Whether the net and Fanny will remain in Australia has not yet been decided. (picture of Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Australia`s Adelaide Zoo and China`s authorities have yet to agree on the fate of the net and Fanny, putting the two giant pandas on hold.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the South Australian Zoo Authority (Zoos SA) said the lease between the network and Fanny will expire at the end of this year. Adelaide Zoo is in negotiations with China over the renewal of the contract, which has also put the annual giant panda breeding plan on hold.
Government in South Australia has pledged to pay for the retention of the two animal stars, Netnet and Fanny, by 2024 at an estimated cost of about A $3.5 million, hoping to allow Fanny to give birth and retain panda cubs during this period.
However, the South Australian Zoo Authority confirmed on Sunday that China had not yet agreed to the conditions. "I went to China in April to start negotiations and we have a lot of communication," said CEO Besid (Elaine Bensted). "but we haven`t signed a contract yet."
Besid stressed that she is confident that she will sign, but since the contract has not yet been signed, giant pandas will not be artificially infertilized this year. She says pandas breed only 24 to 72 hours a year, usually in September. This year`s focus will be on valuable breeding research, but online and Fanny also have the possibility of natural conception.
Besid stressed that everything now depends on contract negotiations with China. If you can sign up before Fanny`s ovulatory period, natural conception will be discussed.
Net and Fanny came to Australia for nearly 10 years, whether they can stay in the next five years is the key.
The day before yesterday, many tourists flocked to Adelaide Zoo to celebrate their birthday. Fanny and Netnet were born in August 2006 and August 2005, respectively, in Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province.
The giant pandas have been in Adelaide for nearly a decade, but have not been able to reproduce in Australia. In order for the net to mate successfully with Fanny, the zoo racked its brains and even showed them Panda A, but it didn`t help.
Adelaide Zoo said the future research project will be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, will provide important information for giant panda breeding and contribute to future breeding.
Ainslie (Phil Ainsley), a care manager, said that because Fanny was not pregnant this year, the garden could fully collect data such as hormones and study her behavior information.
"We are about to have a peak of giant panda breeding, so the next five years are very critical," Ainslie said, adding that if the net and Fanny can stay in Adelaide, the garden will have a "two-pronged approach" to artificial indoctrination and natural conception.
