First Red Panda breeding in captivity

[Guest guest]

*Dear colleagues,*

* The attached excerpt was sent to me by a friend.

It is a record of the first captive breeding of the Red Panda, an endangered

species. The fact that it happened in a Prime Minister's garden makes it

rather intriguing.*

* Best wishes and kind regards,*

**

*

*

*When it was first decided that we would move into the then

Commander-in-Chief's residence I came over to look at it and was at once

plunged in gloom. Staring down from the walls of the public rooms were

life-size portraits of stern generals, resplendent in their bemedalled

uniforms. I felt they were watching every movement, criticizing every

unspoken thought. I could not be at ease until they were all taken down and

hurriedly dispatched to the Defence Ministry. Their removal made the rooms

seem larger and the walls seemed to stretch bareness. Such enormous rooms,

such long corridors: could this ever be made livable, could it ever have any

semblance to a home? I need not have worried. What house can resist

fast-growing boys full of healthy noise and mischief and a host of animals

? *

 

* We had always had dogs, the good kind with long pedigrees, and others

rescued off the streets were just as devoted – also parrots, pigeons,

squirrels, and practically every small creature common to the Indian scene.

And we thought life was pretty full, looking after them on top of all the

chores. Then in Assam we were presented with a baby catbear(or red Himalayan

panda), although we did not know what it was until we reached Agartala and

were able to study the book of Indian animals in the Commissioner's library.

The tribals had told us it was a kind of bear and expecting it to grow large

and strong, the children decided to call it Bhimsa(like Bhim) even before

they had seen the tiny ball of fur. We arranged a corner for Bhimsa in the

children's bathroom but somehow I could not house-train him and he always

climbed on to the towel-rack to do his business, besides racing all over the

house. Finally we banished him to the garden – a large wire-netting

enclosure was made with a wooden house in a tree. And that is where he has

lived ever since – except when he goes off to Naini Tal every summer. Much

later we got him a mate, Poma(which means lotus in Sikkimese) , and now they

have the most adorable little cubs – the first, I believe to be born in

captivity. My father calls on the panda family morning and evening. They

miss him when he is out of station. Once when he was unwell we even took

Bhimsa to call on him in his bedroom. The only things that make them unhappy

are loud noises and the scent of the dogs and the tigers. *

 

* Two years ago we received our first tiger cubs – there were three named

Bhim, Bhairav and Hidamba. A man came from Lucknow Zoo to teach us how to

look after them and advised us to have a cement floor in their enclosure.

Unfortunately he put the cubs in before the cement had properly set , so

that their paws were lacerated and infected. Two were cured with sulphur

powder but little Bhim got worse and worse. Without our knowledge the vet in

attendance decided to cauterise Bhim's paws, and, forgetting that despite

his ferocious roarhe was still a wee baby , gave him such a walloping doze

of sedative that he practically collapsed. My father and I were terribly

upset. After much telephoning we were lucky to contact another vet, who

prescribed saline injections and constant watching night and day. One of our

reception officers opted to stay half the night while I would go to bed at

10 pm and get up at 2am to take over duty. On the fifth morning Bhim raised

his head. My own children had got used to playing with the cubs and did not

care how boisterous they got, but for other children and visitors it was a

boon to have Bhim still dazed and docile from his illness, and many who

ordinarily would not come within ten yards felt courageous enough to stroke

him! He recovered fast and only too soon was too big to be kept in the open

in a house which had so much va et vient. Reluctantly we sent them off to

the Lucknow Zoo, where you can still meet Bhim and Hidamba; magnificent

beasts, their muscles rippling with power and grace. While they were with us

they were petted by many distinguished people including Marshal Tito and U

Nu. The marshal asked for one of them and Bhairav now resides in Belgrade. *

 

* There are golden moments too. I love birds and mountains and music and

pictures and yet all these cannot vie with the deep joy of bringing some

small measure of happiness to a human being. *

 

* *

 

* ……………………..Remembered Moments *

 

* SOME AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL

WRITINGS OF INDIRA GANDHI*

 

*INDIRA GANDHI MEMORIAL TRUST. NEW DELHI, 1987, pages 48, 49 and 50. *

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

>The attached excerpt was sent to me by a friend.

>It is a record of the first captive breeding of the Red Panda, an

>endangered species. The fact that it happened in a Prime Minister's

>garden makes it rather intriguing.*

 

 

No form of reproductive or quasi-reproductive beheavior going

on in a politician's garden surprises me, nor do associated

exaggerated claims.

 

In fact, red panda breeding in captivity is now relatively

commonplace, having occurred at zoos all over the world for 20 years

or longer. Captive red panda births have come just this year in

China, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, among other places.

 

The major zoo associations keep red panda studbooks. I don't

believe any prime ministers (or presidents) are on them, despite

their proclivity for [censored] us all.

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr Clifton,

The former Prime Minister of India, Indira

Gandhi,died in 1984 and she was speaking of the time when her father,

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was still alive.

Therefore by obvious inference the incident mentioned would have happened

sometime before 1964 (which is when Nehru died) in the nineteen fifties or early

sixties which is well before the twenty years period from the present date

(roughly 1987) you mention about the panda breeding in different zoos. I was

aware of this when I posted the message but thanks for making me write more

specifically.*

This birth was almost certainly before any studbook for Red

Pandas or other animals were formally introduced in the majority of zoos in US

and Europe (and surely in India) and therefore it is quite natural that it does

not figure in them, a fact that makes the item doubly interesting. Incidentally

I have seen video footage of Nehru shaking a Red Panda's paw with affection. And

studbooks can miss out on animals held in facilities not officially recognised

as zoos and this would apply for circuses, pets and politicians' gardens. But it

remains a fact that Jawaharlal Nehru did have a small private zoo(lot of people

including Indians do not know about this hobby of Nehru's) that consisted of

animals gifted to him by foreign visiting dignitaries. Some of the animals were

sent to various zoos and some were kept in his garden.*

The information is surprising but is not exaggerated if it did

happen at a time when studbooks and interactive breeding in zoos was still a

distant pipedream.

Best wishes and kind regards,

 

>

>

> On 9/5/07, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl wrote:

> >

> > >The attached excerpt was sent to me by a friend.

> > >It is a record of the first captive breeding of the Red Panda, an

> > >endangered species. The fact that it happened in a Prime

Minister's

> > >garden makes it rather intriguing.*

> >

> >

> > No form of reproductive or quasi-reproductive beheavior

going

> > on in a politician's garden surprises me, nor do associated

> > exaggerated claims.

> >

> > In fact, red panda breeding in captivity is now relatively

> > commonplace, having occurred at zoos all over the world for 20

years

> > or longer. Captive red panda births have come just this year in

> > China, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, among other places.

> >

> > The major zoo associations keep red panda studbooks. I

don't

> > believe any prime ministers (or presidents) are on them, despite

> > their proclivity for [censored] us all.

> >

> >

> > --

> > Merritt Clifton

> > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

> > P.O. Box 960

> > Clinton, WA 98236

> >

> > Telephone: 360-579-2505

> > Fax: 360-579-2575

> > E-mail: anmlpepl

> > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

> >

> > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

> > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

> > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

> > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection

organizations.

> > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity.

$24/year;

> > for free sample, send address.]

> >

>

>

>