Giant pandas are to return to the UK for the first time in 17 years.
The pair of seven-year-old pandas, Tian Tian and Yangguang, will arrive at Edinburgh zoo this year, marking "the culmination of five years of political and diplomatic negotiation at the highest level" according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
The ambassador of China to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said: "Pandas are a Chinese national treasure. This historical agreement is a gift to the people of the UK from China. It will represent an important symbol of our friendship and will bring our two people closer together."
Source
A rare miniature cow with markings similar to a panda was born on a farm in northern Colorado.
Farmer Chris Jessen raises miniature cattle and also owns a miniature kangaroo on his hobby farm.
The miniature panda cow is the result of genetic manipulation. A white belt encircles the animal's midsection, and the cow has a white face with black ovals around the eyes, giving it a panda-like appearance.
The mini-cattle are bred solely as pets. Jessen says panda calves can sell for $30,000.
SourcePhoto: AP
Gu Gu, a panda at the Beijing Zoo has attacked an intruding tourist for the third time.
In the latest incident Gu Gu went ga ga after mauling a visitor who jumped a barrier to retrieve a child's toy. The tourist leapt over barrier surrounding the panda's outdoor exercise area to retrieve the toy dropped by his 5-year-old son, said a zoo spokeswoman.
Gu Gu bit the intruder's legs and refused to let go until zookeepers pried his jaws open with tools.
Gu Gu first made news in 2007 when he bit a drunken tourist who jumped into his pen and tried to hug him. The tourist retaliated by biting the panda in the back.
In October, Gu Gu viciously bit a teenager who climbed into his exercise area out of curiosity.
A college student in southern China was bitten by a panda after he broke into the bear's enclosure hoping to get a hug.
The student was visiting Qixing Park with classmates on Friday when he jumped the 6.5-foot (2-meter) high fence around the panda's habitat, said the park employee, who refused to give his name.
The park in Guilin, a popular tourist town in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, houses a small zoo and a panda exhibit. It was virtually deserted when the student scaled the fence surrounding the panda, named Yang Yang, the employee said.
He said the student was bitten on the arms and legs. Two foreign visitors who saw the attack ran to get help from workers at a nearby refreshment stand, who notified park officials, the employee said.
"Yang Yang was so cute, and I just wanted to cuddle him. I didn't expect he would attack," the 20-year-old student, surnamed Liu, said in a local hospital, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Source:
CNN
According to a 2004 statistic there are only 1,600 pandas left in the wild. It's easier to visualize how few that number really is when you can see them all together in one place:
WWF-France, in celebration of its 35th anniversary, is running a campaign to raise awareness for natural environment preservation by parading 1,600 paper made panda models across the country.
The parade started in July 2008 at Paris City Hall; followed by a few other locations across France
(via
Neatorama)
Chengdu, China, July 28, 2008 — One of four giant panda cubs born within 14 hours of each other stretches at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center in Sichuan Province.
Photo: Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images
*****A martial arts teacher knocked over by a lion during a photo shoot at Bowmanville Zoo says she is happy to have come away with four broken ribs and a bloodied lung.
The photo session produced a successful cover photo, but from the beginning, the lion was playful and not entirely under the control of its two minders.
Watch video.
(
thestar.com)
***** A keeper at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C, was taken to a hospital and treated for a laceration on her leg after Tai Shan, the zoo's giant panda cub, made "physical contact" with her. It seems the panda had amorous intentions - the keeper was not in the mood. (
via)
(
Washington Post)
***** An eagle ray leaped onto a boat off the Florida Keys and stabbed a woman with its barb, knocking her to the deck and killing her. The animal's barb had impaled the woman through the neck which caused her to fall back and hit her head on some portion of the boat.
(
New Zealand Herald)
***** Chicago car dealers report they've seen a lot more vehicles damaged this year by animals getting under hoods and chewing on wiring. The culprits are typically squirrels, rats or mice. Whether they're taking shelter from the cold or chewing out of hunger, they can cause thousands of dollars in damages.
(
Sun-Times)
***** Rats are invading Thailand - or at least the offices of the ministry responsible for promoting health and hygiene. In the past two days, nearly 50 rats were caught inside the Health Ministry compound in Bangkok, prompting an announcement of a national anti-rodent campaign. The animals have become a nuisance. They bite wires, cables, documents and destroy office equipment.
