I just recently posted on February 3, 2010 about the suitors that the staff at Chengdu Panda Base has set up for Mei Lan. Of course this is something that the Chinese will take their time with and in the end it will all be up to Mei Lan. Here is an interesting article that was posted on Global Times.cn explaining in more detail about the process and how much work goes into it. Thanks to Xi Shan of flickr for sending this our way and to bob2cleo of flickr for the wonderful photo of Mei Lan.
Romance in the air for US born panda
- Source: Global Times
- [08:26 February 05 2010] By Lin Meilian
Zookeepers in Sichuan Province were working hard Thursday trying to implement a plan to motivate a returning American-born giant panda to get busy as soon as possible with a yet-to-be selected male partner. She will have a choice of multiple male partners.
Mei Lan, 3, who is expected to arrive in China today, was born in Washington, DC. As part of an agreement with the zoo in the US, Mei Lan was always expected to return to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
The research base workers said the matchmaking process could be daunting because the animals are not sexually aggressive and need a lot of human encouragement to reproduce.
However, they said they have learned from past errors and have new ways to encourage the cuddly pandas to share bamboo followed by romance.
A special Web page about her potential mates is available on sina.com. The website contains short videos and has brief introductions about Mei Lan's potential male suitors.
Internet users are encouraged to cast their votes for the most suitable partner for Mei Lan, said Yang Xiaoxiao, a base worker. But Mei Lan will not be forced to live with any of them unless she shows interest.
"If she chooses no one, then we will turn to artificial insemination," Yang said.
Artificial insemination involves the use of electricity to stimulate sexual organs of the male candidates to collect the sperm.
"The panda will not feel pain because she will be under anesthetic," Hou Rong, head of the research center, told the Global Times Thursday.
Hou said less than 7 percent of all pandas at the base are capable of giving birth through the mating process.
While watching porn is illegal in China, there is something of an exception at the base.
Some pandas will be taken to a private audio-video room where they will have the chance of watching other pandas mate.
"We want them to do it right," she said. "We prefer to allow them to watch and learn how the other pandas mate."
The pandas will also do exercises to get physically prepared for the mating. Workers will lure them to jump up to reach fruit they dangle from above.
Hou said some workers fail to use the proper methods to encourage mating.
"It was wrong that we just put two animals together and hoped they would figure it out," she said. "Actually they need some time to get to know each other, that is something we human beings do. Otherwise, they probably end up fighting."
Premature separation from parents sometimes deprived the pandas of the opportunity to develop sex education.
"Zookeepers separate baby pandas and their parents too early so that they don't have chance to get sex education," she added. "Now we wait till the baby is about 1 year old before separating them."
Zookeepers are also planning to keep a close watch between Mei Lan and her partner for potential fights that could turn violent.
Hou said one of the eight male candidates, nicknamed Superman Kobe, has a record of domestic panda abuse.
"Staff holding food, a high-pressure water jet and a fire extinguisher will be on stand by to separate them if two pandas start fighting," she said.
Even if a male panda gets annoyed, he will calm down and become sexually aggressive.
About 1,600 giant pandas live in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
