What is the current situation of "abused" giant pandas in the United States?

China news agency, Washington, May 3 1 Sunday, "Mother-child separation, depression, food shortage, black snake invasion ..." Recently, a popular news about the abuse of giant pandas in the United States on the Internet has attracted the attention of many panda lovers.

On May 3 1, a reporter from China News Service visited the Washington National Zoo, where the rumor of "cruelty" to giant pandas occurred in the United States, and inspected the living conditions of Xiang Mei, Tian Tian and Beibei on the spot, and listened to the responses of the park staff to the rumor.

In the afternoon, the reporter met Xiang Mei, a female giant panda, for the first time in Panda Park. I saw her pacing leisurely on the grass, occasionally tickling with her hind paws. In the Panda Pavilion, Tian Tian, a male giant panda, plunged into his own swimming pool, soaked to the skin, and then went out for a walk. 20-month-old Beibei is a little lazy, completely ignoring the tourists' calls, lying in a cool place, showing only round hips for tourists to enjoy.

According to the reporter's observation at the scene, a family of three "sells cute" in their respective areas as usual, without any signs of discomfort. Many tourists here also think that the three giant pandas look "very comfortable".

Jenkins, who lives in Virginia, took two children to see the giant panda that day. She said that she hadn't seen Xiang Mei for a long time, and her appearance was still so lovely. Five-year-old Kobe told reporters that this is the first time he has seen a real panda. If given the chance, he wants to touch the giant panda.

In the Panda Pavilion, the reporter saw through the images sent back by the camera that the staff were monitoring three giant pandas in real time.

On the same day, zoo mammal expert Amar, panda breeders Thompson and Deere responded to the media rumors of "abuse" of giant pandas. They said that the three giant pandas are "all well" at present.

Regarding the rumor that "mother and son were forcibly separated", Thompson said that Beibei is now 20 months old. Because pandas are solitary animals, cubs must learn to live independently before adulthood. Studies have shown that about 18 months is the ideal time for cubs to be separated from their mothers.

Regarding the saying that "Beibei climbs trees to find her mother", Thompson said that giant pandas are all experts at climbing trees, and Beibei is no exception. Besides, he also likes playing ball very much. She said that Beibei's weight has reached 152 Jin, and she has a good appetite.

Regarding the rumor of "depression and lack of food", Thompson said that Xiang Mei and Beibei did have some discomfort at the beginning of their separation, but this is normal and will get better after a while. As for Xiang Mei's food, Thompson said that the breeder would provide her with 24 kilograms of bamboo every night, which was enough for her to eat. Xiang Mei's anxiety and loss of appetite are mainly because she is in estrus and her hormones are rising.

Regarding the saying that "the black snake broke into Xiangmei Circle", Amar said that it was not because the garden was negligent in management that a black rat snake entered Xiangmei Circle. In fact, there are many black rats and snakes in the zoo. This non-toxic snake won't hurt the giant panda.

Data map: American giant panda "baby" bid farewell.

Regarding the statement that "in order to attract tourists, the garden insisted on making Xiang Mei pregnant again", Amar said that Xiang Mei, who is 18 years old, is very healthy and can give birth before the age of 20. According to Amar, Xiang Mei has been artificially inseminated a few days ago, and the whole process is progressing smoothly. He said that the garden will communicate with China scientists in advance before artificial insemination, and China will send representatives to the zoo to help.

They believe that the news that the giant panda was "abused" came out mainly because the public did not know enough about the giant panda and "over-interpreted" some normal phenomena from the perspective of human beings. They welcome the public to know more about giant panda species and raise questions and concerns, which is conducive to the garden to better respond to concerns.

Before concluding the interview, Amar said that no one likes Xiang Mei, Tian Tian and Beibei better than the Garden Team. He stressed that the starting point of all their work is to benefit the giant pandas to the greatest extent, and they will do their best to take care of the three giant pandas.