Panda News from around the world
According to Sichuan Forestry Department's website, Mei Sheng Mated Naturally On May 8.
On May 8 at 9:28 am, 5-year-old male panda Mei Sheng and female panda Ying Ying mated naturally. This is Mei Sheng's first natural mating and it lasted 1 minute and 41 seconds.
One of our readers Chet is currently visiting pandas in China and has taken the following photos. She has promised some more when she arrives back home. I'm trying to get her to do a photo a day as they seem to be popular the last time we ran them.
Many thanks Chet for allowing us to view the beautiful pandas at Bi Feng Xia once again it makes me want to go back again.
The first picture is the 13 pandas they were born in 2008 at Bi Feng Xia, can you find them all?
The earthquake of May 12th 2008, is still causing problems for the giant panda programme in china.
The earthquake which caused the death of nearly 80,000 people, left large areas of bamboo forest underneath landslides of mud and rocks, rendered some bamboo groves inaccessible and reduced tourism to the sites which depend on it the most.
Jackie Chan the famous film star has adopted two pandas from the Chengdu Research Centre. He named them "Cheng Cheng" and "Long Long" for a reported cost of 1 million yuan. (~£100,000 - ~$147,000).
Jackie was appointed "Chengdu Panda Ambassador" by the Chengdu tourism authorities.
It is also reported than Jackie plans to accept donations through his fan club for the pandas.
This months newsletter from Pandas International. Republished with permission.
One Year Later, Earthquake Damage Affects Pandas & Staff
Dear Friend of Pandas International,
Zhang Hemin (Father of the panda) who is the head of China Conservation and Research Centre of the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), has been talking to the Chinese Network (not sure if it's a radio program or station) about the earthquake on May 12th 2008, the effects on the pandas and the current and future plans.
Zhang praised the bravery of the staff during the earthquake in saving the pandas and the tourists who were there at the time. Luckily no people were seriously hurt at the time at the centre but one panda died and one is still missing, presumably dead.
Edinburgh Zoo says that it is on course to obtain a pair of Giant Pandas some time next year. Even though it appeared that the project was in doubt when it was revealed that the zoo's bank (Royal Bank of Scotland) who had been reported has underwriting the project had not entered in to a formal agreement to do so.
David Windmill, chief executive of the RZSS, said:
The new bamboo chiller for the pandas at San Diego Zoo is up and running. It seems that the keepers are enjoying the new chiller as the pandas are enjoying the fresher bamboo.
Slide across to the San Diego Zoo Blog to read all abou it.
A feral cat was found dead in the playground of Cheng Gong, a panda at Chengdu Zoo. It seems that the cat had invaded the pandas territory and the panda had protected it's grounds.
The cat was found by keeper Yang Cheng in the afternoon of May 3rd, it appeared to of been bitten to death by the panda. It appears that Cheng Gong had not eaten any the cat and was just defending it's territory.
"The giant panda has a strong sense of territoriality. Either captive or wild pandas will defend their territory from intruders.” said Yang Cheng the pandas keeper.
Fu Long the adorable cub born at the Vienna Zoo, is set to return to China before August this year.
The contract between Schönbrunn Palace and Chinese authorities states that the panda bear must leave after two years.
Fu Long was born in August 2007 after a successful natural mating between his parents Yang Yang and Long Hui.
On a personal note I visited Fu Long and his parents in October 2007, unfortunetly his mother Yang Yang or Fu Long was not on display, I was hoping to pay them a visit this year. I'm not sure if I can go before he's due to move.
Cui Cui, Duo Duo and Lang Lang the most popular Olympic pandas have flew to Shanghau, then will travel by truck to Nanjing. So they can go on display at Nanjing Hongshan Zoo.
Early in the morning of 30th April the pandas are guided by their keepers into their travel cages. Then a brief farewell ceremony is held the pandas are loaded on to the truck and leave for the Chengdu Airport.