Panda-monium at the Manchester Museum!

30 Oct 2013

A free event at the Manchester Museum on Wednesday 30 October aims to dispel some of the mysteries surrounding panda conception and birth.

'To Breed or Not to Breed: The mystery of the elusive baby pandas' will include a presentation from panda conservation expert James E Ayala, streamed live from the world-famous Chengdu Panda Research Base in China.

Famous for being distinctly lacklustre when it comes to procreation, the giant panda’s gestation period, while in captive breeding programmes, remains a mystery.

There are about 300 pandas in captivity around the world and vast amounts of money are spent on encouraging them to mate. Methods have included artificial insemination and the more creative use of panda "adult" videos in the hope of lighting the reproductive spark.

However, these docile creatures are known to fake pregnancies or even abort them if certain conditions are not met, and researchers investigating the topic are yet to understand the whole process. This presentation will provide a conservationist’s interpretation of this phenomenon and its impact on the overall conservation of this endangered species.

This free event (no booking required) will be held at the Kanaris Lecture Theatre in the Manchester Museum from 1pm until 2pm on 30 October. 

It is presented by The Confucius Institute in association with Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology as part of Manchester Science Festival.

For further information, contact Katie Popperwell, Events & Marketing Officer, The Confucius Institute, katherine.popperwell@manchester.ac.uk