 15 years ago.
Mr Kwak evaded police for 15 years by moving Provinces and stealing the idenity of someone else.
The police noticed that some ID cards contained the same information but with different numbers on further investigation Mr Kwak admitted that he had sold the panda skin in July 1995.
The cubs of 2009 at Bifengxia base have all been weaned from their mothers and will be going in to the base's Kindergarten.
A special ceremony was held to mark the occassion.
Whilst we were at Zoo Atlanta, little Xi Lan was very playful and wouldn't leave mum alone.
Check out the video below.
BTW it's not me laughing!
Some more photos from my on going trip to see the pandas in the USA.
San Diego Zoo
Memphis
Atlanta
Washington DC
Or to see the photos from the Whole Trip
We had a wonderful day yesterday at Zoo Atlanta.
We meet some wonderful people there, the volunteers are brilliant, friendly and very knowledgeable.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Hello from Washington DC,
Having a great time, managed to get to the zoo yesterday but it was pouring down with rain. All the pandas were snoozing inside, I did manage to take a few photos but I'm not that impressed with them, going back to day to see if I can do better, as it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.
Well things for me are really busy at the moment, I started a new job back at the end of November and what with Christmas, illness and now getting ready for my trip to visit the pandas in the USA, I don't seem to have a moment spare!
But I still managed to get the odd story out, luckily things are quiet in the panda world at the moment, but breeding season will soon be with us and then hopefully lots of beautiful new cubs.