And they're off! Baby giant pandas leave their mum for the first time and show their playful side

By EMILY ALLEN

After six months pandas can eat bamboo but for the first six months they rely on their mother's milk

Leaving home - and your mum - for the first time can be a daunting prospect even if you're a panda cub.
But luckily for this bunch they had their brothers and sisters to keep them company.
All 12 of the baby giant panda siblings are adjusting to living together in a group after leaving their mother at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The infant pandas have attracted a large number of visitors and, when let out into their enclosure this week, began to show their playful side.
While one amused spectators on Tuesday with its attempts to climb rocks, two others competed to secure their territory.
Others enjoyed munching away at their staple food, bamboo.

Going it alone: All 12 of the baby giant panda siblings are adjusting to living together in a group after leaving their mother

But one little panda preferred to shy away from the applause of excited on-lookers.
A total of 21 giant pandas were successfully bred in China in 2011, bringing the number of captive giant pandas bred in the country to 333.
Giant pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity, but usually only 15 to 20 years in the wild.
When they are born they weigh just 100g or 4 ounces, are blind and helpless, relying on their mother who cradles them in her paws and doesn't leave the den for several days after giving birth.

A baby giant panda bound across the grass in excitement. The infant pandas have attracted a large number of visitors

Two pandas munched on some bamboo in front of amused spectators while two others competed to secure their territory

After a while the cubs grow soft grey fur which then develops into black and white pattern within a month.
At six months they can chew on bamboo but prior to that it's their mother's milk which keeps them alive.
When they are one-year-old giant pandas weigh around 100lb.

A total of 21 giant pandas were successfully bred in China in 2011, bringing the number of captive giant pandas bred in the country to 333

source: dailymail

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Growing up fast: Cute baby panda filmed being fed by and playing with its mother at Chinese zoo

By DAVID GERGES

Say cheese: The adorable four-month old baby panda is being nursed to full size at a zoo in China

Despite the growing fears over the future of the panda, these pictures show that all is well for one adorable cub.
Born in September last year, the young infant is being nurtured by its mother Ya Ya, under the watchful eye of delighted zoo keepers.
Keepers at Chongqing Zoo in southwest China, are pleased with the speed at which their latest addition is growing, and are hopeful it will soon be making its first public appearance.

Camera shy: The furry cub is being cared for by keepers and its mother Ya Ya

Keeper Hu Youlin said: 'The panda is growing as expected. Presently the baby panda weights 7 kilograms.
'The baby panda's arms and legs have grown stronger. Sometimes it even imitates the moves of its mother, which looks very cute.'

Mother's pride: Ya Ya plays with its infant at the popular enclosure

And according to Hu, the cub is monitored 24 hours a day to ensure its safety and as it continues to acclimatise to its surroundings.
He added: 'It has been under the care of its mother and is fed every a few hours, four or five times in a day.
'Sometimes, after its mother falls asleep, the baby will turn to its mother and feed itself.'

Cheeky: The baby cub feeds itself despite its mother falling asleep

The zoo which was built in 1955, owns more than 230 species of animals, with a total of more than 6000 animals in its reserve.
Chongqing Zoo is the breeding base for the giant panda, with more than a million visitors flocking to its enclosure to see the loveable mammal amongst other creatures.
Whilst pandas are on the red list of critically endangered species, it is estimated that there are 1,600 in the wild, with a further 332 in captivity.

source: dailymail

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The Panda that eats MEAT! Panda caught on infra-red camera having midnight feast of dead antelope

By LUCY BUCKLAND



Forget the bamboo! This giant panda gets his teeth around a dead antelope in the forest in Ping Wu, in Sichuan province



He looks like he has been caught out helping himself to a forbidden snack.

And perhaps this panda realises he has given away a secret kept under wraps for years as he is captured red-handed tucking into a dead antelope.

It was previously thought the creatures were strictly herbivores but as this infra-red camera shot taken in Ping Wu, in southwest China's Sichuan province shows, pandas sometimes do prefer a meaty snack.



That's more like it! Yang Guang the panda at Edinburgh Zoo gets his mouth around the more traditional panda snack, bamboo



According to the World Wildlife Fund China pandas have the digestive system of a carnivore and will eat meat if available, but adapted a long time ago to a vegetarian diet.

Because of this carnivorous digestive system the panda derives little energy and protein from consumption of bamboo so must eat as much as 14kg a day to stay healthy.

