In the Chinese center "Shenshupin" in the "Volun" natural reserve, the cub of a big panda Lulu suffocated from accidental strangulation. The incident is reported by Shine portal, citing the press service of the Chinese National Center for the Protection and Study of Pandas.
The tragedy occurred at about two in the morning, and employees were too late to save the poor panda. When the animal was discovered in the morning, it showed no signs of life. The center management noted that it was deeply saddened by this news and would do everything to prevent this from happening again in the future.
Earlier it was reported that the Hong Kong Zoo was closed to visitors due to quarantine, the pandas living in it mated for the first time in nine years.
Because of Bamboo shortage, Canadian Zoo in planning to return two adorable Pandas back to China
Two Pandas are expected to be returned to China from Canada's Calgary Zoo - because of a shortage of bamboo.
Canada has a limited supply of bamboo which could run out very fast.
The Calgary Zoo closed temporarily on March 16 amid the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.
Direct flight between China and Calgary, a city in the western province of Alberta have been canceled.
The zoo said it tried to find new bamboo suppliers to feed the pandas, "Er Shun" and "Da Mao", but came across many logistic issues.
"We believe the best and safest place for Er Shun and Da Mao to be during these challenging and unprecedented times is where bamboo is abundant and easy to access," Calgary Zoo President and CEO Clement Lanthier said.
The two pandas arrived in Canada in 2014 as part of a 10-year agreement between Canada and China over the animal's protection and research.
A popular giant panda has unexpectedly died in a Thailand zoo - forcing China to send experts to investigate.
Chuang Chuang had been at the Chiang Mai zoo since 2003, alongside his female companion.
Failing to show any sexual interest in Lin Hui, the zoo tried various methods to boost his sex drive, including putting him on a low-carb diet, and showing videos of mating pandas.
The panda bear was taken on a loan by the Chiang Mai zoo from China since 2003.
The bear, which was 19 year old, was widely popular in Thailand because of repeated efforts by the zoo to get him to mate with his female companion.
His unexplained death caused revolt on Chinese social media, with many users accusing Thailand of not caring enough for the animal.
Giant pandas usually live only for 25 to 30 years in captivity. They classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
As a way of strengthening diplomatic ties, China loans the animals to countries around the world
There's extensive reporting in China about the animals' lives overseas, and Chuang Chuang's early death has received widespread coverage in local media.
According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, an investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of death, and experts from the China Conservation and Research Centre will travel to Chiang Mai to work with their Thai counterparts.
Some social media users on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo were concerned, saying: "Thailand is not suitable for raising pandas", and "they don't treat animals as well as we think".
Others asked for the remaining female panda in Chiang Mai, Lin Hui, to be returned to China.
In Hong Kong's Ocean Park, the 14-year-old pandas Yin Yin and Le Le mated. This is the first success in 10 years, according to the zoo website.
"The successful natural mating process today is extremely exciting for all of us, as the chance of pregnancy via natural mating is higher than by artificial insemination," Michael Boos, executive director for zoological operations and conservation at Ocean Park.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the park has been closed to visitors since late January.
From the end of March, Yin Yin began to spend more time playing in the water, while Le Le left traces of smells around his habitat and everywhere looked for her smell. This behavior is consistent with the usual behavior during the breeding season, which occurs once a year from March to May. With a change in hormone levels at Yin Yin, the Park’s veterinary team that looked after the animals confirms that giant pandas have entered the breeding season this year, the report said.
The giant male and female pandas reach puberty from seven and five years old, respectively. Yin Yin and Le Le arrived in Hong Kong in 2007 and since 2010 they tried to mate, but they did not succeed, since it is difficult for pandas to breed in captivity. By the way, the probability of pregnancy with natural mating is higher than with artificial insemination.
If successful, signs of pregnancy, including hormonal fluctuations in the level and behavioral changes, can be observed already at the end of June, although there is always the possibility that Yin Yin may experience pseudo-pregnancy. “We hope this year to bring great news about pregnancy to Hong Kong and make an additional contribution to the conservation of this vulnerable species,” said Michael Boos, Executive Director of Zoological Operations and Conservation at Ocean Park.
The gestation period for giant pandas ranges from 72 to 324 days. Pregnancy can only be confirmed 14-17 days before birth using ultrasound scanning.
