I just came across this post (and the accompanying one http://www.zoochat.com/722/close-up-panda-story-409835/) and thought "surely that's not a real panda!" but I did some searching around and the little boy is named Mike Hardy (he is the son of the photographer, Bert Hardy) and the panda is one of the four which came to London Zoo in 1938 - probably Ming as she was the one in other photos with the boy.
There are several old postcards depicting the same small boy with the giant panda “Ming”.
Actually five giant pandas arrived at London Zoo on Christmas Eve 1938.
London Zoo purchased three of the five; originally called ”Baby”, ”Grumpy” and ”Dopey” they were renamed ”Ming”, ”Tang” and ”Sung” respectively so they had oriental names.
Of the other two: an elderly female, ”Grandma”, died few days afterwards (and can still be seen mounted in the Leeds Museum). The other,”Happy”, was exhibited in various European zoos and eventually went to Saint Louis Zoo.
Yes it is rather strange. I hadn't heard of 'Unity' before but I know it by the other name 'Lien Ho'. I believe 'Lien Ho' was the 'war' Panda that lived in the old Lion House( perhaps where this photo was taken?) and probably due to peoples' minds being focused on War, he(?) received little publicity compared to those before and after. I think this may have been the Panda that was evacuated to Whipsnade.
The man carrying the young Chi-Chi in photo 5 would probably have been the animal dealer Heini Demmer who brought her to Europe, and then to England.
Yes it is rather strange. I hadn't heard of 'Unity' before but I know it by the other name 'Lien Ho'. I believe 'Lien Ho' was the 'war' Panda that lived in the old Lion House( perhaps where this photo was taken?) and probably due to peoples' minds being focused on War, he(?) received little publicity compared to those before and after. I think this may have been the Panda that was evacuated to Whipsnade.
That’s right; “Lien-Ho” attracted very little publicity – especially when compared to all the excitement generated by the previous giant pandas “Ming” etc and the subsequent giant panda ”Chi-Chi”.
