visionary Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 http://news.yahoo.com/national-zoo-panda-mei-xiang-appears-labor-185519893.html Zookeepers optimistic about survival chances for twin pandas In more than three decades of trying to breed pandas at the National Zoo, there's been plenty of heartbreak. More cubs born in Washington have died than survived, and news of a birth has often been greeted warily But on Sunday, zoo officials were nearly giddy. They don't just have an apparently healthy pair of twins, born Saturday night to panda mom Mei Xiang. They have a template to follow that gives the cubs a strong chance of survival. Pandas won't usually nurse twins if left to their own devices. They'll care for one and allow the other to die. But in the past decade, Chinese breeders have come up with a system: Every several hours, they swap out the cubs, giving each one the critical time it needs to nurse and bond with its mother. Meanwhile, the other one is kept in an incubator. Panda keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo will continue performing these delicate swaps as long as it's needed and as long as Mei Xiang lets them. The first one, early Sunday morning, was successful. "If she gets aggressive toward us, we're not going to get that close," giant panda biologist Laurie Thompson said Sunday. The swapping technique helped twin pandas born two years ago at Zoo Atlanta to survive. That was the second set of panda twins born in the United States. The first, born at the National Zoo in 1987, both died within days. Scientists in China have learned much more about panda breeding since then. Two decades ago, the survival rate for panda cubs was under 20 percent. Now, it's more than 80 percent, zoo director Dennis Kelly said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 good to hear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Hopefully both cubs survive. I'm curious to see them together with Mei Xiang once they are old enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 It's always amazing to me that Pandas ever survived in the wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 It's always amazing to me that Pandas ever survived in the wild. This what I've learned over the years about pandas from the National Zoo. Pandas don't have much of a sex drive. In the rare event that they do have sex, it's actually difficult for them to get pregnant. Female pandas often accidently kill their babies. Male pandas see young males as a threat - even if they are the father. Pandas require an insane amount of bamboo. So....yea....how did this species ever survive in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Huge pristine habitat where they had no natural predators and abundant food sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Huge pristine habitat where they had no natural predators and abundant food sources. There had to be a handful of really horny pandas that took care of the species. Also, Horny Panda is a great band name. That's free for anyone.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Sounds more like a creepy username on one of those cam girl sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I think only one Giant Panda cub has been born in the national zoo and survived so fingers crossed as they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I think only one Giant Panda cub has been born in the national zoo and survived so fingers crossed as they say. It's at least two. Tai Shan was about ten years ago and they have a cub now, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 http://www.theonion.com/article/single-unemployed-mother-leeching-government-51176?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Pic:1:Default Single, Unemployed Mother Leeching Off Government Taking advantage of the system and giving nothing back in return, local unemployed, single mother Mei Xiang reportedly gave birth to two more children out of wedlock this week and continued to pathetically leech off the government. “This lazy freeloader was already depending on the government to take care of her other kids, and then she has the nerve to pop out a couple more? Unbelievable,” said Arlington, VA resident Evan Hunt, echoing the sentiments of millions of hardworking Americans who were appalled to learn that the moocher has never worked a single day in her life and has received federal housing assistance and cost-free child care since 2000. “She just sits on her fat ass eating all day while taxpayers fork over their hard-earned cash to pay for the handouts she gets. And you know her kids are going to grow up to be just like her, too. She’s a disgusting parasite.” At press time, the outraged nation was reportedly speculating that Mei Xiang probably didn’t even know who the father was this time either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I think only one Giant Panda cub has been born in the national zoo and survived so fingers crossed as they say. 2. Tai Shan was born around 10 years ago and went to China I think when he was 4 or 5. Then Bao Bao, who is still in DC just turned two last weekend. They showed her getting this ice "cake" with fruit frozen in ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Damn anchor babies Amirite Jeb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 2. Tai Shan was born around 10 years ago and went to China I think when he was 4 or 5. Then Bao Bao, who is still in DC just turned two last weekend. They showed her getting this ice "cake" with fruit frozen in ice. Thanks for the heads up. (The names helped me out.) LBK had corrected me above but I thought he was full of ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 Damn anchor babies Amirite Jeb Well...they are Asian... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Damn anchor babies Amirite Jeb Go back to China. Freeloaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 One of the small pandas has died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 http://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/322988241.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DCBrand One of National Zoo's Newborn Panda Cubs Has Died One of Mei Xiang's tiny newborn panda cubs has died, the National Zoo announced. The smaller giant panda cub died shortly after 2 p.m., the zoo said. The National Zoo will hold a press conference on the heartbreaking news at 4 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 The sad thing is it's so hard for panda babies to survive. I don't know what biologically makes it so hard... But it's hard for them to conceive and hard for the babies to stay alive. I'm going to have to do more research into this. It's just sad that the babies have such a high mortality rate. There was another panda before bao bao that died shortly after being born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Well, that sucks. Really hope the other cub survives, Who knows if Mei allowed cub swapping, if the smaller one would have still died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 RIP, little one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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