Meanwhile, a camel Sema was born in the Kharkov zoo. Now Semyon Aleksandrovich is already 10 days old, he was born with a weight of 38 kilograms and 90 centimeters. The camel Alexandrovich continues to grow as it is breast-fed. He will drink his mother’s milk for at least another six months, or even a half, after which he will switch to the usual camel meal: hay, grass, carrots, beets and bran.
Huang Shunjie might just have the best job in the world. The 24-year-old spends each day caring for 18 panda cubs at the Giant Panda Protection and Research Center outside China’s central city of Chengdu. He prepares their meals of bamboo and milk formula, checks on their growth and health, and carries these two-tone fluff-balls between their sleeping pens and the cooing of their public enclosure.
“The best part is that I can get very close to the baby pandas, which makes many people jealous,” he says. “I get to hug them all the time.”
Among the brood are two record-breaking recent additions. He-He and Mei-Mei — a brother and sister whose names translate as “harmony” and “happiness” respectively — celebrated their first birthdays on July 25 as the only twin pandas born from a wild father and captive mother. It’s a vital breakthrough that broadens the genetic pool and thus longterm sustainability for the bears, which were among the world’s most threatened animals until recently.
“Mei-Mei is very cute and clingy,” says Huang, a native of Sichuan province who graduated in construction engineering before finding work as a panda photographer and then zookeeper. “But her brother is very naughty. He is one of the wild kids and loves making trouble.”
There are, of course, downsides to any job. In Huang’s case, it’s the regular bites and scratches he receives from 45-55 pound bears still exploring their own strength — as well as the lingering pong of panda poo. But it’s a small price to pay to dote daily on these epitomes of roly-poly cuteness up close. Every shift is a succession of tumbling off toys, balancing on heads, or generally lolloping around like furry toddlers.
“I’m a full-time daddy for these fluffy baby pandas,” says Huang. “If I take some days off to go home, I feel empty inside. If I can’t hear them bleating, if I can’t see them, it feels like life is not real.”
For many years, giant pandas, which are native to China, were one of the world’s most endangered creatures as unbridled development decimated their natural habitats in bamboo forests. These famous vegetarians must eat 30 to 85 pounds of bamboo every day.
But population numbers have recovered in recent years thanks to intensive breeding programs using artificial insemination. In 2016, pandas were downgraded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature from “endangered” to the less acute “vulnerable” category. Today, there are 1,864 pandas in the wild up from only 1,114 in the 1970s, according to China’s State Forestry and Grassland Administration, two-thirds of which live across 67 dedicated nature reserves.
Swelling numbers have also allowed China to send more pandas overseas, earning Beijing soft power points. “Panda diplomacy” began in the 7th century when China’s Tang dynasty Empress Wu Zetian dispatched a pair of pandas to Emperor Tenmu of Japan. Today, over 50 pandas live in 18 different countries.
Most famously, Mao Zedong sent a pair of pandas — Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing — to the U.S. following Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. More recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with two pandas for Moscow Zoo just last month. “When we talk about pandas, we always end up with a smile on our faces,” Putin said.
Panda diplomacy is typically a 10-year loan, costing the host nation some $1 million annually, with the proviso that any offspring remain the property of the People’s Republic. The loans often coincide with trade deals but, if bilateral relations deteriorate, don’t expect these ambassadors to stick around. In 2013, China threatened to reclaim pandas lent to Austria after Vienna welcomed the Dalai Lama.
The vicissitudes of geopolitics are of little concern to Huang, though. His greatest joy comes from the fact the pandas he cares for end up raising environmental awareness and bringing joy to millions of adults and children around the globe. “I’m really proud of that,” he says.
A big panda cub (which usually lives in the mountainous regions of central China) was born in the Ouwehands zoo of the Dutch Renen (Utrecht province), according to a press release on the zoo's website.
It is noted that the cub was born on Friday, May 1, he, like his mother, feels good. The sex of the cub is not yet known, because they try not to disturb him. According to France Press, this is the first birth of a big panda cub in the Netherlands.
"At present, Wen’s mother and her cub are left alone. When the cub leaves the mother’s den after a few months, we can find out what gender it is. When this happens, the little big panda will have a name," the zoo said in a press release.
The big panda cub belongs to China - just like its parents Wen and Sin Ya. He can stay in the Netherlands for four years, after which he will be transferred to the People Republic of China.
In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classified large pandas as vulnerable species. Prior to this, the organization attributed them to species that are endangered.