Panda News from around the world
A Chinese language version of a Watch me grow panda book that was released in the UK in April has been released in china. The book introduces Jing Jing one of the pandas chosen to be the mascot for the Olympics Next month, and features the work of the Panda Research Centre in Chengdu. The books is aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 12, it is 32 pages long all the photos in both the Chinese and English-language editions were taken by base chief Zhang Zhihe
The sun (Uk newspaper) has a wonderful picture of a panda playing on a childs playground equipment. The story is about the low numbers of visitors going to Chengdu Zoo.
A student intern at Fuzhou Panda World has been mauled by a panda whilst feeding him.
The intern has worked at Panda World for the past few summers and was used to feeding the pandas. He was feeding the panda a carrot when the panda suddenly took a swipe at the interns leg. A keeper close by saw the incident and managed to more the panda away by using a hydrant. The intern was then sent to a local hospital where doctors diagnosed the injury as a minor flesh wound on his leg.
Paris city hall was swamped by 1 600 papier mache pandas on Thursday, part of a WWF campaign to highlight the urgent need to protect the vanishing species.
There is a rather lovely blog about the exploits of the pandas at San Diego Zoo. Follow the link
A pair of red pandas were born in Artis Zoo in Amsterdam. A first it seemed that the mother was nursing them but later they found the cubs abandoned. At the zoo there was a cat who had just given birth to a litter of kittens, so the zoos officials decided to see if the mother cat would take the red pandas. Unfortunately one of the pandas died, but the mother cat accepted the other cub.
The May 12th quake caused massive destruction at the Wolong Panda Breeding Centre and has had to close to visitors and evacuate most of its pandas. Meanwhile the Panda Centre at Chengdu which was not affected by the quake has seen massive reductions in the number of visitors, which is starting to cause financial problems as its sole income is from the money taken at its gates.
Officials have stated that talks with China to lower the cost of keeping pandas in America have been paused due to the earth quake on May 12th.
Zoo's pay a $1 million "conservation fee," or lease payment for each pair of breeding pandas and another fee for any cubs which are born there. The four zoos in America that keep pandas say that is becoming economically unsustainable to keep the pandas.
The four zoos Atlanta Zoo , Memphis Zoo, San Diego Zoo and the Washington Smithsonian's National Zoo, have stated that they are united on paying lower fees.
On July 5th, Shi Shi the panda from Ghuanzhou Zoo, China but used to live in San Diego Zoo and fathered the first panda born in the states to survive to adulthood (Hua Mei) died. He was thought to be over 30 years old.
He received specialist care from his keepers for his old age and injuries he obtained in the wild.
He will be sadly missed by all who knew and cared for him
The National Zoo, holds a party for birthday boy Tai Shan. Including an ice cake full of his favourite fruit.
Quoted from the Panda International Newsletter.
It appears you have to be from the USA, to take part. Sorry Suzanne but you get my vote anyway.
Please nominate Suzanne Braden, Director of Pandas International, as the Animal Planet 2008 Hero of the Year.
Some pictures of 'Tuan Tuan' and 'Yuan Yuan', the panda couple expected to be sent to Taiwan. Taken at Bifengxia where they moved to after the May 12th Quake left their previous home the Panda Breeding Centre in Wolong devastated.
It appears to be that they have settled in quite well.