While the debate about the right of humans to watch pornography still continues around the world, apparently it’s ok for pandas. In fact, their survival may depend upon it.
According to a Xinhua News Agency report, the American-born panda Hua Mei is being shown “panda porn” by Chinese veterinarians who hope that the 4-year-old animal might get turned on enough to mate with one of four potential suitors at Wolong Giant Panda Protection Research Center in southwestern China.
"I do not know which of them will be lucky enough to mate our princess. It's all up to Hua Mei to find her own 'Mr. Right'," Wei Rongping, assistant director of the research center, told Xinhua.
Pandas have notoriously low libidos, especially in captivity and are facing extinction. It is believed that there are only approximately 1,000 pandas living in the wild and around 150 in captivity, less than 20 of them outside of China. Panda porn has led to successful natural mating several times in the past.
The reasoning is that since Hua Mei was raised in captivity, she has little knowledge of sex. Besides the videos, Hua Mei has also visited a few “sets,” live viewing of other panda couples mating.
The tapes are being politely referred to as “sex-education” videos, but reportedly they’re simply videos of pandas having sex. Wolong veterinarians hope that Hua Mei may get pregnant by the end of March – and they’ll continue to play the panda porn until she gets the idea.
Hua Mei was formerly a resident of the San Diego Zoo, where she was born, the cub of panda’s on loan from China. China requires that the offspring of panda’s loaned from China be returned to their native land by the age of three. Hua Mei was the first panda born in the United States to live more than a few days.
The outbreak of the SARS virus in China last year held off Hua Mei’s return until last month.
