Edinburgh Zoo nominated for two Giant Panda Zoo Awards

Edinburgh Zoo nominated for two

Giant Panda Zoo Awards

Edinburgh Zoo’s giant panda Yang Guang and his keeper Michael Livingstone have both been nominated for top prizes at the third annual Giant Panda Zoo Awards, the Oscars of the panda world.

Yang Guang has been nominated in the cuddly, yet fierce and competitive, “Favourite Panda Outside of China” category and one of his keepers, Michael Livingstone, has been nominated for the “Panda Keeper of the Year” award.

Panda fans and experts from around the world are invited to vote for their favourites after nominees were announced this morning (12 December 2014). Voting has now opened and will close on 18 January 2015. The Gold, Bronze and Silver winners will be announced at an award ceremony on 23 January 2015.

Michael Livingstone, giant panda and carnivore keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said:

“We are honoured to be nominated for two Giant Panda Zoo Awards this year. Not only do they highlight and reward organisations involved in panda conservation, but are a unique tool to educate the public on the issues faced by the giant panda and inspire people to discover what can be done to help.

“I was overwhelmed when I first found out that I had been nominated, and a little shocked as it was completely out of the blue! I’m definitely in good company as Yang Guang has also been nominated this year for the ‘Favourite Panda Outside of China’ award. We’ve had success in this category before as Yang Guang actually won the silver prize in the inaugural year of the awards, then the following yearour female panda Tian Tian won Gold!”

Michael, aged 26, has been a zoo keeper at Edinburgh Zoo since the summer of 2009. He started as a temporary hoofstock keeper, before landing a permanent role in the carnivore department. Michael has the honour of being one of the select group of dedicated panda keepers that have looked after Yang Guang and Tian Tian since they arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in December 2011.

Alongside the day-to-day care of the two pandas, Michael is involved in the panda breeding programme for which he regularly collects samples from both pandas and monitors their behaviour. In April, Michael was present at the artificial insemination of Tian Tian. Here he was on hand to help prepare the surgical room and assist with the dedicated care of both pandas. Michael continued to work round the clock during Tian Tian’s pregnancy as he collected crucial samples from her at various points of the day and throughout the night - these were used to track and monitor the stages of Tian Tian’s pregnancy. In the latter stages of pregnancy, Michael was one of the panda experts who took it in shifts to watch Tian Tian 24 hours a day through CCTV. In July this year, Michael also visited the Bifengxia panda base where he spent time with Chinese colleagues learning about pregnant pandas, pandas in labour and newborn cubs.

The Giant Panda Zoo Awards were created to promote panda conservation, education and research activities on website www.GiantPandaZoo.com. The site focuses on spreading the word about giant panda conservation and providing the latest news on the world’s panda population.

Visit www.GiantPandaZoo.com to vote.

We will have Isabelline Pandas

We will have Isabelline Pandas

I have little doubt in my mind that we will soon have Isabelline Pandas. The Dysfunctional Zoos of our planet appear hung up on producing unnatural colours, hybrids and freaks. So the Isabelline Panda will fairly soon be on its way.

Many of you will have forgotten QiZai (Little Seven) so let me remind you. QiZai is presently the only Isabelline Panda in captivity. QiZai is a Qinling panda and presently lives in the Shaanxi Wild Animal Research Centre in Northwest China (Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding And Protection Center).

The Quinling Pandas are a rare subspecies of the Giant Panda and are said to number only around three hundred in the wild. Although known for several decades the Quinling Panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis was only recognised as a subspecies in 2005.

The Quinling Pandas tend to be smaller than the common Giant Panda and are brownish and white rather than black and white. The brown colour is not usually as pronounced as it is in QiZai and is more often in patches rather than all over the body. QiZai is, as far as anyone is aware the only Isabelline Panda in the world today. Only five of similar colour have ever been seen.

QiZai was first spotted in November 2009 in the company of his black and white mother. He was estimated to be about two months old at the time. Now five years old he is just edging into breeding age. Call me whatever you like but I am sure there is a group of scientists who have just been waiting for this coming of age.

Factory farming of Pandas in China is already state of the art and QiZai will surely be the anonymous donor father of a large number of baby pandas....just to produce more of the same colour.

