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.

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs
and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine
by clicking

HERE

 

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidragon/3046266667/

To advertise on Zoo News Digest please click

HERE 

'Nonja' the Orangutan becomes a Photographer

                                                 Not 'Nonja'...her pin up perhaps

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1967chevrolet/3752813623/

Orangutan sells photos on eBay




Nonja the orangutan photographer has put her work up for sale on the internet to raise cash for her relatives in the wild.


The artistic ape's handiwork has been viewed by tens of thousands of fans on Facebook after keepers at Vienna's Schoenbrunn zoo in Austria gave her a digital camera and set up a Facebook account for her.


And this week the zoo confirmed that an exhibition of the best 20 snaps had been unveiled in the zoo and the framed works printed on canvas were being sold online on eBay - with each picture personally signed by Nonja with her trademark thumbprint signature.



Cash raised will go to protecting the habitat of wild orangutans in Borneo.



Zoo boss Dagmar Schratter said: "Orangutans are a very endangered species and only found in northern Sumatra and Borneo. There are probably only about 20,000 now......

Read Full Article

Visit Nonja FACEBOOK Page

Visit Nonja Photographic AUCTION

Visit Zoo News Digest on FACEBOOK