(
AP)
***** Four steer who escaped from a transport truck during a morning accident made their way to a residential area in Mississauga, Ont. and held the community hostage for nearly four hours.
One steer was eventually shot after it knocked a couple of residents off their feet and charged a police officer.
(
ctv.ca)
Robert at
Environmental Graffiti is way off base! He has selected five totally cute, harmless and totally lovable baby animals and has accused them of being ugly.
Ugly?
Shar-Pei Puppies?
Look at those floppy little folded ears. Look at that smooshed little nose, those stubby little paws, those squinty, sad little eyes. Look at those soft, puffy wrinkles. Who in their right mind would call this ugly? Even Robert wouldn't sink this low.
Ugly?
A baby sloth?
So what's not to love with this little guy? Smooth, blond hair - sweet little eyes, fuzzy little curled feet. A cute button nose. Totally adorable!
Ugly?
Baby Pandas?
This I don't even have to defend, do I? Everybody in the universe knows that pandas are the most irresistibly adorable creatures ever created. What a travesty to even think "panda" and "ugly" on the same day.
Ugly?
Naked Mole Rats?
Oh, naked mole rats, these poor little things. Always
maligned, always made fun of, always pointed to as a perfect example of ugliness. Don't they look scrumptious? A little tomato sauce, and
lunch is served.
Ugly?
Robin chicks?
Robert says baby robins are gross and disgusting. That's because Robert has never observed a robin's nest and
taken a photo each day and waited eagerly for those beautiful little blue eggs to hatch. I have.
Ugly?
Baby hedgehogs?
I love the translucent teensy nails. The pink wrinkly skin looks so soft and silky but then juxtapose those dangerous looking quills. Here's the thing: baby hedgehogs are
dangerously cute!
Photo 1:
Lauren's Shar-peiPhoto 2:
Carlen AltmanPhoto 3:
the Cute ProjectPhoto 4:
verabeePhoto 5:
The robin's nestPhoto 6:
Dark Roasted Blend
All the other animals must be green with envy.
The one getting the most attention at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Zoo these days is Mao Mi, a rare red panda that just arrived from his former home at Michigan's Binder Park Zoo.
Red pandas are endangered, and Mao Mi is part of a Wildlife Conservation Society breeding program that's trying to ensure the survival of threatened or endangered species.
Mao Mi has black legs, a furry reddish-brown face and body and white ears.
Prospect Park zookeepers said Thursday that their cuddly cutie is very playful and loves to climb trees and explore his new home.
Source:
Yahoo News
The first baby panda to be born in Europe in a quarter of a century has made his first public appearance.
Vienna Zoo's panda baby, Fu Long, has until now spent all his time with his over protective mother Yang Yang.
The zoo hopes that Fu Long will make more excursions into public view now he has taken the first step.
Source:
Ananova
This seven-week-old panda cub has become one of San Diego Zoo's most famous babes, though she is yet to be named.
In accordance with Chinese tradition, she will have to wait until November, when she is 100 days old, to receive her name.
San Diego Zoo's giant panda breeding project has been one of the most successful in the world. The zoo has the largest population of giant pandas outside China.
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species, with only about 2000 living in the wild.
A panda at a zoo in northwestern China, unimpressed with the food offered at his new lodgings, erupted with rage and sunk his teeth into a staff member's flesh instead.
Lan Zai, a male panda at Wuquanshan zoo in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, put zoo worker Xiao Zhang in hospital with multiple bite and scratch wounds to his arms and legs after a fierce attack
(AP Photo/EyePress)
Follow the development of a Panda, from birth to 3 months, in photos.
Chinese officials granted Tai Shan, the National Zoo's popular giant panda cub, an extra two years at the Smithsonian Institution park with his parents.
Under a panda loan agreement with China, any cub born at the National Zoo would be returned for breeding sometime after its second birthday. Tai Shan turns 2 on July 9 but will remain with his mother Mei Xiang and father Tian Tian at least until 2009.
Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong presented the zoo with a giant green laminated passport to extend Tai Shan's stay.
"As an envoy of goodwill from the Chinese people and a symbol of friendly cooperation between China and the United States, Tai Shan will continue to bring more happiness and delight to the American people," Wenzhong said.
March 28: Twin 12-week-old red panda cubs, Tenzin and Jishnu, made their first public appearance at the Sydney Zoo on Wednesday.
Only 2,500 red pandas are believed to be left in the world.