 

Isabelline Asiatic Bear

One of several held at the 

Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm

Isabelline Penguin

Many Dysfunctional Zoos would give their eye teeth for this

The Zoo Hubs

Giant Panda Research Symposium

Photo credit

 Giant Panda Research Symposium

World’s Panda Experts Gather at Edinburgh Zoo

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is proud to announce that they are bringing the foremost panda experts in the world to Scotland to develop a worldwide five year Giant Panda Research Project.

From the 10^th to 12^th September 2013, some of the world’s brightest lights will gather together in the same room for the very first time at Edinburgh Zoo for the Giant Panda Research Symposium. Spearheaded by RZSS, and the next important steps in the conservation charity’s Giant Panda Project, the event will see experts from around the world come together to help to develop a five year giant panda research plan which will have global ramifications on how giant pandas are cared for in zoos around the world and in Chinese reserves. The five year giant panda research plan will centre on five key areas: field ecology, genetic management, artificial breeding and infant panda care, veterinary management and research, then finally cognitive evolution and behavioural research.

Amongst many others, attending will be experts from RZSS, the CWCA (China Wildlife Conservation Association), CCRCGP (China Conservation and Research for Giant Pandas), the State Forestry Association for the People’s Republic of China (SFA), the Chinese Academy of Science and Peking University. Key individuals from panda zoos around the world will also be present, including experts from Smithsonian National Zoological Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research and Memphis Zoo. Researchers and representatives from related UK and worldwide institutions who can bring their expertise to the key areas of panda research will also be in attendance, including key Scottish bodies like the Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen, the Natural History for the University of Glasgow and the Psychology Department for the University of St Andrews.

The Symposium will be officially opened by the Chinese Consulate General Li Ruiyou.

Chris West, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said:

“I am immensely excited that RZSS is spearheading a global research project into giant pandas. The outcome of the Giant Panda Research Symposium, a multi-disciplinary global gathering to come up with a five year programme of integrated research and applied science, should make a real difference to the conservation of pandas and their habitat in the wilds of China. This really is ground-breaking research science at which RZSS is at the heart. The symposium underlines the Society’s aims to continue to be a world leader in conservation, science and education.”

See more on  Zoo Conferences, Meetings, Courses and Symposia

Panda Milk

The white stuff goes black and white

The white stuff goes black and white as millions of special giant panda cartons of milk launch countrywide.

Primary and nursery school children throughout the United Kingdom are to be given a chance to learn more about pandas, thanks to Britain’s largest fresh milk company, Robert Wiseman Dairies.

The company has formed a unique partnership with the Royal Zoological Society Scotland (RZSS) to mark the residence at Edinburgh Zoo of two giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang.

Wiseman has introduced a specially designed range of fresh milk cartons for school-children with fun panda facts, and a link to educational resources based on the Curriculum for Excellence, available through www.wiseman-dairies.co.uk/panda

The cartons, designed in conjunction with the RZSS, will reach 1.7 million children every week in nurseries and primary schools nationally, including 700,000 children in Scottish local education authorities.

Sharon Simpson, Head of Marketing at RZSS, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to encourage young people to learn more about our giant pandas in a fun way.  An iconic animal that is symbolic of global species conservation, we are delighted to have worked with Wiseman to speak directly with young people in their classrooms.  As well as on-pack information and images of our giant panda characters, a dedicated microsite contains worksheets and teachers’ lesson plans, which we hope will prove a valuable educational resource.  The partnership also enables us to communicate wider conservational messages, a key aspect of our Society’s foundational goals.”

Sales and Marketing Director, Sandy Wilkie says: “Whilst our black and white branding wasn’t really designed with these particular animals in mind, it’s a great link for us to have and we are delighted if we can play a role in helping children to better understand what makes pandas so special.”

Newburgh Primary School in Fife was amongst the first to receive the new cartons and they have been warmly received.  Frances Gibb, Class Teacher said: “Wiseman’s Panda Project and educational resources have been a fantastic bonus and are being used from Primary 1 to Primary 7.  There has been great excitement awaiting the Panda cartons and now that they have arrived we are enjoying looking out for all the Panda information on them.”

