Teh One Who Knocks
04-23-2021, 11:27 AM
Ewan Mowat - Scottish Sun
https://i.imgur.com/aaDJLq4.jpg
ANIMAL rights campaigners have accused Edinburgh Zoo of sexually assaulting pandas for human entertainment.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) blasted the artificial insemination of Tian Tian, which happened for the eighth time earlier this month.
Zookeepers are hoping the giant panda, who previously gave birth in China in 2007, will create history by falling pregnant with a cub in the UK.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang were brought to the capital on a 10-year lease in 2011 - and are due to be returned at the end of this year.
But zoo chiefs are hoping to extend their stay as they continue to try and get Tian Tian pregnant.
https://i.imgur.com/15P192w.jpg
However, after Yang Guang had his testicles removed in 2018 due to the presence of tumours, the semen of Hualong, a panda from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, was flown over for the insemination.
And The Times reports The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have said they “very much” wished to extend the stay of the pair, who cost about £1million to lease each year.
But PETA claim the zoo is more focused on making money than the giant pandas' health and welfare, with Tian Tian near the end of her reproductive cycle and Yang Guang infertile.
The animal rights group said: “Pandas are not breeding machines but individuals, and they should not be sexually assaulted to produce babies for human amusement and display.
“Young animals are destined to spend the rest of their miserable lives imprisoned between four walls — all so zoos can turn a profit."
Email exchanges between the RZSS and the Scottish Government reveal that Edinburgh Zoo is hoping to secure an extension to the lease by June.
A January email from the RZSS's director of engagement said the return of the pandas to China was a "concern" - as Tian Tian and Yang Guang are a favourite attraction among the visitors.
Edinburgh Zoo say a pregnancy would allow Tian Tian "to experience being a mother" - and could held with conservation efforts for the species.
There are fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, and zoo chiefs say that "Tian Tian’s cub’s future offspring could join them in the future."
It won't be known if Tian Tian is pregnant until she gives birth, which would likely be in August or September - which is when most giant panda cubs are born.
https://i.imgur.com/aaDJLq4.jpg
ANIMAL rights campaigners have accused Edinburgh Zoo of sexually assaulting pandas for human entertainment.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) blasted the artificial insemination of Tian Tian, which happened for the eighth time earlier this month.
Zookeepers are hoping the giant panda, who previously gave birth in China in 2007, will create history by falling pregnant with a cub in the UK.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang were brought to the capital on a 10-year lease in 2011 - and are due to be returned at the end of this year.
But zoo chiefs are hoping to extend their stay as they continue to try and get Tian Tian pregnant.
https://i.imgur.com/15P192w.jpg
However, after Yang Guang had his testicles removed in 2018 due to the presence of tumours, the semen of Hualong, a panda from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, was flown over for the insemination.
And The Times reports The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have said they “very much” wished to extend the stay of the pair, who cost about £1million to lease each year.
But PETA claim the zoo is more focused on making money than the giant pandas' health and welfare, with Tian Tian near the end of her reproductive cycle and Yang Guang infertile.
The animal rights group said: “Pandas are not breeding machines but individuals, and they should not be sexually assaulted to produce babies for human amusement and display.
“Young animals are destined to spend the rest of their miserable lives imprisoned between four walls — all so zoos can turn a profit."
Email exchanges between the RZSS and the Scottish Government reveal that Edinburgh Zoo is hoping to secure an extension to the lease by June.
A January email from the RZSS's director of engagement said the return of the pandas to China was a "concern" - as Tian Tian and Yang Guang are a favourite attraction among the visitors.
Edinburgh Zoo say a pregnancy would allow Tian Tian "to experience being a mother" - and could held with conservation efforts for the species.
There are fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, and zoo chiefs say that "Tian Tian’s cub’s future offspring could join them in the future."
It won't be known if Tian Tian is pregnant until she gives birth, which would likely be in August or September - which is when most giant panda cubs are born.