Panda Romance May End In Failure

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31117, 21 July 1966, Page 9

Panda Romance May End In Failure

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, July 19. She eats his rough oats, drinks his Russian tea, shares his house, but after four months of this the love match is still at a stalemate. She is London Zoo’s giant panda, Chi-Chi, and the authorities have decided that she will be granted only nine weeks more to make up her mind about being friendly with her host, Moscow Zoo’s An-An. Moscow sends London a weekly health and habit report on Chi-Chi, but they are doubtful if she will “take a fancy” to their boy. On arrival in Moscow, ChiChi showed curiosity and fastidiousness when she became An-An's guest and cast sidelong glances at him from halfhidden vantage points. When first offered a bucket of his tea she refused, then drank gallons. An-An made the customary approaches. He was willing, he decided, and showed it by rubbing against a tree-trunk adjoining their respective paddocks and grunting his mating call. But when Chi-Chi joined

him in his paddock, and she acted as though it was hers, he became incensed, threatened to show her who was boss and had to be taken into custody. Since then they haven’t even been on sniffing terms. This is upsetting xoo officials, for Chi-Chi’s romance has already cost the park authorities £2400. Bringing her home, still unwed, would cost about another £lOOO. Officials are divided about her future. Some say that six months is long enough for her to make up her mind, and that she should be brought home for good in September. Others feel science should not be robbed of the chance to see the mating of the only two giant pandas in Western zoos, merely because Chi-Chi is in no hurry. The final plans may yet, however, be decided by ChiChi’s own personal balance-of-payments problem. If she does return to London pregnant and produces a baby panda it will be the biggest draw London Zoo has ever had, and will quickly recover the wedding costs, however high.