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Pandas in European zoos. Pandas at the Chiang May Zoo. Little legend about Big Panda

home To the question: Which cities in Russia have pandas (circus zoos or something similar...)??? given by the author Dmitry Kibisov the best answer is
There are none! Sometimes they brought me to Moskovsky, but only on trips.
Because China prohibits the export of them forever, there is only the opportunity to literally “rent” them - for a lot of money, of course, a million dollars! + subject to adequate maintenance and for a strictly specified period of time (exactly 1 year).
Here, read about pandas when they were in Moscow:
The twentieth century In 1957 big panda first settled in Russia, in a special house on the territory of the Moscow Zoo. It was a large male named Pin-Pin. And in the summer of 1959, we managed to purchase a second copy, according to the plan, in pair with Pin-Pin. His name was An-An, but, unfortunately, he also turned out to be a male. So two handsome little boys lived in Moscow. In 1961, an Austrian businessman took to China large group African animals and exchanged her for a young female giant panda named Chi-Chi. With this “zoological star,” as one of the prominent English zoologists called it, the owner of Chi-Chi arrived in England, where he sold it to the London Zoological Society for huge money. In 1966, the British proposed to the Moscow Zoo to combine the Moscow gentleman An-An with Chi-Chi. They agreed, and the overseas bride arrived from London to Moscow by special plane. It was housed in a transport “carriage” made of plexiglass, non-ferrous metals and plastic. This extraordinary guest was met by zoologists, employees of the capital's zoo, employees of the British Embassy and a great many correspondents. One of them said jokingly: “Due to the nature of my work, I often visit international airport
Chi-Chi lived at the Moscow Zoo for six months, but did not become friends with An-An and was sent back. In 1968, the experiment was repeated. This time An-An flew to visit Chi-Chi. He lived in London for six months and also to no avail. But, as you know, every cloud has a silver lining: both meetings, although they did not give the desired result, helped us better understand the peculiarities of the biology of giant pandas. For example, no one suspected that animals that are good-natured in appearance and completely gentle in character can, under certain circumstances, be very aggressive. Sometimes there were even brutal fights between our heroes. It was necessary to separate them using fire hoses, blank shots from hunting rifles, and also use special pikes and shields made of thick plywood. When attacking and defending, the animals showed great dexterity and techniques typical of predators: grabbing the enemy with their front paws, powerful blows to the enemy’s head with their paws, rapid ramming with their entire body weight, grabbing with their teeth, and so on.
Twenty first century
Visit bamboo bears to Russia took place as part of the Beijing Days in Moscow in the summer of 2001. Ben-Ben is a male, celebrated his fourth birthday in Moscow on July 24, Wen-Ven is a female, she is nine years old.
(it with)
But here are the links - where there are pandas in the world's zoos - see. na - in Berlin and Vienna there is, for example - this is one of those places that is closer. and here is the list:
1. Schönbrunn Zoo (German: Tiergarten Schönbrunn), Austria;
2. Scientific Research Center in Chengdu (The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (hereafter Chengdu Panda Base), China;
3. Atlanta Zoo (USA);
4. Panda breeding center in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, China (Wolong National Nature Reserve) - temporarily closed;
5. Adelaide Zoo, Australia (Adelaide Zoo);
6. Kobe Oji Zoo, China;
7. Madrid Zoo, Spain;
8. Edinburgh Zoo, UK (Scotland);
9. Chiang Mai Zoo, Thailand;
10. Bei Jing Zoo, China;
11. Memphis Zoo, USA;
12. Ocean Park, Hong Kong;
13.
Natalia
Higher intelligence
(131262)
In China itself, of course, there are more opportunities to see them)

Experts believe that communication with animals has a beneficial effect on mental health of people. We've found five places to go to meet furry therapists. These specialists will require food and affection from you as payment.

Find yourself in the kingdom of rabbits

The island of Okunoshima in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan is inhabited only by rabbits. Note that this island was for a long time classified because during World War II a top-secret production of poisonous gases was located there. After the war, the laboratory was destroyed and the island was deserted. Now only the museum and the empty factory buildings remind of the past.

There are two versions of how the fluffies got to the island. Perhaps these are the descendants of experimental animals, or maybe the descendants of six rabbits that were left here in the 70s by schoolchildren who came on an excursion. Now their number reaches almost a thousand, because there are no natural enemies on the island. Moreover local authorities They carefully protect the essence of the new tourist attraction - it is prohibited to come to the island with cats and dogs. What is welcome is food for animals. Rabbits will enjoy the treats with pleasure and will not hesitate to jump right onto your lap.

Listen to the synchronized purring

There are two more unusual islands in Japan - Aoshima and Tashiro. Here other fluffies rule the roost: cats. Their population is several times larger than that of humans. The islands turned into cats in about the same way. Cats were imported en masse to fight rats. On Tashiro, rodents destroyed silkworm caterpillars, and on Aoshima, they damaged fishermen's nets. However, the young population left the islands, leaving only pensioners and feral cats.

Note that cats saved the inhabitants of Tashiro Island from the last devastating earthquake in 2011. They, sensing trouble, raised such a howl that people took notice and evacuated to the top of the hill. Note that in Japan, cats are considered sacred, so on these islands you can find cat temples, as well as houses reminiscent of these animals. Bring along a couple of bags of food for the tabby and enjoy the synchronized purring!

Hug with a giant panda

This can be done at the research center for studying the breeding process of giant pandas in the Chengdu Nature Reserve in China. Here, on an area of 200 hectares, giant pandas, as well as their relatives, miniature but no less beautiful red pandas, live in an environment close to nature. Visitors can observe their lives while walking along paved trails.

There are also several restaurants and a pond with black swans. By the way, to see awake pandas, you need to come to their feeding at 8.30 - 9.00, because the rest of the time these cute creatures sleep. Please note that the service of photographing cuddles with pandas is not currently available in order to protect the animals from the outbreak of certain diseases. However, previously such a pleasure cost about 2,000 yuan, and tourists had to book the opportunity to communicate with pandas in advance. The entrance ticket costs 58 yuan.

Meet the lemurs

Since the cartoon “Madagascar” conquered the world, lemurs have firmly established themselves on the list of cute things to watch. You can interact with these amazing animals with expressive eyes on their home island.

If the inhabitants wildlife If they are unlikely to allow you to touch them, the animals living on the territory of the Vakona Forest Lodge are completely tame. Please note that the hotel is located in a picturesque location on the border of several natural parks. It is made in eco-style and consists of 28 bungalows; the restaurant offers a beautiful view of the lake.

Hold a koala

The koala rounds out our top five cutest animals. At the Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand, for 1,000 baht you can hold these eternally sleepy creatures from Australia in your arms. By the way, to see tree bears awake, you need to come to the zoo from 8.00 to 9.00 and from 16.00 to 17.00, at which time the animals are fed. In addition to these wonderful creatures, the zoo is home to hippos, elephants, pandas and other animals. Entrance costs 150 baht.

Well, are you already impatient to go on a trip? Then quickly buy cheap air tickets on our website and get ready to meet the cutest creatures.

Settled there just a couple of years ago. The animals frolicked so well in the snow that they attracted everyone's attention.

Although this is not surprising, because red pandas are high-altitude animals. The MIR 24 website has prepared a photo report for you on how Zane And Ryzhik are surviving this hot summer.

Eleven o'clock in the morning - feeding time for pandas and the most active period day for these animals. Their territory at the Moscow Zoo consists of two “rooms” - a green open enclosure and a cool room in the building.

The enclosures are equipped with wooden bridges, logs and ladders, along which nimble pandas can climb and hide from people's attention. Here and there pieces of fruit are hung on strings so that the pandas do not get bored and get some of their food on their own.

“They live in the Himalayas, China, Nepal, mostly in the highlands,” says zoologist Natalya Papayeva, who has been babysitting pandas since the day they appeared at the zoo. - 95% of their diet consists of fresh bamboo leaves, the rest is fruits, berries, sometimes quail eggs. Us special type bamboo is brought once a week from Sochi.

We give red pandas a special dry panda formula and fruits: apples, pears, bananas, grapes, apricots, and seasonal berries. Plus we give them carrots, zucchini, pumpkin and quail eggs, but they don’t like chicken eggs. But the most important thing is to provide them with fresh bamboo.”

During the day, red pandas mainly eat and sleep. To digest so much bamboo and absorb nutrients, their bodies require a lot of energy.

These creatures tolerate heat very poorly, says Natalya. The maximum permissible temperature for them is 30 degrees, so the closed enclosure is equipped with air conditioning, where the animals can rest peacefully.

Despite their ardent love for snow, red pandas do not like water and do not try to splash in the shallow pool in the enclosure, using it only for drinking. The thermometer is approaching 30, but Zane and Ryzhik prefer to be in an open enclosure and are constantly chewing something, holding pieces of fruit in their paws.

A female named Zane came to the Moscow Zoo from Dublin in the fall of 2014, and about a year later a male was brought from Poland.

“Both were very timid at first, but now, if not tame, then, at least, take pieces from your hands and let yourself be stroked. But not like cats, they still don’t like people touching them. By nature, Zane is calmer, sleeps and eats more often, and very rarely plays with toys.

And the male is more active - he likes to run. His visitors named him Ryzhik. Actually he has Chinese name, but it is very complex, and among ourselves we also call him Ryzhik,” - a veterinarian and zoologist by training, Natalya has been working at the zoo for 10 years.

What could be cuter than red pandas? Baby red pandas, of course! But, unfortunately, the zoo does not yet have a breeding program for them.

“During the female’s estrus period, we placed them in different cages. So far, so,” the zoologist shrugs.

The rest of the time, Zane and Ryzhik live together amicably. To make life in the enclosure more fun, zoo staff come up with logical puzzles for their charges, which the pandas successfully solve, demonstrating cunning.

“They are used to visitors. When they arrived, it was hard for them. At first, we closed the hall altogether so that there would be no people. Sometimes pandas don't like things, like when children run and scream. But most often they simply don’t notice people - they sleep either upstairs or in houses in the enclosure.”

Unfortunately, the lifespan of red pandas is shorter than that of cats - approximately 10-12 years. Today, Zane is 3.5 years old, and Ryzhik is a year younger. Note that red pandas are included in the Red Book with the status “Endangered”.

Finally, here is the very sight that made Moscow Zoo visitors fall in love with red pandas:

To start, Where in China can you see pandas?:

In our opinion, the best option is a research center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. There are also a couple of mangy pandas in Beijing Zoo, but eyewitnesses do not recommend this spectacle.

In Chengdu, pandas are not only studied, but also bred, so sometimes you can see the butts of babies. Teenagers and adults walk freely, hang on trees, lie and chew bamboo, and only a moat separates you from them.

The area is large and green, with open enclosures, where only a moat separates you from the panda. There is also a lake with swans, red, more active pandas, souvenir shops and educational cinema. In total, if you walk slowly, the visit will take 3-4 hours.

map of the reserve. click to enlarge

After buying a ticket inside, I like to take the electric tram (the ticket is nearby, and there is a small queue) and go to the very end, to the Moonlight pavilion, and then walk back from there.

They say that 80% of all pandas in the world live in the center, despite the fact that there are about 1.5-2 thousand of them in total. There are signs near the enclosures with the name, age, character and talents of the pandas living here. For example, Miss Shu Qing, born in 1999. Active, smart, knows how to find food.

How to get there:

Giant Panda Research Breeding Center 大熊猫基地 is located about an hour's drive from the city center, relatively recently a metro line was opened to the avenue and station of the same name Panda Avenue 大熊猫大道, from the exit from the metro you can catch a taxi or take one of the branded ones, free, it seems, buses (you just need to wait until there are more of them), or turn the corner and take a regular city bus - in “” we explain in detail how to do this. You can take a taxi even from the hotel, but keep in mind that there are often traffic jams in the city center.

The entrance ticket costs 58 yuan. Please note age discounts. 60+ half price, 70+ free, about children - ask on the spot.

Now the second part: where can you touch a panda

Previously, the center in Chengdu allowed you to hold a panda on your lap for 5 minutes for 800 yuan, by appointment and in a special robe and gloves (the price subsequently rose), but after another epidemic the shop was closed. Perhaps they will resume, you can follow the updates on the official website.

In addition, there is a certain nature reserve in Sichuan that accepts volunteers for several days for money. There you can clean up the panda's cute poop, feed it and be touched. Pleasure is not cheap. We have an English-speaking Chinese friend who does this. If anyone needs it, write in the comments, I will connect you.

* thanks to Marina Fimushina for the photos, a small excerpt from her notes as a bonus:

We watched films. About childbirth and mating. 60% of all pandas come from 4 males. They are all close relatives.
In captivity, they forget how to have sex. So they were sent into one room. The female pays no attention and often just continues to eat. The male fiddled and fiddled... but never got it done. Although such a glitch is only in captivity. Wild specimens still can.
But the question is urgent: if you miss a chance today, the next one will appear only in a year. And the whole operation began. The male was euthanized and material was taken. The female was euthanized and insemination was performed. A whole team of doctors were busy.The calf was born weighing 162 grams. Females are quite indifferent to newborns and can often eat them.
These animals survived only because of people and only because they are cute!

The Big Panda ("Black and White Catfoot", Ailuropoda melanoleuca, bamboo bear, in English: Giant Panda) is a large mammal of the order of predators, the bear family, habitat - the valley in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and mountainous areas in Central China, whose symbol is this is an animal, as well as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Pandas are an endangered species, so they are listed in the Red Book. On this moment There are only 1,600 individuals that live in the wild, and approximately the same number are kept in zoos. 217 animals are kept at the Center for the Study and Conservation of Giant Pandas, whose scientists are making every effort to save this species. Average length The head and body of a panda is 1.2-1.6 m. Height at the withers is 60-80 cm. Weight ranges from 75 to 160 kg.

Little legend about Big Panda

“Black glasses” and a charming appearance provided pandas with not only recognition and wide fame, but also universal love. There is a legend in China that explains the unusual color of these animals. That legend says that in ancient times, a family of shepherds settled on a mountain slope. Every morning, the shepherds took their flock of sheep to graze next to the bamboo thickets, where a white panda came to play with them. But one day a wild leopard attacked the peacefully grazing herd. All the sheep ran away in fear, and only the little panda did not have time to hide, because... I couldn't run fast. The wild leopard was already creeping up on its victim, and the panda would not have escaped a sad fate if not for the young shepherdess who grabbed a stick and drove him away. terrible beast from little panda. But the shepherdess herself suffered greatly from the predator and died from wounds received in the fight. Having learned that the young girl had paid with her life for the life of their brother, the pandas wept bitterly and began to sprinkle themselves with ashes in honor of mourning for the dead. The pandas' grief was very great. Wiping away tears and consoling each other, they left black spots of ash on their snow-white skins. Since then, all the pandas have been mourning for the brave girl.

Classification

Subsequently, demanding scientists could not classify pandas for a long time, because... these unique animals have an unusual anatomy, the characteristics of which belong not only to the bear family, but also to the raccoon family. As a result, the place of pandas in the classification of the animal world was determined by paleontologists. Australian paleontologist E. Tennius put an end to the debate by conducting a series of studies. Thanks to morphological, biochemical, cardiac and ethological analysis, he proved that giant pandas are in fact bears, because According to 16 characteristics, they belong specifically to bears, and only 5 to raccoons and small pandas. He also identified 12 traits that are unique to giant pandas. After Tennius's discoveries, pandas began to be classified as bears, i.e. to the family Ursidae.

Not so long ago, namely in 2008, a scientific project was launched at the Beijing Institute of Genomics, the subject of research of which is panda DNA. Scientists from five countries took part in this project. They found that the giant panda has 20-30 thousand genes, and its genome is 68% identical to the human genome. The giant panda has 42 chromosomes (21 pairs), most of of which are metacentric, while the remaining bears have 74 acrocentric. However, there are still many questions that the team hopes to find answers to: why pandas eat bamboo and whether it is possible to change their meager diet and why pandas reproduce so poorly.

Appearance

By appearance black and white panda resembles a bear. The coloring of these animals is very specific - White color The fur is diluted with black on the ears, legs and shoulders, as well as around the eyes creating the effect of “black glasses”. Scientists believe that this unique color is explained by natural environment habitat in which such “camouflage” provided camouflage and protection in rocks covered with patches of snow. Thick wool perfectly warms animals in the cool forests of their habitat. Pandas' jaws have strong muscles and are equipped with molars.

Pandas are short and thick hind legs. There are smooth pads on the soles, as well as at the base of the toes, that comfortably hold the bamboo stems. Usually the animal breaks off young bamboo shoots with its front paws and methodically eats its favorite delicacy: leaves, shoots and stems. A special feature of the structure of pandas' paws is the sixth toe, which acts as a thumb, as well as the presence of a rather long tail for bears, which can grow up to 12 cm. Chinese scientists have established that in ancient times pandas were not such large animals. The discovery of an ancient panda skull, which they discovered in southern China, proved that previously pandas were one and a half times smaller.

Panda Skeleton

The panda skeleton has several features that still baffle scientists. If you look closely at the panda's skeleton, you will notice that the ribs look too small for a huge chest this amazing animal. But more interesting are the structural features of the forelimbs. Short forearms, the ulna (lower forearm) protrudes too much proximally (closer to the center of the body or its median plane). A similar feature is found in monkeys, helping them swing and jump from tree to tree. Scientists suggest that this helps the panda chew on tough bamboo stems. But this is just one hypothesis. Scientists do not have an exact explanation for small lower limbs pandas, whose structure is very different from the structure of the paws of grizzlies or polar bears.

“Thumb” (a structural feature of the paw)

Worthy of special attention distinguishing feature pandas, which sets these animals apart from other varieties of bears even more than their unusual appearance. Giant pandas have unusual front paws, with a "thumb" and five normal toes. On the soles and at the base of each toe, bare pads are well developed, making it easier to hold the smooth bamboo stems. Famous " thumb The panda's bone is actually a modified sesamoid bone of the wrist. Sesamoid bones are bones that are located within the thickness of tendons and usually lie on the surface of other bones.

Thanks to this unique “finger,” the panda can easily handle even the thinnest bamboo shoots, grab branches, and perform a number of other actions that are inaccessible to other types of bears. Captive pandas can use their front paws to hold balls and enamel and aluminum bowls while waiting to be filled with food. The “grasping” structure of the forelimb allows even massive adult pandas to climb to the very top of trees. Climbing abilities are used by these amazing animals for a variety of purposes - in this way they navigate the terrain, escape from danger, taste young shoots, or simply have fun. Sometimes they climb up to rest.

Habitat (where he lives)

Supercontinent: Afro-Eurasia.
Mainland: Eurasia.
Continent: Asia.
A country: China.
Provinces: Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi.

Pandas live in forests among dense thickets of bamboo in the mountains at altitudes from 1200 to 3900 m. As a rule, pandas descend to lower altitudes in the cold season. There they provide themselves with food and shelter. Each panda acquires its own personal territory, which it marks on border trees.

Despite the fact that pandas are classified as carnivores, their diet is largely vegetarian. It consists of shoots, leaves and stems of bamboo. It should be noted that pandas love to eat - up to 16 hours a day, their pastime is food. This is explained by the fact that to maintain body weight, pandas need great amount bamboo Of all the absorbed plant food, these unusual animals absorb only 17%.

The Xiaoxinming, Daxiangling, Qulaishan and Minshan mountains, located in the Chinese province of Sichuan, form a kind of corridor that stretches from the eastern end of the Tibetan plateau to the Qin Ling ridge in Shanxi. The last habitat of pandas is located on this strip of land, because... only there remained bamboo forests, which previously grew all the way to North Vietnam and northern Myanmar.

List of zoos that have giant pandas

Europe

Zoo Schönbrunn, Austria;

Madrid Zoo, Spain;

Edinburgh Zoo, UK (Scotland);

Zoo Berlin, Germany;

Zoo Beauval, Saint-Aignan, France;

Asia

Research Center in Chengdu, China

Kobe Oji Zoo, China;

Bei Jing Zoo, China;

Wolong Panda Breeding Center, Sichuan Province, China (temporarily closed)

Ocean Park, Hong Kong;

River Safari, Singapore;

Chiang Mai Zoo, Thailand;

Taipei Zoo, Taiwan;

Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan;

Shiragama Amusement Park, Japan;

North America

Memphis Zoo(USA). Video camera: http://www.memphiszoo.org/pandacam.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington DC(USA): http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/.

Zoo in San Diego(USA). Video camera: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/.

Toronto Zoo, Canada;

South America

Zoo in Mexico City, Mexico;

Australia

Adelaide Zoo, Australia;

Why are pandas becoming extinct?

Friends, we just recently received some good news: the giant panda is leaving the list of endangered species. However, pandas remain a vulnerable species and the problem of panda extinction is still relevant.

The main reason for the extinction of pandas is the degradation and reduction of their habitat due to anthropogenic pressure. Due to significant deforestation of bamboo forests, the habitat of giant pandas is constantly declining. In addition, illegal logging is often carried out, which increases the degree of damage caused to Chinese forests. At the moment, this has led to the fact that panda settlements have become clustered - small and isolated from each other, and it is becoming more and more difficult for pandas to move to new healthy thickets.

The shrinking habitat of giant pandas is also influenced by natural causes: bamboo thickets periodically die out, and are prevented from spreading to new places human activity, which uses an increasing area of land for cultivation. Thus, peaceful peasants settled new areas in mountain valleys and cleared forest areas for fields and gardens. As a result, a single massif of bamboo forests broke up into separate islands, which were able to shelter only a few a large number of giant pandas Previously, when there were enough bamboo forests, pandas migrated to where there were healthy thickets. However, now many of their routes of movement are interrupted settlements, which pandas cannot cross due to their very solitary and quiet lifestyle.

Small groups of animals, cut off from their relatives, became doomed to interbreeding with each other, which always leads to gradual degeneration. Once upon a time, giant pandas inhabited the entire “bamboo belt” of China. At the moment, they are preserved only in Sichuan province, an area whose length is only 300 kilometers. Due to the fact that the inhabitants of small bamboo islands simply had nowhere to go, in the mid-1970s, due to the simultaneous death of several species of bamboo, 124 giant pandas died of starvation.

After that tragedy, the Chinese authorities began saving these rare animals, which became a kind of symbol of the country. Nature reserves began to be organized, covering all habitats of giant pandas. There are currently 40 protected forests in China.

The birth of weak, down-protected and blind cubs and small litters can also contribute to the slow growth of the population.

Another reason for the extinction of pandas is poaching. At a time when giant pandas became known in Europe and they aroused great interest, hunters for rare animals began a wholesale extermination of pandas. They made stuffed animals and extracted expensive fur. Local poachers also hunted pandas. The fact is that panda skin is valued at two to three times the average annual income of one Chinese peasant, and therefore poaching was a serious problem some time ago. However, as a result of increased education and the inclusion of the giant panda in the Red Book, the intensity of poaching has decreased significantly.

Behavior

Pandas prefer to be active already at dusk. Morning for them is the time when they can sit in the shade or lie down. Pandas mostly spend their lives on the ground, but can easily climb trees if necessary. Pandas are one of those animals that do not acquire their own home, because... they find shelter in caves or among forest thickets. Pandas are clean animals. In the breaks between rest and food, they spend a lot of time on their appearance, cleaning and washing for a long time. However, they do not like to swim and get caught in the rain, from which they hide in their shelters.

A panda's pose can say a lot about its intentions. If the animal shows submissiveness, it puts its head between its front paws, sometimes even covering its eyes with its paws. Pandas behave completely differently if their mood is aggressive: then they lower their heads down and look straight at the enemy from under their brows.

Adult pandas are also famous for their unusual poses. They can sit as if in a chair, imitating it, leaning their back on a tree trunk or other surface, and placing their paws on some ledge. As a rule, they use this position when doing their toilet, or simply to take a little nap. A big misconception is that pandas are considered clumsy and slow. Provided they are in danger from predators, a panda can easily roll down a mountain or quickly run away. Pandas have powerful claws that grow up to 4 cm, which they can use as weapons against opponents.

Although pandas prefer a solitary lifestyle, they also have to communicate with each other. They do this using a certain set of sounds, and each sound has its own for different situations. If a panda is in pain or showing submission, the sound it makes resembles a squeal. During the process of mating, pandas “chirp” like a bird, and in moments of danger they make sounds reminiscent of a goose cry. “Goat” bleating should be regarded as an invitation to communicate in a friendly manner, and slurping serves as a signal of a retaliatory threat.

A special means of communication is smells, with the help of which pandas let others know about something. They even have special places, where they leave their messages, and also come to read the “messages” of their fellows. Surprisingly, pandas have a means that allows them to attract sympathy. The fact is that pandas, with the help of their sweat glands, have the ability to secrete a special secretion containing pheromones. This helps pandas very well in case of danger, because... volatile compounds that control neuroendocrine behavioral reactions reduce the level of aggression. This is also how scientists explain the love for these animals that arises in everyone who has experienced the effect of a secret at least once in their life, multiplied by the natural charm of pandas.

Dating and breeding

Pandas are very whimsical animals when it comes to choosing a partner. A panda will never mate if it does not like the intended partner. The mating season for giant pandas lasts two and a half months - mid-March to May. During this period, animals are looking for a mate. 4-5 males can claim one female. However, as soon as mating has taken place, the animals return to their previous solitary lifestyle. Females are extremely demanding of males; moreover, they allow partners to approach them no more than 48 hours during the entire year. Observations of pandas living in captivity have shown that 50% of males and females show absolutely no interest in members of the opposite sex, and only 10% have had sexual contact at least once in their lives. Zhang Hemin, one of the authors of the work "Giant Pandas: Biology, Treatment and Care", who is the director nature reserve Wolong came up with an original solution to this problem. He invited the pandas to watch special “porn” for these animals, in which the emphasis was on sounds. The experiment was a success, and the pandas of the Wolong Nature Reserve began to reproduce. Previous attempts to increase the birth rate of pandas, which consisted of trying to force males to perform their “marital duties”, like feeding Viagra, were unsuccessful.

Birth and childhood

After mating, an average of 135 days pass before the baby is born. The female gives birth to from one to three babies. But the cubs are born so helpless, and caring for them is so difficult, that the panda usually raises only one. At birth, the baby weighs no more than 150 g, and reaches no more than 17 cm in length. The baby is born blind and without coat. In zoos, keepers have come up with a special trick: they leave only one baby for the female, replacing him with another every few days. This way it is possible to feed both babies with mother's milk.

Pandas are very caring and affectionate mothers. They cradle their “babies”, rocking them in their arms, pressing them to their chests, showing their motherly love and care in every possible way. Feeding babies can happen up to 14 times a day, so for the first few days, the mother panda does not leave her den. The duration of each feeding session is up to 30 minutes. Pandas' eyes open 3 weeks after birth, and their fur grows back by the end of the first month. At three months, a panda cub begins to walk independently, and at five months he switches to a bamboo diet. Pandas stay with their mothers from one and a half to three years, but reach sexual maturity only at six years.

People among pandas

In 1996, in one of the regions of China, hunters accidentally caught a child covered with fur and behaving like a panda. The child was found among these animals. The boy was born with numerous genetic abnormalities. The body was covered with thick hair. Apparently, this allowed the pandas to accept the human child as their own and raise it.

The pandas raised the child according to their own ideas, so he moved exclusively on all fours, licked himself, and ate bamboo shoots. Apart from a few minor differences, the panda boy behaved exactly like his “adoptive parents.”

After the child was placed among people in a foster family, he continued to behave for some time like his former teachers. However, after some time, the boy began to adopt human habits and skills, learned to stand and speak. He was then taken to a Beijing institute for research.

Assault on a person

Despite popular belief about the safety and tranquility of pandas, cases have been recorded aggressive behavior in relation to Homo sapiens.

Don't forget that giant pandas are bears, and bears are omnivores. wild animals from the order of predators, who are not averse to protecting their territory and offspring.

Getting to know Europe

The world first learned about these cute animals in 1869. David Armand, a French missionary who traveled to Mongolia, Tibet and China and collected rich zoological collections on his travels, returned to his homeland and demonstrated in Paris the skin of an unprecedented black and white bear, which was placed in the Natural History Museum. However, bringing the skin of an unknown animal to the West is one thing, but proving that it actually exists is a completely different matter. Many European scientists were convinced that such a large animal simply could not exist in nature. The unusual color of the unknown animal also raised great doubts. Many were convinced that the skin shown by Armand was the result of the work of skilled craftsmen who sewed several skins together and thus obtained this result.

But David Armand did not give up. He proved to the world that the skin he brought belonged to a real animal. He took another trip to the east and presented the skeleton of a panda to the Western world, accompanied by the story of the hunter who caught the panda.

Pandas and Russia

In Russia, the first panda appeared in 1957 at the Moscow Zoo. The first panda's name was Pin-pin. Soon the zoo acquired another panda named An-an. The employees of the Moscow Zoo wanted to create a couple and then wait for offspring from their new pets. However, it turned out that An-an is also a male. And only 4 years later, the Chinese authorities helped Moscow and picked up a female named Chi-chi. However, this did not bring success either. Either Chi-chi didn’t like her partners, or it was due to the lack of attraction to individuals of the opposite sex, characteristic of pandas living in captivity. And the bride was sent back.

Panda in Russian, and how to correctly call panda children!

PANDA, -s, female. Mammal of the family. raccoons (at that time the panda was considered a member of the raccoon family) Small p., Large p. (bamboo bear).

| adj. panda, -aya, -oe.

Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949-1992

As we can see, from dictionaries, in particular from Ozhegov’s dictionary, the word “panda” is inclined. However, this word is not in word-formation dictionaries. Therefore, the suffix formations of the names of panda cubs, according to the classical scheme: root + onok/enok, such as “ little pande", « pandyats", are considered non-literary. The correct name for panda babies is: panda cubs, panda cub and panda bear, panda cubs (similar to grizzly bear cubs), since the panda is now classified as a member of the bear family.

origin of name

The first mention of the giant panda in literature occurred more than 3,000 years ago in the Book of History and the Book of Songs. In these books the animal was called pi and pixiu. Later the panda appeared in the first Chinese dictionary Er Ya, in the Classics of Seas and Mountains and in Annotated Readings of the Book of Songs. In those books the panda was called mo, zhi yi and bai hu and described as white fox, white leopard and an animal like a tiger or polar bear. In later sources, the panda was again and again given new names: meng shi shou (predator), shi ti shou (iron-eating animal) and zhu xiong (bamboo bear). The origin is still controversial. Scientists cannot agree on what it is: a banded bear (huaxiong), a cat-like bear (maoxiong), a bear-like cat (xiongmao) or a great panda (daxiongmao).

It is believed that the word "panda" has a common root with the Nepalese ponya - knee cap. The authors of the hypothesis believe that such an association could arise when observing an animal at the time of their meal. Others are inclined to believe that the word "panda" was born from the Nepalese name for the red panda wah, which comes from loud sound, which came from the sounds periodically made by these animals. But the answer remains a mystery.

Panda as a media character

The giant panda, having a very unusual color and appearance, is not only natural heritage, but also a source of aesthetic consumption. Various artists and directors exploit the image of the panda, using it in their projects.

Pandaria is a whole fictional continent, game world World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria:

Panda from the cartoon "Tekken Blood Vengeance":

Po from Kung Fu Panda:

The main character of the anime “Polar Bear Cafe” is also a panda:

"Big Panda and Little Panda" (Panda, Go, Panda! 1972)

Ilya Sysoev - Panda from the series "Gamers"

Documentary films about panda

Bear. The Bear: Spy in the Woods (2004)
(BBC production, Steve Bunce)
Thanks to a spy video camera, it was possible to capture unprecedented moments in the fascinating life of one of the mysterious and popular groups of animals. The star of the picture is a giant panda against the backdrop of Wildlife. You can learn about how this creature behaves and feels in a huge bear family. Compared to the life of brown and polar bear, the panda's lifestyle is a striking contrast. An in-depth study of the life of wildlife will introduce the viewer to an equally famous animal - the spectacled bear, which is the only representative of bears in South America. You can see grizzly bears catching salmon; in the forests of Minnesota, we will watch black bears and their offspring climbing trees. Never in your life have you been able to get so close to real bears.

World of nature. Sleeping Dragon Pandas / The Natural World. Pandas of the Sleeping Dragon (1994)
(BBC production, Liz Laidler, Kate Laidler)
The bamboo forests of Central China are home to many species of rare and unusual animals. Our film will tell the viewer about those of them who inhabit the main Chinese panda reserve - the Sleeping Dragon Reserve. "Sleeping Dragon" is the poetic name of the largest Chinese reserve for pandas A great opportunity to get to know unique species these “bamboo bears”, find out what there is, it turns out, a giant panda, a red panda, a water dragon, a bamboo rat...

Giant panda. Pandas on the loose / Giant Panda. Pandas in the Wild (2009)
(produced by National Geographic, Japan, China, Tatsuhiko Kobayashi)
A group of Japanese and Chinese filmmakers who spent a year and a half in the Quinlin Mountains in southwest China managed to make a unique film about one of the rarest animals on Earth - giant pandas. Humid climate this harsh mountain region creates ideal conditions for the growth of bamboo, a plant that is the basis of the panda’s diet. Giant pandas consume up to 18 kilograms of bamboo daily, which takes them 12-14 hours. The rest of the time pandas sleep. For the first time, viewers will see footage of these amazing animals during mating games and mating, they will be able to watch how a female panda carefully cares for her newly born baby, who weighs just over 100 grams.

Giant Pandas: The Last Refuge (1994)
(Produced by National Geographic, Mark Stoffer)
Together with a group of researchers from the National Geographical Society you can go on an amazing journey to Central China, to the Chin Lin mountains, where among bamboo thickets and inaccessible rocks lives the rarest representative local fauna- big panda. You have a unique opportunity to find yourself in the closed world of these animals, whose population is on the verge of complete extinction. You will witness the life of a young panda, from the very first days of her life to adulthood. This is a touching story of a mother panda and her little daughter traveling through forests and snow-capped mountains. Many of the images you are about to see were captured by scientists for the first time. This film is the first step towards introducing a person to these charming creatures, who can teach us all a lesson in amazing kindness and tenderness...