It has taken millions of years living in bamboo forests for the panda to improve its ability to digest cellulose from bamboo.



source: dailymail

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We're ready for our close-ups: Britain's two new pandas go on show to the public for the first time

By NADIA GILANI



Here's looking at you: Female panda,Tian Tian looks out at members of the public from her enclosure



The public were given the chance to see two giant pandas today when they went on display for the first time since arriving from China.

Tian Tian and Yang Guang have been getting used to their new home in Edinburgh Zoo since they arrived on Sunday December 4.

The eight-year-olds spent the first few days recovering from the long flight and acclimatising to their enclosures, away from public view.



Yang Guang kicks back and enjoys some foliage from his enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo



Looking a little cheeky, Yang Guang sticks his tongue out as he makes his way across rocks



Today members of the public filed past the two enclosures in groups of around 25, where they took photographs and were given a short talk by a zoo guide.

Zoo bosses said around 600 visitors have pre-booked to see the pandas today, a 200 per cent increase on the usual gate numbers for a mid-December Friday.



Excited members of the public took photographs as they caught sight of Tiang Tiang at the zoo's enclosure for the first time



Denise Stronach, 46, from East Kilbride, said she was the first one through the gates.

She said: 'It was absolutely fantastic. I’m ecstatic. I can’t believe I was the first one. As soon as I knew the pandas were coming to Scotland, I kept coming into the zoo every time I was through in Edinburgh, asking: are they here yet?

'As soon as I found out the exact date, that was it. I was right down to be first on the list. I want them to have a wee baby and I want to be first to see that as well.



Huge numbers: Zoo bosses said around 600 visitors pre-booked to see the pandas yesterday - a 200 per cent increase on the usual gate numbers for a mid-December Friday



'It’s a big thing for Scotland. It will bring so much tourism here.'

Lesley MacNiven, 40, from Edinburgh, took her two young daughters to see the bears.

She said: 'We are zoo members and we come at least once a month. The girls aren’t at nursery on a Friday, so we thought: why not come on the first day?

'They’ve been following all the news reports and have been really keen to see the pandas, so it’s been absolutely great. I’ve loved pandas myself since I was a child, so it was amazing to see them in real life.



Tian Tian explores her enclosure while Eve Miller wearing a woolly hat and gloves decorated with panda images looks on



Denise Stronach was excited to be the first one through the gates



Pre-booked visitor numbers for this weekend are up by about 80% on usual expectations for a pre-Christmas winter weekend, the zoo said.

A 'panda patrol' of 14 trained helpers will guide the expected influx of visitors keen to set eyes on female Tian Tian, whose name means Sweetie, and male bear Yang Guang, or Sunshine.

Edinburgh Zoo is their home for the next 10 years and it is hoped that the breeding pair, the first pandas in the UK for 17 years, will produce cubs during their stay.



The eight-year-old pandas spent the first few days recovering from the long flight and acclimatising to their enclosures, away from public view before yesterday



He said: 'We’ve been working for this moment for so, so long. When you get the public coming in today, it’s a moment that says it all because the pandas are here for everybody in the UK and everybody in Scotland.

'So to say: They’re here; come and have a look at them; enjoy them, it’s a great day.

'Ten thousand people have booked online pretty swiftly (to see the animals) in a cold, wet December. So I think that’s a good start.'



source: dailymail

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Two very pampered celebrities: They'll get through £70,000 of bamboo a year and live in luxury suites costing £275,000 a year to rent... but are Brita

By JOHN NAISH



Safe landing: Chinese panda Yang Guang arrives at Edinburgh Airport yesterday afternoon on a specially chartered flight



The first giant pandas to arrive in Britain for 17 years touched down at Edinburgh Zoo yesterday after an 11-hour flight from China on a specially-chartered jet. Now, as Sunshine and Sweetie settle into their luxury enclosure and eager fans clamour to see them, hopes are high they could produce the first ever panda cub born on British soil. Here, JOHN NAISH looks at what lies in store for these very special creatures . . .



Peering out: The panda named Tian Tian is unloaded from a plane at Edinburgh Airport. The pair are the first giant pandas to arrive in the UK for more than 17 years



A pair of international celebrities completed their much-anticipated move to Edinburgh last night, where they are now occupying £275,000 suites and having their organic food flown in from the Continent.

They were met on Scottish soil by photographers, dignitaries and crowds of flag-waving locals clamouring for a glimpse of them. Earlier this week, a website selling tickets to see the pair crashed due to the demand.

But, in a departure from the usual celebrity script, the new arrivals are a pair of giant pandas.



