Herbs may perk up new pandas

Source: Shanghai Daily | 08-07-2007 17:50

A boy and his grandmother admire one of the two new pandas yesterday at Shanghai Zoo. Both arrived on a four-year-loan from Wolong Panda Research Center to mark the 2007 Special Olympics and 2010 World Expo, and met the public yesterday.(Shanghai Daily Photo)

BEIJING, Aug. 7 -- Shanghai Zoo is turning to traditional Chinese medicine to raise the sperm count of two new male pandas who arrived last week from Sichuan Province.

The zoo is consulting experts about using herbs to improve the pandas' sperm quality and prolong their reproductive cycle. "Male pandas are the hope for the reproduction of the rare species," Xiong Chengpei, director of the zoo, said yesterday.

Zhuang Zhuang and Peng Peng were borrowed from Wolong Panda Research Center to show visitors coming to Shanghai during this year's Special Olympic Summer Games and the 2010 World Expo, and will return to the center in 2011. The zoo already has one female panda.

Meanwhile, keepers are also trying to nurse Astra, a pregnant gorilla who arrived from the United States in April.

The 12-year-old gorilla was found to be pregnant this month during a regular examination. Zoo officials are keeping a close watch because she once had a baby that died a month after it was born.

"The reason it died is that she didn't have enough milk and was lacking experience in taking care of a little baby," said Xiong.

At present, the zoo is giving Astra nutrient-rich foods. "The problem is that the nutrition cannot be excessive, otherwise the baby will grow too big, causing delivery difficulties," said Xiong. "And so far, there has been no precedent of a Caesarean operation for gorillas."

Editor:Du Xiaodan