NEW PANDA METHOD DID NOT WORK 202

NEW PANDA METHOD NEARLY WORKED

18.4.2023

COPENHAGEN ZOO

DENMARK

FOTO PANDA: COPENHAGEN ZOO

VNR LONG

18.4.2023

COPENHAGEN ZOO

DENMARK

FOTO PANDA: COPENHAGEN ZOO

STORY

In Copenhagen ZOO has Male Xing Er and female Mao Sun been together for 3 weeks before the estrus  hoping Xing Er would help make Mao Sun pregnant.


Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO explains: 

“This year we tried to copy the approach that we’re using for other bears, polar bears, brown bears and even tigers by introducing the animals about a month prior to the estrus. And we saw a lot of good behavior”

The two have not been fighting and they have enjoyed each other’s company.
Mao Sun´s 36 hour pregnancy period started Sunday, and ended late Tuesday, where the ZOO made a last final attempt.

“It is clear that the female is showing clear signs of estrus and that the male that most of the time doesn’t really recognize those signals”

explains Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO and continues: “And then when he finally does, it seems like the females like, oh, no, I didn’t want it anyway. So we’re not seeing a synchrony between the two animals”.

Xing Er and Mao Sun were presented to the media on April 10, 2019. 

Mads Frost Bertelsen, used to be head of all animals at that time, before becoming the Director of Copenhagen ZOO explains:

“With basically every other species in the ZOO, if we had a situation like this, we would go back to the breeding program and consider moving animals around to make a new constellation with the giant panda. That, of course, is much more difficult because the pandas that are within Europe now are all on special loans to specific institutions and countries”. says now Director Mads Bertelsen.”It makes things a little bit more difficult.”


The two pandas are in Denmark on loan from China under a 15-year agreement at a cost of $1 million annually. 

“I am. I’m horribly disappointed because this year we felt that the behaviors were so good that it looked like this might just happen. At the end of the day, it didn’t. And I’m disappointed, the keepers here, who have put a lot of work into this, are disappointed, but we also know that sometimes things do take time and that sometimes they don’t ever happen.”

Mao Sun and male Xing Er are now living separately again.

The keepers in Copenhagen ZOO have a close relationship with Chengdu Panda Base and together they will analyze the situation.

The Panda House cost 160 million-kroner ($24.2 million) and It was opened 31. marts 2019.

The panda program started in 1972 during a visit to China of then president Richard Nixon. A vow from Mao Zedong sended two pandas to an American ZOO.

There are around 2060 pandas living in the wild, and are still considered vulnerable to extinction.

End

SHOTLIST

  • MALE PANDA XING ER AND FEMALE MAO SUN SIT AND EAT BAMBOO
  • PANDAS HUG AND PLAY
  • MALE PANDA EATS BAMBOO
  • SOUNDBITES SOUNDBITE Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO:
    “This year we tried to copy the approach that we’re using for other bears, polar bears, brown bears and even tigers by introducing the animals about a month prior to the estrus. And we saw a lot of good behavior. The animals tolerate each other well, but at the end of the day, there was no mating.”
  • FEMALE PANDA CLOSE TO MALE PANDA
  • FEMALE PANDA LEAVING HER SCENT ON LOG
  • FEMALE PANDA NEXT TO MALE PANDA, WHO CONTINUES TO EAT
  • SOUNDBITES SOUNDBITE Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO CONT.:
    “It is clear that these animals are showing that the female is showing clear signs of estrus and that the male that most of the time doesn’t really recognize those signals. And then when he finally does, it seems like the females like, oh, no, I didn’t want it anyway. So. So we’re not seeing a synchrony between the two animals.”
  • FEMALE PANDA FIGHTS OFF MALE PANDA
  • FEMALE CLOSE TO GATE TO HER OWN PLACE. MALE IS WATCHING.
  • SOUNDBITES SOUNDBITE Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO CONT.:
    “With that with basically every other species in the zoo. If we had a situation like this, we would go back to the breeding program and consider moving animals around to to make a new constellation with the giant panda. That, of course, is much more difficult because the pandas that are within Europe now are all on special loans to specific institutions and countries. And there’s a whole diplomatic component to this that makes things a little bit more difficult.”
  • PANDA SCRATCHING ITS BACK ON A ROCK
  • PANDA RELAXING ON A PLATFORM
  • SOUNDBITES SOUNDBITE Mads Frost Bertelsen, Director, Copenhagen ZOO CONT.;
    “I am. I’m horribly disappointed because this year we felt that the behaviors were so, so good that it looked like this might just happen. At the end of the day, it didn’t. And I’m disappointed. The keepers here, who have put a lot of work into this, are disappointed. But we also know that sometimes things do take time and that sometimes they don’t ever happen.”
  • PANDA RELAXING ON A PLATFORM
  • TOTAL OF PANDA RELAXING ON A PLATFORM

END

LINK:

Copenhagen ZOO Panda:
https://www.zoo.dk/s/presse?language=da