Posted on 06/08/2008 8:45:42 AM PDT by billorites
A female takes refuge up a tree as the males compete for her attentions
The giant panda's courtship and mating sequence - from boisterous beginning to noisy ending - has been filmed in the wild for what may be a TV first.
A BBC Natural History team recorded the magic moments deep in the bamboo forest that lines China's Qinling mountains.
The pictures show a male panda having to fight off the competition as he tries to woo and finally win a female.
The sequence, shot for BBC Two's Wild China series, illustrates behaviour that is rarely displayed in zoos.
These include the loud calls which will make viewers think instantly of the Wookie character from the hit Star Wars movies.
"I liken it to Chewbaccas in a pub brawl," explained Gavin Maxwell, the producer of Wild China.
"Most of the time, pandas live by themselves. It's only in the mating season that they come together; and that's when they start these extraordinary vocalisations.
"The sounds are so unlikely and just the last thing you would expect a panda to make.
"When you get two or three males together with a female there's an awful lot of barking and shouting going on."
Just getting in position to film the pandas took months of research, location reconnaissance and negotiations with the Chinese authorities. Obtaining the filmed sequence itself required an awful lot of patience and skill, and quite a bit of luck.
'Mini-quad bikes'
The Qinling mountains are carved with steep ravines and gullies. The growth of bamboo is so thick it can be extremely hard to get near the pandas, let alone get a clear shot of their behaviour.
If you make too much noise, the creatures will be long gone by the time you find their location.
"They're like mini-quad bikes and once they go, they're off and they're very hard to keep up with," recalled Mr Maxwell.
Eventually, the team found an excellent spot looking across a ravine at a female high up in the branches. She was swaying back and forth as her would-be suitors patrolled below.
The biggest male is seen chasing the opposition off into the thicket. Finally, he gets his girl when she decides to descend from her tree.
This is not the first time panda sex has been filmed in the wild, but it is thought to be one of the most complete courtship sequences ever caught on camera.
Mr Maxwell described the venture as an eye-opener - to see pandas in a context that is far removed from the shy, placid reputation we traditionally associate with the animals.
"Occasionally, you will be sitting there quietly trying to keep in the background and the males will suddenly come charging out of the bamboo towards you," he explained.
"They're really fired up, they're breathing hard and panting, and you can see the steam coming out of their mouths. They seem like different creatures altogether."
Wild China is the BBC's first ever co-production with Chinese state television.
Wild China: Land of the Panda is broadcast on Sunday 8 June at 2100 BST
This reminds me of a girl I used to date... I always thought she was kind of weird...
I use this same technique on my wife. After 25 years of marriage, you got to keep the spark in the relationship
We visited the Washington Zoo last month.The male panda was
so lazy that he was eating bamboo sitting down When this
became strenuous, he laid on his back still eating the bamboo.
Some things I just dont need to know about.
Nothing unusual here —— It's just Saturday night at any give Frat house at any given college when a blond chick walks in wearing a miniskirt!
A famous zoologist who studied giant pandas for years, notices they seem to have an excellent sex life. He observes the male and female get down to business then, after a few minutes, stop and the male goes off and eats some bamboo shoots. Then he goes back to his mate and they go at it again for another few minutes until, again, the male stops and wanders off to eat some more bamboo. They repeat the cycle over and over.
Well, the two pandas look so happy, the scientist decides to go home and try the technique with his wife. The two of them go at it for a few minutes and, sure enough, the scientist stops, gets out of bed and goes into the kitchen and has a hot dog. Then he returns to his wife and they go at it again for a few minutes until the husband again stops and goes off into the kitchen for a bite to eat. Well, he goes through the same routine several times until his wife finally sits up and says, “What do you think you’re doing? You’re screwing like a giant panda!”
“They’re really fired up, they’re breathing hard and panting, and you can see the steam coming out of their mouths. They seem like different creatures altogether.”
I looked at the video, and I didn’t anything like this.
Bow chicka wow wow
Add the 70s porn music in the background and maybe they can show it to the reluctant pandas in zoos to get them in the mood.
This BBC article is panda’ring to prurient interest.
Be sure not to miss the Panda Sex Road Show.
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