giant pandas

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Pyrotechnics Drone Show Is for the Pandas

The spectacle, designed to build support and awareness, is Hong Kong's first

(Newser) - Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the city's first pyrotechnics drone show, as part of a campaign to raise support and awareness of panda conservation. The 10-minute drone show featured 1,000 drones, some of which were equipped with fireworks, flying over Hong Kong's Victoria...

Report: $86M Sent to China to Protect Pandas Went Elsewhere

NYT : Money sent by US zoos instead funded projects unrelated to conservation, some harmful

(Newser) - Pandas are cute, cuddly, and, it turns out, an important distraction from the fact that tens of millions of dollars raised by US zoos to fund the protection of wild giant pandas instead went to essentially whatever projects Chinese officials decided. That's according to a New York Times investigation,...

After 'Long Dark Drought,' Pandas Returning to DC Zoo
National Zoo's
'Panda Drought' Is Over
UPDATED
Oct 15, 2024 1:40 PM CDT

National Zoo's 'Panda Drought' Is Over

Pair arrives in DC from China

(Newser) - The National Zoo's long, dark panda drought has come to an end. Eleven months after the Washington, DC, zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas—Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji— back to China , a new pair of bears arrived Tuesday morning, the AP reports....

Giant Pandas Make Debut in San Diego


San Diego
Welcomes
Giant Pandas
Aug 8, 2024 4:50 PM CDT

San Diego Welcomes Giant Pandas

Yun Chuan and Xin Bao made first public appearance

(Newser) - California's governor flew in for the event. Throngs of media gathered, while the City of San Diego warned of traffic jams. The San Diego Zoo rolled out the red carpet Thursday for the first public showing of its newest residents. Visitors watched the two giant pandas sunbathe and chow...

National Zoo Is Getting Visitors
Panda Diplomacy Returns
May 29, 2024 10:44 AM CDT

Panda Diplomacy Returns

China is sending 2 young giant pandas to the National Zoo later this year

(Newser) - The National Zoo won't have to wait long to refill its panda habitat, reports the Washington Post , with the zoo announcing that China is sending two young pandas to DC later this year. The pair of 2-year-olds are female Qing Bao ("green" and "treasure" in Mandarin) and...

Sign of a US-China Thaw: a New Panda Promise

China plans to send 2 new pandas to the San Diego Zoo

(Newser) - China plans to send a new pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo, renewing its long-standing gesture of friendship toward the United States after nearly all the iconic bears on loan to US zoos were returned as relations began to sour between the two nations. San Diego Zoo...

5 Months After Biden's 'Dictator' Remark, a Repeat

After California summit, president says China's Xi Jinping still is one, but that they 'made progress'

(Newser) - President Biden and Xi Jinping spent four hours together Wednesday, emerging from their working lunch and other meetings with "modest agreements" on everything from combating fentanyl to reestablishing military communications. Post-summit, however, Biden made a remark about his Chinese counterpart that's "likely to land with a thud...

Say Goodbye to Tian Tian and Family

Giant panda, as well as mate Mei Xiang and cub Xiao Qi Ji are heading back to China on Wednesday

(Newser) - For nearly a quarter century, giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have called the Smithsonian's National Zoo in DC home, part of a "panda diplomacy" initiative with China established during the Nixon years that involved loaning pandas to the US for breeding and research purposes. Now, the...

DC to Lose Famous Trio Due to 'Punitive Panda Diplomacy'

Amid strained relations with China, it's not clear if deal for pandas struck by Nixon will be renewed

(Newser) - The National Zoo's three giant pandas—Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji—are set to return to China in early December, with no public signs that the 50-year-old exchange agreement struck by former President Nixon will continue, reports the AP . National Zoo officials have remained...

Chinese Panda Loaned to Thailand Dies Suddenly

Panda Lin Hui fell ill on Tuesday

(Newser) - A giant panda on long-term loan from China died in a zoo in northern Thailand on Wednesday, six months before she was due to return home, officials from the Chiang Mai Zoo said. The cause of Lin Hui’s death was not immediately clear but she appeared to have become...

