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Subscribe to RSSThe pandas of Edinburgh Zoo are to have one last chance to create a cub. Itv's Science Editor Lawrence McGinty has been monitoring the developments.
After three days of speculation, tension and excitement, a zoo announced Thursday that Scotland's only pandas -- Sweetie and Sunshine -- had failed to mate.
Normally kept separately, they were only introduced to each other Tuesday, but the signs looked good.
"Gentle giant" Sunshine, or Yang Guang, had been doing "panda handstands" to display his virility, while "very smart" Sweetie, or Tian Tian, also seemed interested.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, two new pandas from China have been confined together in the hopes that they would breed but so far, despite the zoo's best efforts, they appear disinterested. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
In a brief emailed statement, Edinburgh Zoo said they noticed a drop in Sweetie's hormones late Wednesday and "limited breeding behavior was seen in both pandas" Thursday morning.
The only pandas in the United Kingdom have been brought together for the first time, after it was determined that the female was ready to mate. Msnbc.com's Alex Witt reports.
"As a result Tian Tian and Yang Guang were not put in together today [Thursday]. Edinburgh Zoo can announce that the panda breeding season for 2012 has now come to an end and both pandas are back on display," the statement said.
Lack of mating experience hinders Scotland's pandas
There was perhaps a note of sadness in the final line of the email, which was sent to msnbc.com and other media outlets.
"No interviews will be given today and there’s no access on site."
Two giant pandas went on public display for the first time at Edinburgh Zoo today. ITN's Debi Edward was at the zoo along with hundreds of other eagerly waiting visitors to catch a glimpse of the pair.
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Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
Arranged marriages are a bad idea.
Your dumb. Theyre Pandas they dont care who they mate with.
ur mom is a bad idea
They actually do care who they mate with. If the female doesn't feel like the male is a superior mate, she won't give it up. It's like that in almost all animals.
Arranged marriages... well, that is an Asian thing, after all.
Can we please let these stupid animals just die off? Who gives a sh#t? If they don't want to procreate, let them die.
These "Panda events" are simply wierd. On one hand they do raise awareness of Pandas and have done a lot to raise funding. But on the other hand, Pandas are neither the cute and cuddly creatures we think nor are they very good at breeding in these captive situations. A couple of Panda facts:
1) Pandas are one of the few mammals that can be classified as "inately cruel" other than humans. Though herbivores incapable f digesting meat (or even most vegetable matter) they will hunt and torture to death small creatures. Keepers in China will give them puppies to kill --- a process which can take several hours --- because it is said to "calm" them. The reason for this is unknown, but the speculation is that it may be to protect bamboo shoots during time of scarcity.
2) Pandas are "critical maters." The female only comes into heat for 36 hours once a year. If conditions are not just right, it may be as little as once every five years. No one really knows exactly what "perfect" mating conditions are (though Chinese researchers are sloly closing in on the definition), I would think that a zoo setting would be less than optimal. No one should be disappointed when Pandas do not mate on cue. They often do not mate in the wild even.
We have built up this amazing Panda Culture than seeks to completely replace breeding in the wild with captive breeding. Their habitat in China is disappearing due to population pressure. But captive breeding programs have only achieved a 1:1.7 breeding ratio ---- far below the 1:2.4 -2.7 required to sustain the species. Maybe this "event" in Scotland is a reason.
Drunken Scott will see her. Jump the Panda's bones.
Send them to Libya along with the other Scottish terrorists sympathizers. They will force them to have sex there, and Scotland can have some oil too.
i wanna mate with a panda
Pandas are just like humans. Men always ready for sex, women always dealing with emotional/hormonal debacles.
I heard she "had a headache"...
I'm a saaaad panda.
Was that an allusion to the movie Better Luck Tomorrow? lol
They should have introduced alcohol into the equation. That has worked for me.
and played some Barry White
When I read the headline, my first thought was the pandas mostly likely didn't want to mate because too many people were watching them to see if they would mate.
Anybody seen a story of recent developments in the Trayvon Martin case on MSNBC since NBC got busted for editing the 911 tapes ??
No, but trolls like you are about to be banned...
http://www.examiner.com/gadgets-in-national/arizona-wants-to-make-internet-trolling-illegal
Maybe Newt might get a shot at her. Just get a blonde wig and some Perry Como LP's.
Once a year? I thought I had it bad. Good one, Duck!
YEA! I failed to mate and I ain't waitin till next YEAR!