Sunshine, left, and Sweetie, right, settle in at Edinburgh Zoo. They arrived at the zoo from a conservation centre in Sichuan, China, on a private Boeing 777F flight dubbed the ‘FedEx Panda Express’



Yesterday, female Tian Tian (meaning Sweetie) and male Yang Guang (Sunshine) arrived in Edinburgh Zoo from a conservation centre in Sichuan, China, on a private Boeing 777F flight dubbed the ‘FedEx Panda Express’, along with a vet and two animal handlers.



The new arrivals are unloaded from their Panda Express plane following an 11-hour journey from China



They are on loan from China for the next ten years. Bagpipes played as the bears were carried carefully from the aircraft in individual crates, each labelled ‘one panda’ and taken to Edinburgh Zoo.

Tian Tian and Yang Guang have been put in enclosures designed by animal psychologists, which come complete with dens, private pools, a viewing platform and a room where the pandas will be given health check-ups.



New home: Yang Guang is unloaded from the freight aircraft by two FedEx staff members



Welcome: People waited with anticipation to receive Tian Tian and and Yang Guang as their plane touched down



The enclosure also has a specially built ‘love tunnel’ where the two can meet if they are feeling amorous, and a nursery for any offspring. Zoo bosses believe the pandas will attract more than a million extra visitors, and a baby panda would see numbers boom even further - although any cubs would be the property of China.

Already there is eager adulation from the panda-mad public. Earlier this week, the zoo’s ticket website was unable to cope with the ‘sheer influx’ of people trying to book tickets and crashed.

But then this pair are rare treasures: these are the first pandas in the UK for 17 years, since London Zoo hosted Bao Bao and Ming Ming in the early Nineties.

And the bears will need to be popular in order to fund their keep. The zoo is paying the Chinese around £636,000 a year for the privilege of having them. It also needs to buy them £70,000 worth of bamboo a year.

The bears will now have a fortnight to settle in before being put on show to the public. Although they have come as a pair, they will have separate rooms as solitary pandas only meet to mate once a year.



Excited: A youngster wore a panda hat and joined hundreds of other well-wishers to catch a first sighting of the giant bears at the airport

Their new living quarters are five-star. The animals love to clamber, so each has a climbing frame that will enable them to see each other over the tops of their enclosures.

The animal psychologists also designed the accommodation to simulate their natural habitat. Small caves are intended as outdoor bedrooms. There are his ’n’ hers ponds and shaped rocks that act like panda-recliners, so they can lie back to chew on their bamboo.



First sight: Chinese panda Yang Guang at Edinburgh Airport



Alison Maclean, the pandas’ head-keeper, is delighted with the enclosure’s design. ‘It’s perfect,’ she says. ‘The visitors have huge viewing panels, both looking into the interior and exterior of the enclosures. It’s virtually soundproof, so the pandas won’t get disturbed.’

Pandas spend much of their time munching - as much as 14 hours a day chewing bamboo. Each year, they will eat up to 18,000kg (over 39,000lb) of the stuff - around 20 three-metre stems a day. This is no ordinary bamboo, either. Most of it will be imported from a specialist organic grower on a plantation just outside Amsterdam.

After all, you don’t want to let pandas get hungry. They can get very bearish. In 2009, for example, a giant panda killed eight sheep in a village near a nature reserve in Leshan in China.



Touch down: The FedEx Panda Express lands at Edinburgh Airport



The one mod-con the pandas should not need is climate control. The weather in Edinburgh is very similar to that of their native Sichuan Province.

With all the right conditions, Edinburgh’s zoo keepers hope that the pampered pandas will be in the mood for love.

The conservation purpose of their decade-long stay is to produce offspring that can be returned to the wild.

Ten years is a significant proportion of a captive panda’s lifespan: they are normally expected to live for 30 years. Both are now eight.



In captivity, they have been known to maul humans. Even when well-fed, pandas are not completely herbivore. Around one per cent of their diet is carnivore — popular snacks are rats, mice and insects.



Hopes are high that their stay will prove fruitful: Tian Tian and Yang Guang have both successfully mated before, but with other partners. While pandas are notoriously difficult to mate in captivity, Tian Tian and Yang Guang are said to stand a better chance than most of producing young. The ‘boisterous’ male, Yang Guang, is said to be better endowed than the average panda. He has already sired a string of cubs in the Ya’an reserve in China, where both pandas were born and raised.

And although Tian Tian, has been described as ‘a very quiet and nervous character’, she has given birth to two cubs.



Nervous flyer? Yang Guang is fed with apples in the minutes before being loaded onto the plane to Scotland



Heavy load: Giant panda Yang Guang is hauled onto the plane at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, ready for his trip to Scotland



Hugh Roberts, chief executive of the Scottish zoological society, said he was ‘very confident’ the pandas would become the first in Britain to breed naturally. ‘They both know what to do and that’s a start,’ he said. ‘I don’t think Yang Guang’s sexual prowess is in doubt.’