***

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LOVE IS IN THE BEAR

LOVE IS IN THE BEAR

Edinburgh Zoo is hopeful that the ‘Lynx Effect’ will help get the furry pheromones flying in time for panda mating season

Lynx has today been announced as the official partner for the panda mating season at Edinburgh Zoo, to help encourage their most famous residents make panda cubs.
With mating season just about to kick off, the whole world will be watching giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang in the hope that they will move beyond flirty glances.
Lynx recently caused a stir amongst the human species with the release of their “For Him” and “For Her” Attract range. The coming together of the two new editions encouraged people up and down the country to “Unleash the Chaos” wherever they are.

Now Edinburgh Zoo is being offered some sexy pearls of wisdom from the makers of Lynx Attract ‘For Him’ & ‘For Her’, which could help Unleash the Chaos for Tian Tian and Yang Guang, resulting in some hanky-panky panda action and, hopefully, giant panda cubs. And, although Tian Tian or Yang Gaung won’t be wearing Lynx themselves, you can’t underestimate the importance of scent in the panda mating process!

Talking about the prospect of animal attraction, Lynx Attract brand manager, Kieran Danaher, said: “With the launch of Lynx Attract ‘For Him’ and ‘For Her’ we’ve effectively doubled the power of the Lynx Effect - it’s the perfect time to partner with Edinburgh Zoo and use our attraction know-how to help out with panda mating season.”

Tian Tian’s hormones are being monitored closely by Zoo keepers, who believe that the best time for the pandas to mate may be nearing. But the fuzzy couple will have to be quick, female pandas are only interested in mating for three days of the year! If successful, it will be seen a huge boost for the giant panda, currently an endangered species, and the first panda cub ever to be born in the UK.

Keep up-to-date via Panda Cam at http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/pandacam.html

Follow updates from @EdinburghZoo and @LYNXEFFECTuk

Visit www.facebook.com/lynxeffect  for more information on Lynx Attract

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Pandas’ Arrival Sparks Surge of Advance Bookings at Edinburgh Zoo

Pandas’ Arrival Sparks Surge of Advance Bookings at Edinburgh Zoo

The news that giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang will be arriving at Edinburgh Zoo on Sunday (4 December) has resulted in a surge of advance bookings from visitors eager to catch the first glimpse of one of the world’s most endearing animals.

Almost 1500 tickets to see the giant pandas have been sold by the zoo in less than 24 hours following the confirmation of the bears’ arrival in Scotland’s Capital.

The giant pandas will go on show to the public from Friday 16 December, following a series of private viewings for zoo staff and members of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Visitors are not being charged extra to see the pandas, but due to the high demand, time-ticketing is in operation with visitors able to select a visiting time in half-hourly intervals, subject to availability.

To guarantee viewing and to avoid disappointment, all visitors are being encouraged to pre-book their panda viewing online when purchasing Zoo entry tickets. Around one third of panda tickets will also be put aside for visitors coming to the zoo, available on a first come first served basis.

Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “We are witnessing unprecedented levels of interest in viewing opportunities for our newest arrivals, which proves what a global draw the giant pandas are going to be for the Zoo.

“We have invested heavily in systems for the giant panda arrival and a lot of careful planning has gone into our ticketing strategy. Our aim to allow a steady flow of visitors through both viewing areas of the enclosure throughout the day, whilst maximising the viewers’ panda experience.

“We want as many people as possible to view our giant pandas in a comfortable and accessible environment, and our advance-booking system will allow us to do this.”

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The Pandas Are Coming!

The Pandas Are Coming!

UK Arrival Date for Giant Pandas Officially Confirmed as Sunday 4 December

Following months of global anticipation and excitement, the arrival date for Scotland’s first pair of breeding giant pandas has been confirmed as Sunday 4 December.

Tian Tian and Yang Guang are set to arrive in Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Centre in Sichuan Province, China. The announcement follows a successful visit to Scotland’s capital in October by the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), an organisation dedicated to giant panda conservation since 1983, which has now given the final go-ahead for the pandas’ 10-year residence in Scotland.

The CWCA confirmed the date following a rigorous assessment of the giant pandas’ enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo, together with plans for the animals’ care during the 10 years of the project. FedEx Express has donated its services for the transportation of the giant pandas.

