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Spanish-born panda cubs Po and De De back in China

Agencia EFEMay 19, 2013 13:00
Beijing, May 19 (EFE).- Panda bear cubs Po and De De, who were born at Madrid's Zoo Aquarium on Sept. 7, 2010, are settling into their new lives at the panda reserve in Chengdu, China, where they will live from now on, a keeper told Efe. The pandas arrived in Chengdu, which is in central China, on Saturday after a trip that lasted more than 30 hours, the keeper, who accompanied the animals on the trip, said. The cubs are the offspring of Hua Zui Ba, a female, and Bing Xing, who were provided by China to the Madrid zoo in 2007.

Giant pandas from China make invitation-only debut at Toronto Zoo today

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 05:02
TORONTO - Two months after their much-celebrated arrival, a pair of giant pandas on loan from China made a discreet debut Thursday at the Toronto Zoo, though only one of them seemed to embrace the spotlight. Da Mao, the four-year-old male, strutted outside and ate bamboo, basking in the attention from dozens of guests at an invitation-only event. His prospective mate, five-year-old Er Shun, stayed inside in a separate enclosure, almost hidden in a pile of logs as she munched on her own pile of plants.

Chinese boat damaged Philippine reef: marine official

Agence France-PresseMay 4, 2013 04:45
A Chinese fishing vessel that crashed into one of the Philippines' most famous reefs damaged almost 4,000 square metres of centuries-old coral, the marine park said on Saturday. Some 3,902 square metres (42,000 square feet) of coral was destroyed after the boat became stranded in the Tubbataha marine park -- a UNESCO World Heritage-listed coral reef -- the park management said. "The damage the Chinese vessel caused to the reef is heart-breaking," Angelique Songco, the head of the marine park said in a statement after experts assessed the affected area.

China to allow panda Lin Ping to remain in Thailand

Agencia EFEMay 2, 2013 14:45
Bangkok, May 2 (EFE).- Chinese officials have authorized Thailand to keep Lin Ping, a panda bear due to return to the Asian giant at the end of this month, for a while longer, the press reported Thursday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement after meeting with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Bangkok on Wednesday, the Bangkok Post reported. Lin Ping, the first giant panda born in Thailand, was to be flown from the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand to Chengdu, a city in southeastern China, on May 27, the cuddly critter's 4th birthday.

Toronto Zoo staff ratify contract deal ahead of giant Panda opening

The Canadian PressApril 30, 2013 00:00
TORONTO - Staff at the Toronto Zoo have ratified a new four-year collective agreement that avoided a strike or lockout ahead of a giant panda exhibit next month. CUPE Local 1600 says the agreement contains modest improvements to wages in each year of the contract, and concessions demanded by Zoo management were, for the most part, withdrawn. The zoo and CUPE _ representing more than 400 staff _ were faced with a midnight strike deadline on Friday but chose to continue bargaining. An agreement was reached shortly after 2 a.m.

Cheetahs in race to survive

Agence France-PresseApril 24, 2013 00:30
The cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, survived mass extinction during the last ice age 10,000 years ago. But it has taken just the last few decades for man to place the hunter on the endangered species list, with experts warning it could disappear from the wild by 2030. Unlike rhinos and elephants, the cheetah is not a target in Africa's poaching bloodbath. But it is the only big cat to adapt poorly in wildlife reserves as its natural habitat is increasingly wiped out.

Edinburgh zoo's female panda undergoes artificial insemination

Agencia EFEApril 22, 2013 12:31
London, Apr 22 (EFE).- The Edinburgh Zoo's female giant panda, Tian Tian, underwent artificial insemination over the weekend after she and the facility's male panda, Yang Guang, failed to mate, a zoo spokeswoman said. Yang Guang (Sunshine) showed interest in Tian Tian (Sweetie), but natural mating did not occur, the zoo spokeswoman said. Artificial insemination was carried out early Sunday and the bears are well, the zoo spokeswoman said. The zoo had hoped that Tian Tian and Yang Guang would mate this year after the two bears failed to get romantic in 2012.

Endangered orangutan born in Indonesian zoo

Agence France-PresseApril 22, 2013 07:32
A Borneo orangutan has been born at a zoo on Indonesia's main island of Java, providing a glimmer of hope for the endangered primates, a zookeeper said Monday. Belia, a female, arrived on Saturday in the first successful birth of an orangutan at the zoo in Semarang, Central Java province. The fourth orangutan at the zoo, she was born naturally to Bella, 18, and Billy, 20, zoo head Kusyanto, who goes by one name, told AFP. The couple had another baby in 2007 but it died an hour after being born.

China pandas 'panicked' as forest home jolted in quake

Agence France-PresseApril 22, 2013 05:31
Pandas living in a reserve near the epicentre of China's weekend quake clambered up trees in panic as their forest home was jolted, but none were injured, officials said Monday. More than 60 pandas at the Bifengxia Panda Base near Ya-an city were shaken early Saturday by the quake which struck just 50 kilometers (31 miles) away, leaving at least 188 people dead and more than 11,000 injured. Some pandas climbed high into the tree canopy when the 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck and suffered "differing degrees of shock," the facility said on its website.

British panda given helping hand in quest for cub

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 14:45
Experts at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland have artificially inseminated Britain's only female giant panda Tian Tian after she failed to mate with her male partner, Yang Guang, the zoo announced on Sunday. Despite Yang Guang showing "consistently encouraging behaviour", the zoo decided to step in overnight Saturday as Tian Tian's hormones showed she was approaching her 36-hour fertile period. "Natural mating was not attempted," explained a zoo spokesman.
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