Veterinarians tried using pornography, diets and artificial insemination, but Thailand's famously celibate giant pandas have once again failed to produce a cub, a zoo official said on Aug. 16.
Lin Hui, a six-year-old female, received semen from her companion Chuang Chuang in April after the pair showed no interest whatsoever in reproducing the traditional way.
But an ultrasound carried out on Lin Hui at a zoo in the northern city of Chiang Mai showed she was still not pregnant.
Photo: AFP
"We will have to try again next April, since pandas are ready for reproduction once a year only," said Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee, panda project director at Chiang Mai Zoo.
Thailand's popular panda pair arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003 and were put on an intensive mating course last year.
Seven-year-old Chuang Chuang, who had been deemed too heavy to mate with Lin Hui, lost seven kilograms on a low-carbohydrate diet and was then shown 15-minute video clips of successful panda couplings in an effort to make him more randy.
But the sexy videos did little to inspire the pair, prompting veterinarians to try sperm donation.
Prasertsak said artificial insemination might have failed because Lin Hui was not physically ready or the male sperm was unhealthy.
It means rotund Chuang Chuang may again have to slim down. Prasertsak said the ideal panda weight is about 120 kilograms -- 17 kilograms less than Chuang Chuang weighs now.
Giant pandas, notorious for their low sex drive, are among the world's most endangered animals. Nearly 1,600 pandas are believed to survive in the wild in China and about 180 are being raised in captivity in zoos worldwide.(AFP)
八月十六日，泰國一家動物園的工作人員表示，獸醫已試過情色片、節食和人工授精等方法，但是以「獨身主義」出了名的大熊貓還是未能成功受孕。
這對大熊貓不管如何就是對彼此不感性趣，不進行自然交配，因此今年四月時，六歲大的母熊貓「林惠」接受了人工授精，精液取自伴侶「創創」。
然而，這家位於北部清邁市的動物園最近為「林惠」所做的超音波檢查顯示，她並未受孕成功。
「我們明年四月必須再試一次人工授精，因為熊貓一年只有一次受孕機會，」清邁動物園熊貓專案負責人巴瑟查克表示。
這對受歡迎的大熊貓是二○○三年時，由中國政府借給泰國十年，並在去年開始積極進行交配計畫。
今年七歲的「創創」因體重過重以致影響與「林惠」的房事，經過低碳水化合物的飲食控制後，減輕了七公斤，動物園也給牠看了十五分鐘的熊貓成功交配的影片，目的是想要提高牠的性慾。
但是這支情色影片對這對熊貓夫妻完全沒作用，使得獸醫必須進行取精計畫。
巴瑟查克表示，人工授精會失敗，可能是「林惠」生理上還未做好準備，或是公熊貓的精子不健康。
這意指體型圓胖的「創創」可能必須再瘦身，巴瑟查克說，熊貓的理想體重大約為一百二十公斤，比「創創」目前的體重還要再少十七公斤。
大熊貓因為牠們性慾低而惡名昭彰，牠們是世界上最珍貴的瀕臨絕種動物之一。一般認為，在中國，有將近一千六百隻野生熊貓；有大約一百八十隻被飼養在世界各地的動物園裡。（法新社／翻譯：楊鴻泰）
Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11. “I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass. Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP. Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public. The
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
A: Actually, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is particularly good for small people like you. B: Really? How so? A: According to Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, the BJJ’s purpose is to help smaller, weaker people defend themselves by using various techniques, such as leverage. B: That sounds interesting. What time does Dr Wang’s BJJ seminar begin tonight? A: The event is scheduled for 7:30pm at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. A: 其實你的個子比較小，很適合練巴西柔術呢。 B: 真的嗎？為什麼？ A: 據美國理療醫師王幼瑞博士說，巴西柔術的概念是讓弱小的人，也能利用槓桿作用等技巧防身。 B: 真有趣，王醫師的巴柔研討會幾點開始？ A: 今晚7點半在「台北巴柔運動館」，免費入場自由樂捐唷！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18
RSS