Panda gets daily dose of porn
2007-03-26 12:01
Bangkok - A Thai zoo has put a young but sexually inactive male giant panda on an intensive mating course that includes daily pornographic videos and a low-carb diet, a zoo official said on Monday.
The Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand has been struggling to make its star residents, six-year-old Chuang Chuang and his five-year-old partner Lin Hui, mate since the pair arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003.
"We sought expert opinions from China and have been closely monitoring their behaviour," said Kannikar Nimtragul, a veterinarian at the zoo.
The latest attempt was an intensive sex course in which Chuang Chuang had to watch the 15-minute porn videos every day during the past week, Kannikar said.
His keepers hope to warm him up before next week, when his partner will be fertile and could be impregnated.
"We had to educate Chuang Chuang about how to mate. He showed some interest in the sounds of the video, but not really the footage," she said, but added that she was hopeful that Chuang Chuang might turn the practice into action.
Apart from the video, the 150kg male had to undergo a low-carb diet because he was too heavy to mate with Lin Hui, who weighs 110kg.
Chuang Chuang has lost seven kilograms, a level the zoo said would make Lin Hui feel more comfortable about mating, Kannikar said.
"After losing weight, Chuang Chuang is becoming more active, and we expect Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui to mate within the next 10 days," she said. "We are hoping that they will mate this time."
The two have been separated since December, in the hope absence will make their hearts grow fonder, the zoo said.
Giant pandas, notorious for their low sex drive, are among the world's most endangered animals.
Chiang Mai held an elaborate, traditional Chinese wedding for the couple in 2005 in the hope of encouraging them to procreate, and is considering bringing in a snow machine to help recreate a mountainous habitat.
Nearly 1 600 pandas in China are believed to survive in the wild and around 180 are being raised in captivity in zoos worldwide.