Panda not pregnant

Seems she might be pregnant now, the panda in Edinburgh, but they won't be sure until the birth, if any, happens. Even then it is difficult to tell because the baby is not much bigger than a mouse. . Think she will not need an epidural.

laidback

Some favourite headlines:
Village hall not open yet
Missing parakeet found dead
and
Gwent piglet happy at home

Apparently they have whipped the turkey baster out and pandaess has bin.....basted!!

This thread title reminded me of the headlines in my daughter's local paper - 'Richmond man falls off bike - not injured'.

Elegran - or a turkey baster! Maybe they have trained her to do it herself?

We make such a fuss about certain species but over 99% of all species that have ever lived have become extinct and just about all of that had nothing whatever to do with human beings. It will happen again. And again. And again.

Pandas.... shrug. Classic example of a species that has evolved into too narrow a niche to remain viable in a competitive world.

However, I'm sure there is much to be learned in trying to save the species.

Tapirs can be naughty - I've seen one pee backwards to drench the people looking at it through the railings...

Think we need to have a word with them, Elegran! By the way, that Bill Bailey programme tonight looks good; think he was filming in Malaysia.

The tapirs are endearing creatures - but they don't sit back and hold bamboo in their hands to chomp it.

They don't have the anthropomorphic appeal of pandas do they. Thinking about it it's very clever of the WWF to use the panda . Yes; I have a fondness for tapirs .

Still no blue links. Sorry.

Forgot to add a couple of links.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22207042

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22238457

and will add:-

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22207042

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22238457

I suppose pandas are a kind of poster animal for the whole conservation bit. They are so iconic that it is "if we can't put some effort into saving these, what hope has anything else?"

I find it very interesting that there is another back-and-white mammal, about the same size, vegetarian, forest-dwelling, found only in a limited part of the world, whose habitat is at threat from human needs, and whose numbers both in the wild and in captivity are roughly comparable to pandas.

The Malaysian tapir lives in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, comparatively close to where the pandas live in China, but they don't have the Chinese government lobbying for their survival, so no-one knows about them.

Forgot to add a couple of links.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22207042

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22238457

In the wild, she would mate with several lucky males when she hit her oestrogen peak. By doing AI as well as YG (Yang Guang) they are hoping to replicate this behaviour. Maybe the first insemination primes her sytem to be more successful to subsequent ones - I don't know enough about the mechanics.

If YG does not succeed all is not lost if they have done the AI.

I would be interested to know whether they sedate her for it - they have trained her with treats to lie down with her legs up against the bars of a "side room" to her indoor quarters so that they can take swabs to check hormone levels, but I am not sure how she would welcome a speculum and syringe!

If pandas weren't so darned cute would we go to this effort to stop them becoming extinct? I mean, would we try so hard for the naked mole rat? Not saying we shouldn't, by the way as I still have a fond memory of Chi Chi at London Zoo. But they do make life very difficult for themselves, do they not .

Oh Elegran ...isn't that just like a female. Tian Tian, 'though tempted, decided that she had a Panda headache!

You heard it here first - Artificial insemination procedure in early hours of this morning. Must have hit peak hormone levels and they are making sure of mini-TianTians by usung belt and braces.

This was always planned as even a successful mating may not always result in conception. Statement includes a quote from the Chinese expert who is here orchestrating -

"The zoo spokeswoman said: "Natural mating was not attempted. Yang Guang had been interested and shown consistently encouraging behaviour, however based on his many years' experience, our Chinese colleague Professor Wang felt that although Tian Tian had displayed all of the correct behaviours, she had also displayed signs that told him she would not be conducive to mating."

I've seen a video of one of last year's introductions - she is a feisty female and got very cross with him for not being quite ready to do the needful. The staff had to lure them apart with treats to prevent bloodshed. If she remembers and does not fancy him this year, the staff would have to separate them before a real fight developed. That is a lot of hormone-filled panda to restrain!

What a sweet picture, Gally. She looks as if she's having a lot of fun.

GN - thanks for doing that on a w/e!

Message deleted by Gransnetfor breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Oh ho«w did that end `up in this thread

Or I should say is anyone else experiencing problems with pm this morning?

Took the gc's to see the pandas a few weeks ago and they used the 3 year old for a press release - maybe the start of a modelling career . See www.rzss.org.uk/media-centre Click on new press releases and then 'woolly new arrivals'. (I can't seem to make it blue).
The pandas were fast asleep in different enclosures so no surprise she is not pregnant!

Now there's a thought nellie Maybe feeding men bamboo might dampen their ardour. No more: "But look I've got a morning erection and really it must be for a reason!" (Those are one of the mysteries of the universe aren't they. Why? Why? I wake therefore I...?)

Like gracesmum I also wonder why they still exist as a species. Human habitat destruction etc really hasn't helped but as a species they are in Darwinian terms just not fit for survival. When your diet is 99% Bamboo and you only come on heat once a year and then get a headache you don't stand much chance. I wonder if the Bamboo itself dampens their ardour!