Panda "Porn" Fails to Heighten Captive Bear's Sex Drive

In Thailand, there are two hot furry bodies getting it on---on-screen, that is. But this image is failing to elicit the response that zookeepers are hoping for. At the Chiang Mai Zoo in Northern Thailand, Chuang Chuang the panda has been exposed to what zookeepers have branded "Panda Porn."

PANDA POPULATION

There is a growing problem with the declining rate of panda reproduction. Currently, there are approximately 1,600 giant pandas living in China in some of the mountain forests. About 120 more pandas live in breeding facilities within China; twenty or so live outside of China.

Per zoo officials, the pandas decreasing amount of natural habitat, along with poaching, are direct contributors to the limited panda bear population. Breeding pandas in captivity has proven to be very difficult over the years. In Chuang Chuang's case, zoo personnel affirmed that the bear was initially too large to mate. Thus, they put him on a stringent diet, which helped him shed about 20 pounds. He currently weighs 313 pounds.

PANDA LOVE...

Chuang Chuang, a 6 year-old panda was rented in 2003 by the Thailand zoo along with 5 year-old panda Lin Hui, for $250,000. Expected to create millions of dollars as tourist attractions, zookeepers hoped that after Chuang Chuang's weight loss, he would soon mate with Lin Hui.

The two bears have been kept apart since the end of 2006, in hopes of sparking some "romance" between them. Since female pandas living in their natural environment have only one cub every couple of years, zoo personnel have tried some unorthodox methods for encouraging the mating. Thus, Chuang Chuang has been placed in a room facing a large screen television, which features the mating of pandas. Every day the staff shows him the videos, hoping that it will "ignite his passion." In the beginning, only the images were shown---with no sound. But later, staff increased the volume, hoping that the sound will help him figure out how to interact with Lin Hui.

But the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, admits that the bear is not responding well to the enticement.

"Chuang Chuang seems indifferent to the videos; he has no reaction to what he's seeing on TV."

However, the videos keep rolling, in an effort to "leave an impression" on the panda. Zoo staff is hoping that Chuang Chuang will soon be in the mood to mate with Lin Hui. The bear will be kept from Lin Hui for another week or so, and then will be reunited with the female panda for a test romp.