The UK public will have to wait a little longer, however, to catch the first glimpse of the new arrivals. Following a two week ‘settling-in’ period in their new enclosure, the giant pandas will be available for public viewing. Tickets will need to be pre-booked and all details of public viewing arrangements will be published on Edinburgh Zoo’s website. There will be no extra charge for viewing the pandas.

Born in 2003, Tian Tian (meaning ‘sweetie’) and Yang Guang (‘sunshine’) will be under custodianship of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), owners of Edinburgh Zoo and a world leader in animal conservation, research and education.

The giant pandas’ arrival represents the culmination of five years of political and diplomatic negotiation at the highest level, spearheaded by the RZSS. Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Zoo, said: “We have been looking forward to this moment for five years now, since we first embarked on this epic journey to bring the giant pandas to Scotland.

“The arrival of Tian Tian and Yang Guang is an historic occasion for the Zoo, for Scotland, and for the UK as a whole. Our dedicated team at the Zoo has worked tirelessly to create a world-class enclosure to house our newest additions which will offer visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these extraordinary animals.

“The giant pandas will be on loan to us for an initial period of 10 years, in which time we are hopeful that the female, Tian Tian, will give birth to cubs – the first to be born in Scotland.”

With the arrival of the giant pandas to Edinburgh, the RZSS has cemented its role in the future research and conservation of one of the world’s most endangered species. Hugh Roberts added: “This is the beginning of a long-term partnership which will drive a programme of international research which will have massive benefits for the Zoo, Scotland and the UK - both in supporting giant panda conservation and in enhancing our programmes in education, science and conservation.

“It is also a highly visible statement of the growing momentum to improve international relations between the UK and China, and a sign that we can further co-operate closely on a broad range of environmental and cultural issues, as well as commerce.”

Dr Chunlin Zang, the secretary general of the CWCA added: “We are happy to finally confirm the arrival date for the giant pandas to arrive at Edinburgh Zoo. From the very start, the CWCA has been working in partnership with the RZSS. With this historic arrival of Tian Tian and Yang Guang, our collaboration has entered a new stage. Together, we are looking forward to playing an important role in future giant panda research and conservation.”

The arrival of the giant pandas to Edinburgh Zoo has been widely greeted as a symbol of the closer partnership between China and the UK. His Excellency Mr Liu Xiaoming, Ambassador of China to the UK said: “Tian Tian and Yang Guang’s arrival in the UK is part of a 10-year joint research programme to find out how human-bred pandas can survive in the wild. At its core, the project represents the growing scientific ties between China and Britain.

“But this is about much more than conservation. It is also about science, culture, education and above all friendship and partnership. Through these themes we expect pandas to bring China and Britain even closer together. Knowing pandas also means understanding more about their home country of China. This opens the way for people across Britain to explore the Chinese traditions, people, its society and economy. More importantly, this is an excellent window into grasping China’s commitment to peaceful development, desire for cooperation and quest for harmony with the world.”

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, is donating its logistical services to transport the giant pandas from China to Scotland. The Pandas will travel onboard a FedEx Express Boeing 777 Freighter in custom Panda livery - known as the "FedEx Panda Express". The Boeing 777F is one of the world’s most modern and fuel efficient freighter aircraft. The aircraft's long-range capability will allow the Pandas to fly non-stop to their new home in Edinburgh, ensuring that they will spend the minimum possible amount of time in the air.

The Giant Panda project will be funded entirely from charitable donations from the RZSS and through sponsorship, offering unparalleled opportunities in terms of international corporate, commercial and diplomatic relationships between China and the UK.

The RZSS, a registered charity, worked in close partnership with the UK, Chinese and Scottish Governments, the CWCA and the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province – the first organisation to artificially breed giant pandas - to facilitate this project and provide mutual and ongoing support throughout its 10-year lifespan.

For more information on the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, including pre-booking arrangements, visit http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/

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V I Panda

Probably the most significant event in the zoo world over the past week was the birth of the Panda in Vienna Zoo. It was significant not because it was a Panda but because this was a natural birth and the mother was rearing it herself.

Yang Yang the mother Panda in Schoenbrunn Zoo gave birth to her cub on the morning of Monday 23rd August.