Nevertheless, the last British attempt ended in an acrimonious divorce: London Zoo’s Bao Bao and Ming Ming fought savagely and had to be separated. Bao Bao was sent to Berlin Zoo in 1993 and Ming Ming returned to China in 1994.

Their predecessors had fared little better. In 1974, the Conservative prime minister, Edward Heath, attempted to lighten the gloom of a Britain struck by economic crisis by bringing over Chia-Chia and Ching-Ching, in what was considered a coup of ‘panda diplomacy’ with the Communist regime.

But although the pair were loved by visitors to London Zoo, they didn’t seem to love each other, and were cubless to the end.



Loaded up: Tian Tian sat peacefully in a cage, before being taken to the airport



Pandas’ problems are exacerbated by the female’s very short period of fertility. Jennifer Butler, a spokeswoman for Edinburgh zoo, says: ‘They only have a period of three days a year when the female is receptive. Within this, there is only a window of between 24 and 48 hours when she is fertile.’

Worse still, male pandas can prove lackadaisical. In 2007, keepers at Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai Zoo resorted to sitting a male called Chuang Chuang in front of a TV showing raunchy videos of bears mating in an attempt to spark his interest. The chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, was disappointed to admit ‘Chuang Chuang seemed indifferent’ to the films.

If Edinburgh does hit the panda cub jackpot, then it would prove a welcome boost to conservation efforts: there are as few as 1,600 giant pandas in central China.



Farewell party: A Chinese woman sees off the pandas, who will have an extended stay in Edinburgh



Fragile cargo: The bears are loaded into special crates before boarding a plane heading for Edinburgh



Not everyone is a supporter, however. Chris Packham, the BBC wildlife presenter, has said pandas should be allowed to die out and the money spent on conserving them should go on other species. His words outraged the Chinese and threatened the loan deal for Tian Tian and Yang Guang.

But if a rare cub is produced, Edinburgh can expect an unprecedented frenzy because there is something about these creatures that pulls the heart strings. For example, a video on YouTube entitled Baby Panda Sneezing has been viewed 190 million times.

If such an adorable creature were to be born in Edinburgh, the visitor bonus to the nation would certainly not be worth sneezing at.



Bring me Sunshine: Giant pandas Sweetie and Sunshine arrived in Scotland after a 5,000-mile journey from China



Bulking up: Sunshine pictured tucking into some bamboo in his enclosure before embarking on his journey



Going the distance: Sweetie and her mate Sunshine will be the first pandas to live in the UK for 20 years















source: dailymail

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Pandaaahs! Un-bear-ably cute cubs snuggle up in their nursery

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

I'm awake! One of the Giant Panda cubs raises his head while his 11 siblings sleep soundly in their nursery at the Giant Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu, south-west China

They are a picture of cute that would make anyone say 'aah'.

But these Giant Panda cubs, napping peacefully in their nursery, have a far more important role to play.

They have been born and raised in the research base of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu, China, which is attempting to preserve the notoriously sex-shy species.


Bed time: A keeper tucks the tiny cubs in as they take a nap

Their successful upbringing comes as China launches its once-a-decade census to determine how many of the endangered bears live in the wild.

The census - the fourth since it was first launched in the 1970s - is also expected to work out their living conditions, ages and any change in habitat.

According to the count a decade ago, there are 1,596 pandas left in the wild in China, with 1,206 of them living in Sichuan.

The Giant Panda Breeding Centre boasts the world's largest artificially bred population with 108.


In line for a prosperous future? It is hoped the cubs will help preserve the endangered species


source: dailymail

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A panda cub discovers his birthday cake during celebrations

Panda cubs Po and De De discover their birthday cake during celebrations for their first birthday at Madrid's Zoo on September 9, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.



Panda cubs Po and De De discover their birthday cake during celebrations for their first birthday at Madrid's Zoo on September 9, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.



A panda cub discovers his birthday cake during celebrations for his first birthday at Madrid's Zoo on September 9, 2011 in Madrid. Panda cubs, Po and De De, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.



Panda cubs Po and De De discover their birthday cake during celebrations for their first birthday at Madrid's Zoo on September 9, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.



