To Breed or Not to Breed: The mystery of the elusive baby pandas
| Dates: | 30 October 2013 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Lecture |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| How much: | Free |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Families, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public, Post 16, Secondary schools |
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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 from panda conservation expert James E. Ayala, streamed live from the world-famous Chengdu Panda Research Base in China will provide a conservationist’s interpretation of this phenomenon and its impact on the overall conservation of this endangered and endlessly fascinating species.
This free event (no booking required) is presented by The Confucius Institute in association with Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology as part of Manchester Science Festival
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Kanaris Theatre
Manchester Museum
Oxford Road
Manchester
Phone: 0161-2752648
Email: museum@manchester.ac.uk
