We have so much to be greatful for during this holiday season. So many successes in the birth of captive panda cubs, 25 just this year! That brings the total to 294 captive giant pandas. The goal of the Chinese scientist is to reach 300, so by next year, the captive giant panda population will reach a basic self-sustaining rate.
Fu Ni and Wang Wang just moved into their new habitat in Australia from China and other countries are also working to have giant pandas as we speak.
Fu Long, darling boy of Vienna recently moved to China and Su Lin, Mei Lan and Tai Shan all of the United States will be joining him in China at the first of next year to be a part of the very important breeding program. For those of us who have watched these pandas being born and growing up over the years, through visits to their zoos, and live webcams, we will certainly miss each of them but realize the importance of the work being done in China to help save giant pandas from extinction.
The Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand welcomed their newborn cub, Lin Ping on May 27, 2009. Her parents are Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang.
So, with all of this activity that is now taking place with pandas all around the world, I just realized the need to begin keeping a journal here by my computer, recording all of the goings on as they occur in order to keep up with them.
Thank You to J.D.Bartross of flickr for the wonderful photo of Tai Shan above and thanks also to anita-lee of flickr, who sent us this cute video of Hua Mei's newest female cub, Hao Hao. Hua Mei was born at the San Diego Zoo on August 21, 1999 and moved to China in February 2004. Hao is her seventh cub.Happy Holidays!
