The body knows best!
Over on the Pandas Unlimited’s discussion forums, there have been some heated (read: passionate) arguments about whether panda cubs should be weaned from their mothers at the tender age of 6 months and whether panda mothers should be made to breed every year, especially after news of Hua Mei’s latest pair of twins.
Well, whatever we hoomans may do to the pandas to try and “rescue” them from extinction, at the end of the day, it seems the pandas themselves know best.
Take Mama Mei Xiang at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. She was artificially inseminated with San Diego Zoo’s Gao Gao’s sperm, and she also mated naturally with Tian Tian. Everyone was so hopeful of another cub at the National Zoo. With Tai Shan turning 2 and looking all grown up (altho still behaving like a cub sometimes), it was time for the pitter-patter of cubby feet and the swish-swash of cubby tushie at the national capital! But at the end of the day, it wasn’t up to us hoomans to dictate when a panda mother has her next baby (at least, not this panda mama).
Mama Mei didn’t have a baby this year, and on 22 July 2007, we all found out why. It was her 9th birthday, and oh mama, did she celebrate! Her body was tired of not having celebrated her last two birthdays (2005 – in confinement after giving birth to Tai Shan; 2006 – no peace with that “Peaceful Mountain” shadowing her everywhere and trying to get at her food), and so it was no to a baby this year, and yes to the funnest birthday bash in a long time!
The following pictures are by PU photographer ajna6.
First, Mama Mei treated her body to a rejuvenating time at the spa:
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Then, she tumbled down the hill just to show she could:
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As if that was not enough, she showed who was queen of the trees:
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Way to go, Mama Mei. You rock!
