Pandas show interest, but fail to mate at zoo
<p><span word="Despite">Despite</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="set">set</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="romantic">romantic</span> <span word="date">date</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="zookeepers">zookeepers</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="pair">pair</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="pandas">pandas</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Edinburgh">Edinburgh</span> <span word="Zoo">Zoo</span> <span word="failed">failed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="mate">mate</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="zoo">zoo</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Thursday">Thursday</span>.</p><p>"<span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> (<span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="Sweetie">Sweetie</span>) <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Yang">Yang</span> <span word="Guang">Guang</span> (<span word="sunshine">sunshine</span>) <span word="will">will</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="babies">babies</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="didn">didn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="mate">mate</span>," <span word="Edinburgh">Edinburgh</span> <span word="Zoo">Zoo</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="press">press</span> <span word="officer">officer</span> <span word="told">told</span> <span word="China">China</span> <span word="Daily">Daily</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="panda">panda</span> <span word="breeding">breeding</span> <span word="season">season</span> <span word="for">for</span> 2012 <span word="has">has</span> <span word="ended">ended</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="both">both</span> <span word="pandas">pandas</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="display">display</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="press">press</span> <span word="officer">officer</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="latest">latest</span> <span word="attempt">attempt</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="mate">mate</span> <span word="followed">followed</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="attempts">attempts</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Tuesday">Tuesday</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Wednesday">Wednesday</span>. <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Yang">Yang</span> <span word="Guang">Guang</span> <span word="showed">showed</span> <span word="signs">signs</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="chemistry">chemistry</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="interest">interest</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="each">each</span> <span word="other">other</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wrestled">wrestled</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="it">it</span>.</p><p><span word="Zookeepers">Zookeepers</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="hoped">hoped</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="put">put</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="pandas">pandas</span> <span word="together">together</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="attempt">attempt</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Thursday">Thursday</span> <span word="morning">morning</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hormone">hormone</span> <span word="levels">levels</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="female">female</span> <span word="panda">panda</span>, <span word="were">were</span> <span word="too">too</span> <span word="low">low</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="limited">limited</span> <span word="breeding">breeding</span> <span word="behavior">behavior</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="observed">observed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="both">both</span> <span word="pandas">pandas</span>.</p><p><span word="Female">Female</span> <span word="pandas">pandas</span> <span word="ovulate">ovulate</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="once">once</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="a">a</span> 36-<span word="hour">hour</span> <span word="window">window</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="pregnant">pregnant</span>.</p><p><span word="Based">Based</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="combination">combination</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="hormone">hormone</span>-<span word="testing">testing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="behavioral">behavioral</span> <span word="observation">observation</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="several">several</span> <span word="weeks">weeks</span>, <span word="experts">experts</span> <span word="decided">decided</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pair">pair</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="properly">properly</span> <span word="meet">meet</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Tuesday">Tuesday</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="zoo">zoo</span>'<span word="s">s</span> "<span word="panda">panda</span> <span word="cams">cams</span>", <span word="which">which</span> <span word="allow">allow</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="watch">watch</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="animals">animals</span> <span word="online">online</span>, <span word="were">were</span> <span word="turned">turned</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Yang">Yang</span> <span word="Guang">Guang</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="dates">dates</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="private">private</span>.</p><p>"<span word="Each">Each</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pair">pair</span> <span word="met">met</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="saw">saw</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="huge">huge</span> <span word="amount">amount</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="eagerness">eagerness</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="attraction">attraction</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="Tian">Tian</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Yang">Yang</span> <span word="Guang">Guang</span>. <span word="There">There</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="lots">lots</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="vocalization">vocalization</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="encouragement">encouragement</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="female">female</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="physical">physical</span> <span word="contact">contact</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="two">two</span>," <span word="Iain">Iain</span> <span word="Valentine">Valentine</span>, <span word="director">director</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="research">research</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="conservation">conservation</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="zoo">zoo</span>, <span word="said">said</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="press">press</span> <span word="release">release</span>.</p>
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