Why panda sex is so complex
“Will they or won’t they?” has been the classic tantalizing question behind the romantic tensions between TV couples. It’s the same for pandas, except there’s more at stake.
Hopes were high among conservationists that female panda Tian Tian (Sweetie) and male panda Yang Guang (Sunshine) would mate during breeding season at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. It appears they have “hit it off” and are attracted to each other, but so far they haven’t actually had sex, and a successful mating between them has become more unlikely, according to a zoo statement released this week.
Experts had determined, based on hormone testing and behavioral observation, that this was the right time for the two exotic and adorable animals to meet. But, as the zoo stated, it was “close, but no cigar.”
I told them to go with California wine instead of French. The problem is that cheap French wine is in every convenience store in the UK. Of course she wasn’t impressed.
Pandas are an endangered species. There are less than 1,600 in the wild, and climate change threatens their natural habitat. That’s why conservationists are so keen on the production of baby pandas – not just for more cuteness in the world, but to help the survival of the species.
