Pandas are an endangered species with roughly about 1600 animals left in the wild. They are rapidly losing their native bamboo forests to our insatiable greed and harmful activities. Captive breeding in zoos and conservation centres have been highly successful and about 300 pandas are found in captivity at the moment. It is through one of these centres in China that Singapore got this couple. Apparently, the Chinese government is strict with their conditions and they do not want any of the panda DNA made available to the public as it is considered a national treasure. That's what they told us when someone asked if pando poo can be sold as souvenirs! Pando poo, is not like normal smelly and wet poo. It's very dry and leaf matter are almost undigested, looking much like pot pourri and smelling like green tea (it's true - I smelled it after some initial reluctance!).
The bear-y ancestors of pandas, having somehow ended up in bamboo forests of China, evolved and adapted over the years to eat a primarily bamboo diet with the very occasional carrion (like bamboo rats). I'm guessing it helps with increased protein requirements during certain phases of their life cycle. They have also developed very strong jaw muscles for chewing all day. As there is very little nutritional content in bamboo, they need to eat about 10-15 kgs of bamboo shoots a day and eat very frequently giving rise to mountains of poo! Several bamboo cultivation projects have sprung up here in order to supply the zoo's demand for panda feed.
I found this very adorable picture of a panda cub being fed by a caretaker
Probably as a measure to ensure survival rates, a mother panda has only one cub at a time. She is fertile only for about 2-3 days per year and doesn't want to have cubs every year. When female pandas have twins in the wild (a rare occurrence), she picks the strongest cub to look after with the best care she can provide. Chances of having twins are increased with artificial fertilization techniques at captive breeding centres. I bet there are plenty of volunteers who are willing to babysit the extra bundles of joy. But seriously, it's no easy task. The cubs are interchanged daily between human care (kept warm in incubators used for human babies) and panda mum care and given round the clock attention that includes feeding milk and 'changing diapers'.
We also got to hear some R-rated gossip about what happens at breeding centres. Adult pandas are shown panda porn! *gasps* .When asked from the audience why we thought that was, a young member in the crowd answered,
"To make them horny?"
And the presenter replied, "Ummm, yes it is possible. But it is more to teach them how it's done."
Oh, sex education. That's a controversial teaching aid for instructing amateurs, but it's proved to be effective in this case!
We also heard that animal keepers make the male pandas do squatting exercises daily so that their hind limbs become strong enough to mount the female when it's time to make the home run. I say that's a lot of human intervention and couples therapy. But those are the types of drastic measures that are left to be done in a desperate attempt to save some of our species which are nearing extinction. The more fortunate species which are more endearing and appealing to us humans always have higher chances of survival than others.
Pandas naturally look very endearing with their black/white coat markings, non-aggressive nature and furriness that reminds us of cuddly teddy bears. They therefore make great conservation ambassadors (much like dolphins) and are able to engage the attention of the public long enough through this emotional connection for them to hear the conservation message. I suspect their adorable looks gave them some immunity from ending up as ingredients in Asian traditional medicines which are not too friendly towards other endangered animals like tigers, rhinos, sea horses, etc. Pandas are also termed an "umbrella species"; when protecting them and their habitats, several other (not necessarily cute or cuddly) endangered species living in the same habitat also benefit from the combined efforts taken by the public, conservationists and governing authorities.
We also got to hear some R-rated gossip about what happens at breeding centres. Adult pandas are shown panda porn! *gasps* .When asked from the audience why we thought that was, a young member in the crowd answered,
"To make them horny?"
And the presenter replied, "Ummm, yes it is possible. But it is more to teach them how it's done."
Oh, sex education. That's a controversial teaching aid for instructing amateurs, but it's proved to be effective in this case!
We also heard that animal keepers make the male pandas do squatting exercises daily so that their hind limbs become strong enough to mount the female when it's time to make the home run. I say that's a lot of human intervention and couples therapy. But those are the types of drastic measures that are left to be done in a desperate attempt to save some of our species which are nearing extinction. The more fortunate species which are more endearing and appealing to us humans always have higher chances of survival than others.
Pandas naturally look very endearing with their black/white coat markings, non-aggressive nature and furriness that reminds us of cuddly teddy bears. They therefore make great conservation ambassadors (much like dolphins) and are able to engage the attention of the public long enough through this emotional connection for them to hear the conservation message. I suspect their adorable looks gave them some immunity from ending up as ingredients in Asian traditional medicines which are not too friendly towards other endangered animals like tigers, rhinos, sea horses, etc. Pandas are also termed an "umbrella species"; when protecting them and their habitats, several other (not necessarily cute or cuddly) endangered species living in the same habitat also benefit from the combined efforts taken by the public, conservationists and governing authorities.
And that was one of those feel-good weekends spent at the zoo with the pandas and a few newfound like-minded friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment