After 10 years of trying in a zoo, two pandas mate naturally as soon as the park closes. Demonstration of the uselessness of these places
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Nature's Revenge: After 10 years of trying in a zoo, two pandas mate naturally as soon as the park closes. It happened in Hong Kong's Ocean Park. Demonstration of the uselessness of these places, as well as of the suffering they inflict on animals.
Ying Ying and Le Le, two giant pandas "residing" in Hong Kong's Ocean Park showed signs of their reproductive cycle in late March and mated naturally around 9 am on 6 April. It is the first time since the specimens arrived in the park and it happens just when it is closed due to the restrictive measures taken in Hong Kong.
The coronavirus, we know, is a scourge, but it is bringing back some balances in nature destroyed by man: the pollution of the planet is strongly reducing and many animals have resumed occupying their spaces.
Even in Hong Kong, one of the areas most affected by the pandemic, many aggregation centers have been closed, including zoos. Since the end of March, Ying Ying, the female, has started to spend more time playing in the water, while Le Le, the male, has managed to leave his scent in her habitat, which has become almost "natural", looking for that of Ying Ying.
These behaviors are consistent with those common during the breeding season, which occurs once a year between March and May. With Ying Ying's hormonal changes, Park vets confirm that the two giant pandas have entered this year's breeding season.
"Male and female giant pandas are sexually mature from the age of seven and five, respectively - explains Michael Boos, director of zoological and conservation operations at Ocean Park - Since Ying Ying and Le Le's arrival in Hong Kong in 2007, natural mating attempts that began in 2010 had unfortunately been unsuccessful. L'natural coupling today is extremely exciting for all of us since the chance of one pregnancy with natural mating it is greater than artificial insemination ".
The gestation period for giant pandas varies between 72 and 324 days, and confirmation of pregnancy can only be detected by ultrasound from 14 to 17 days before birth.
Giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le succeeded in a natural mating, @Ocean_Park has announced. "We hope to bear wonderful pregnancy news to Hong Kongers this year and make further contributions to the conservation of this vulnerable species," the park's Michael Boos said. pic.twitter.com/yJCpCdVHeK
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) April 6, 2020
Ocean Park works with experts from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and the Park will continue to closely monitor Ying Ying's hormone levels and behavioral changes, updating the public on the latest developments as information becomes available.
On 4 September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the panda as a vulnerable species and risk of extinction is still high: this is because the habitat of these animals is shrinking due to the destruction of forests, consequently becoming more and more difficult to find bamboo shoots for sustenance.
And it's true, the park's goal was to encourage the reproduction of endangered species (but also to attract tourists, needless to hide it). However, 10 years of "human" attempts have failed. And it is perhaps no coincidence that animals, finally feeling free, have resumed their hormonal and reproductive cycle.
As a demonstration, as if other proofs were not enough, that "nature does it by itself", much better without us, who condition the social life of animals, when we do not completely destroy it by torturing these creatures.
Tanti auguri Ying Ying e Le Le! We hope you and your puppies will be there soon free.
Sources of reference: Ocean Park / CNN / IUCN / Hong Kong Free Press / Twitter
Read also:
- The Earth returns to breathe: pollution in drastic decline in the countries most affected by the coronavirus
- Coronavirus, without tourists and poachers, turtles return en masse to nest undisturbed on Indian coasts