A panda cub discovers his birthday cake during celebrations for his first birthday at Madrid's Zoo on September 9, 2011 in Madrid. Two panda cubs, Po and De De, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.

source: daylife
photo: Getty images

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Panda-ring to the camera: Mother bear shows off her one-month-old twins

By CHRIS PARSONS

Twins: Zhen Zhen and Qiao Qiao have just turned a month old after being born at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Base in Sichuan Province, China

Sitting side by side as they start to take in the big world around them, these two one-month old panda cubs are proudly shown off by their mother.

Twin cubs Zhen Zhen and Qiao Qiao have developed trademark black and white panda colouring and are growing up fast at Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Base in Sichuan Province, China.

The adorable pair are the fourth pair of twins born to mother Qi Zhen.

They were part of a traditional Chinese celebration after turning one month old this week.

In August 2006 Qi Zhen gave birth to two pairs of twins.


Mummy bear: Qi Zhen gets to grips with one of her cubs. This is her fourth set of twins


Experts had to introduce her to male pandas in a controlled environment, and also helped her become pregnant through artificial insemination on a separate occasion.

The Chengdu Panda reserve has been phenomenally successful at breeding pandas in captivity. The task is extremely difficult as female pandas are only in heat for 72 hours over the entire year and can only become pregnant during a 24 hour slot.

Pandas often have twins but one will usually die in the wild.

Scientists have managed to mimic the warmth of a mother panda so precisely that they can swap the panda babies over, giving each youngster time with their mother and raising two successfully instead of one.

China never sell their bears but instead will loan them to foreign breeding programmes for an eye-watering $1million a year.

A total of 30 pandas (out of China's 317 in captivity) were living abroad last year.

source: dailymail

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Panda-ring to the camera: Mother bear shows off her one-month-old twins

By CHRIS PARSONS

Twins: Zhen Zhen and Qiao Qiao have just turned a month old after being born at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Base in Sichuan Province, China

Sitting side by side as they start to take in the big world around them, these two one-month old panda cubs are proudly shown off by their mother.

Twin cubs Zhen Zhen and Qiao Qiao have developed trademark black and white panda colouring and are growing up fast at Chengdu Giant Panda Research and Breeding Base in Sichuan Province, China.

The adorable pair are the fourth pair of twins born to mother Qi Zhen.

They were part of a traditional Chinese celebration after turning one month old this week.

In August 2006 Qi Zhen gave birth to two pairs of twins.


Mummy bear: Qi Zhen gets to grips with one of her cubs. This is her fourth set of twins


Experts had to introduce her to male pandas in a controlled environment, and also helped her become pregnant through artificial insemination on a separate occasion.

The Chengdu Panda reserve has been phenomenally successful at breeding pandas in captivity. The task is extremely difficult as female pandas are only in heat for 72 hours over the entire year and can only become pregnant during a 24 hour slot.

Pandas often have twins but one will usually die in the wild.

Scientists have managed to mimic the warmth of a mother panda so precisely that they can swap the panda babies over, giving each youngster time with their mother and raising two successfully instead of one.

China never sell their bears but instead will loan them to foreign breeding programmes for an eye-watering $1million a year.

A total of 30 pandas (out of China's 317 in captivity) were living abroad last year.

source: dailymail

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Giant panda cub Fu Hu (meaning lucky tiger) plays with parcels containing vegetables on its first birthday

Giant panda cub Fu Hu (meaning lucky tiger) plays with parcels containing vegetables on its first birthday at the zoo in Vienna, August 23, 2011. The cub of pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui was born in the zoo on August 23, 2010. Fu Hu's parents were transferred from China to Schoenbrunn Zoo in 2003, and are on loan to Austria by China for a period of 10 years.



Giant panda cub Fu Hu (meaning lucky tiger) sits on a tree in its enclosure on its first birthday at the zoo in Vienna, August 23, 2011. The cub of pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui was born in the zoo on August 23, 2010. Fu Hu's parents were transferred from China to Schoenbrunn Zoo in 2003, and are on loan to Austria by China for a period of 10 years.



Giant panda cub Fu Hu (meaning lucky tiger) climbs on a tree in its enclosure on its first birthday at the zoo in Vienna, August 23, 2011. The cub of pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui was born in the zoo on August 23, 2010. Fu Hu's parents were transferred from China to Schoenbrunn Zoo in 2003, and are on loan to Austria by China for a period of 10 years.



Giant panda cub Fu Hu (meaning lucky tiger) clenches the leg of a keeper on its first birthday at the zoo in Vienna, August 23, 2011. The cub of pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui was born in the zoo on August 23, 2010. Fu Hu's parents were transferred from China to Schoenbrunn Zoo in 2003, and are on loan to Austria by China for a period of 10 years.

source: daylife
photo: Reuters

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