Return of Chinese Panda Is a Relief to Her Advocates

Ya Ya is going back home from the Memphis Zoo after 20 years

(Newser) - Ya Ya, a female giant panda, is returning to China after spending two decades on loan to the Memphis Zoo. This follows concerns raised by animal welfare activists and Chinese citizens, reports the New York Times . While the Memphis Zoo refutes allegations of inadequate treatment and has given explanations for...

Panda Leaves Tokyo to Tears
Panda Leaves Tokyo to Tears
Feb 19, 2023 4:50 PM CST

Panda Leaves Tokyo to Tears

Thousands at zoo say goodbye to Xiang Xiang, who's headed to China

(Newser) - Thousands of Japanese fans, some wiping away tears, bid farewell to a beloved Japanese-born giant panda that made her final public appearance Sunday before flying to her home country, China. The panda fans gathered at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo for one last look at Xiang Xiang, the park's idol...

2 Tiny Triumphs in Pandas' Struggle for Survival

Twin cubs born at a breeding center in China

(Newser) - Twin giant pandas have been born at a breeding center in southwestern China, reports the AP , a sign of progress for the country’s unofficial national mascot as it struggles for survival amid climate change and loss of habitat. The male and female cubs, born Tuesday at the Qinling Panda...

A Famously Old Giant Panda Is Euthanized

At 35, An An was oldest male panda in captivity

(Newser) - The oldest-ever male giant panda in captivity has died at age 35 at a Hong Kong theme park after his health deteriorated. An An lived most of his life at Ocean Park after he and a female panda were gifted to Hong Kong by China in 1999, reports the AP...

A Big Panda Milestone Is Marked With Cake

Over the weekend, a celebration of 50 years of pandas at the National Zoo

(Newser) - The "cake" was made from frozen fruit juice, sweet potatoes, carrots, and sugar cane, and it lasted about 15 minutes once giant panda mama Mei Xiang and her cub Xiao Qi Ji got hold of it. The National Zoo's most famous tenants had an enthusiastic breakfast Saturday in...

Giant Panda Gives Birth to Two Tiny Pandas in Madrid

Hua Zuiba has already had four cubs with Bing Xing

(Newser) - The world just got a few ounces cuter. Hua Zuiba, a giant panda on loan to the Madrid Zoo from China, gave birth Monday morning to twins. Hua Zuiba and Bing Xing, the father of the twins, have four other adorable offspring, including another pair of twins, per the AP...

For Giant Panda, It's a Girl ... and Another Girl!

Huan Huan, on loan from China to France, is the new mom of twins

(Newser) - Happy news on the giant-panda front: One such panda on loan to France from China gave birth to twin female cubs early Monday, per the AP . "They are very lively, pink, and plump," says the Beauval Zoo, south of Paris. The cubs weigh 5.3 ounces and 4....

Giant Pandas in China No Longer Endangered
Big News for
China's Giant Pandas
Jul 9, 2021 2:02 PM CDT

Big News for China's Giant Pandas

They're now considered a vulnerable species in the wild, not endangered

(Newser) - Giant pandas outside of captivity in China just saw a status upgrade. Thanks to conservation efforts, they're no longer considered an endangered species, but a vulnerable one, reports the Guardian , which notes there are about 1,800 pandas currently in the country's wild. Environment Ministry rep Cui Shuhong...

Zoo Director on Panda Birth: 'I Was Relieved,' Then 'Shocked'

Japan's Ueno Zoo welcomes its first twin panda cubs

(Newser) - Japan's oldest zoo was one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country before closing for five months due to the pandemic. Shortly after reopening, it's suddenly even more attractive. In a surprise, a giant panda at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo gave birth to twins early Wednesday....

Researchers Figure Out Why Pandas Like Horse Manure

Compounds in dung seem to keep them warm in chilly weather, study suggests

(Newser) - It isn't an Earth-shattering revelation, but a Chinese study has uncovered what could be chilling news for some: pandas appear to smear themselves with feces to stay warm. According to the Guardian , scientists who were curious about a behavior seen in some giant pandas set up cameras in 2016...

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