In the photo above you can just make out the tiny baby panda in the mouth of its mother

(AP Photo/Schoenbrunn Zoo, Handout)

This is the second live birth cub for Yang Yang and the second time for natural care and rearing. It shows that it can be done. Mother knows best. It is the way to go.

The births of Pandas in captivity is not an especially rare event. Anyone who has visited the collections in China in Chengdu and other places will be surprised by their abundance. There are over 200 Giant Pandas in captivity and along with around 1,600 animals in the wild they are not an especially rare animal. There are many species which are much rarer.

Within China the Panda will rarely get the chance to rear their own young, let alone mate. The Panda Policy appears to be be almost to factory farm.

The above photo shows a successful panda breeding year at Wolong Breeding Center

and here in Chengdu

I do hope that at some point that the policy in China will change and that they will let the Pandas get on with it and do their own thing.

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Searching For A Panda Pandassador

Project Panda

Searching For A Chengdu Pandassador

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/3225819451/

Visit The Website in English

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China launches global search for six panda keepers


A Chinese panda centre said Tuesday it had launched a global search for six people who would spend a month looking after the endangered animals, as part of an awareness and conservation campaign.


"Project Panda," launched by the Chengdu Panda Base in the southwestern province of Sichuan and the WWF, aims to give six winners of a global contest a chance to study pandas' behaviours and provide hands-on assistance.




The keepers will be able to witness the birth of baby pandas and their development, the base said in an email to AFP.



"We hope that through this project more and more people will join our mission to protect pandas and will realise the importance of preserving wild habitats," said Zhang Zhihe, head of the Chengdu Panda Base.



The winners will also trek into the mountains around Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, to study wild pandas in their natural habitat, and will report on their daily work by blogging to people around the world, the base said.



Over the next six weeks, animal lovers from around the world will be able to log onto a website, www.pandahome.com, to apply for the position. A panel of experts will select 12 finalists, which they will then whittle down to six.



There are just 1,600 pandas left in the wild and nearly 300 others are in captive-bred programmes worldwide, mainly in China, according to official reports.



After having successfully managed to make the animals mate in captivity, researchers are now looking at ways to send captive-bred pandas into the wild to boost the number of animals roaming free.



Four pregnant pandas bred in captivity were released into an area of Sichuan forest last month to prepare their future cubs for life in the wild, state media reported.



But this task is a difficult one, and so far, the only attempt at releasing a captive-bred panda into nature has ended tragically.



Xiang Xiang, a male cub who was trained to adapt to the wild and released in 2006, was found dead 10 months later, apparently killed by wild pandas native to the area.


Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hva33Fv7qWBBWvgof6Fg4b_8JRYQ


 

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San Diego Cub Explores Outdoors

Watch The Video

NW China province sets up two more nature reserves for giant pandas

Photo By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drs2biz/

Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has set up two more national level nature reserves to protect the habitat for a rare giant panda species unique to the Qinling Mountain Range, environment authorities said Monday.

The new reserves bring the province's total to six in the Qinling Mountains, said Li Xiaolian, deputy chief of the provincial environment protection department.

One of the new reserves, the Sangyuan Nature Reserve, covered 13,806 hectares in Liuba County of Hanzhong City, in the heartland of the Qinling Mountains, Li told a press conference Monday.

"Its forest coverage is 99.4 percent and it has a rich resource of bamboo, including arrow bamboo -- the giant pandas' favorite food," said Li.

At least seven giant pandas were recorded in the Sangyuan reserve in the third national census of the endangered species, which lasted from 1999 to 2003.

The newly established Qingmuchuan Nature Reserve was named after a small town at the juncture of Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan provinces, Li said. "The 10,200-hectare area is home to giant pandas, golden monkeys, takins, vultures and leopards."

The four existing nature reserves for giant pandas -- Foping, Changqing, Taibai and Zhouzhi -- had proven exemplary in preserving the habitat for the giant pandas and maintaining biodiversity in the Qinling Mountains, he said.

Foping reserve, founded in 1978 on the southern slopes of Qinling, has 110 to 130 giant pandas, the largest density among all China's nature reserves.


Photo By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20406121@N04/

Forestry workers at the reserve spotted a panda cub in a cave only last week. The cub, weighing about 3 kilograms, was whining like a pup and had learned to crawl, said Liang Qihui, a senior engineer of the Foping ....

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