Chiang Mai Zoo Panda Birth
- Thread starter CZJimmy
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Could it be that pandas are becoming easier to breed in captivity now, with the advance of artificial insemination?
But will this leave the males almost redundant, just as storage specimens for their sperm?
Surely natural mating has to be encouraged, but i guess at this stage with numbers so low, that the priority is to produce cubs no matter the procedure.
But will this leave the males almost redundant, just as storage specimens for their sperm?
Surely natural mating has to be encouraged, but i guess at this stage with numbers so low, that the priority is to produce cubs no matter the procedure.
In recent years great strides have been made in natural reproduction. Not just in the 10-YR deal nations outside P.R. China as within. The number of fertile male giant pandas is increasing as is the number of female giant pandas conceiving by natural mating.
I suspect it is more a behavioural cue and level of environmental enrichment factor thing that determines whether the giant pandas will breed. We cotninue to learn by example from ecological studies in the wild - which have increased thanks to captive research and zoo exhibition over the last 10-15 years manyfold. The more we know about their ecology, the more so we understand about their captive needs and optimum housing conditions. The latter determines i.m.o. to a large extent the successful natural breeding of giant pandas in captivity.
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Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
Breeding Pandas isn't much harder than other bears, but to do it with A.I iss defintely the wrong way.This is no " Breeding", the animals havn't not much do with that, it is "manufactuirng"of animals. And I know a panda female, which almost died during the process...Really good.
OK, let us argue here (LOL)!
Merely, stating "this is no breeding" ... where do babies come from? I know where you are coming from, my friend. Having said that; armchair philosophy is all well and good. Let us explore the facts here!
Breeding pandas IS more difficult than other bears simply as the reproductive window of opportunity is a mere 48-72 hours per annum. We have little understanding about their ecology as they are rather secretive creatures in their natural habitat (remember only DNA-typing scat research determined the wild giant panda population was some 1,600 individuals (2008), up from the previous figures of a mere 725-800 individuals).
Chinese scientists have within the last decade initiated in-depth ecological studies in reserves in Wolong, Bifengxia and Qinlng mountains, in order to to gather baseline ecological and behavioral data (only last year the first example of natural breeding of giant pandas was EVER filmed by scientists over a 3-day timespan).
Onto the Chinese way of operating captive-breeding. Yes, they take a far more technological and "operative" philosophy to the issue. Whereas, I do not condone every technological procedure in this, I do VALUE its strengthens in progressing our knowledge and understanding of giant panda reproductive biology (all those data on parameters .....).
Another aspect - which I already underlined in my earlier comments - is that the Chinese have yet - for a very good part - to adopt more modern methods of zoo animal management and enclosure design (the incorporating natural features, public-pleasing exhibits, introducing environmental enrichment - side of things VERY MUCH still needs to DEVELOP in the P.R. of China). Whereas, the Chinese are more and more succeeding with high profile species like giant pandas, they still need to climb a mountain with a lot of other species. However, some big city zoos like Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai are making a real effort and more and more these zoos are transformed into eco-display zoos (but as in the western world, these things take a BLOODY LONG TIME)!
Advice: please go with the flow, my friend, and face the facts (and do not make it look like "China bashing" just, too *** easy and too far from the real truth!)
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
@Kifaru B. Thank you for the information, my friend. Strange, some zoos do breed pandas with the "normal" kind, that is the natural mating. So some chinese breeding stations do it very succesfully, or vienna, maybe it depends on the animals, or what do you think, so I would say, the best option is, to change the partners, do you agree ? I know some Panda keepers from the States, and they all told me a lot of background stories of breeding pandas in china and outside of china. So one thing is, the chinese government isn't interested in sucessful breeding of pandas outside of china.
You can belive me, my friend, I know it. Hey, by the way, it seems, you have no problem with the story, that a panda female died nearly during the A.I, so one dead panda should be worth it, my friend ? And by the way, some other animals , so a white rhino male in denmark, died really during the A:i or in the attempt, to get semen. Hey, but I think, one dead animal is a good price to save an endagerd species like the white rhino, wouldn't you agree, my friend ?
You can belive me, my friend, I know it. Hey, by the way, it seems, you have no problem with the story, that a panda female died nearly during the A.I, so one dead panda should be worth it, my friend ? And by the way, some other animals , so a white rhino male in denmark, died really during the A:i or in the attempt, to get semen. Hey, but I think, one dead animal is a good price to save an endagerd species like the white rhino, wouldn't you agree, my friend ?
