Knit Mice

I purchased the September? issue of Simply Knitting (UK) for $9.99 at Barnes and Noble, all for... A Noah' Ark pattern book by Alan Dart. On Ravelry.

I want to knit mice... See them by Noah and... er, uhm, Mrs. Noah's feet? And the pandas, of course.

Below is Cheese (on Ravelry) from the Spring 2006 issue. That was how I first heard of designer Alan Dart, as people became obsessed with finding back issues of magazines for his toy patterns. Welcome to the club, Jo Ann...

More Losses

So, if anyone is keeping track my boyfriend four years has broken up with me and asked me to vacate our apartment. This would all be somewhat easier if he hadn't decided to start dating his new girlfriend in the few days since he's decided to tell me.

And, another panda was lost.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A giant panda at the Memphis Zoo has miscarried, an ultrasound test discovered Wednesday.

Ya Ya, a 6-year-old panda on loan from China, was artificially inseminated in January.

Three other U.S. zoos — San Diego, Washington and Atlanta — have giant pandas. The most recent panda cub born in the U.S. is Mei Lan, who was born in September at the Atlanta zoo.

Sad News: Another Panda Lost

My day is not going well. I have personal issues with which to contend. I don't have the support that I need or want. And now, after my recent happiness, I read this in the paper:

The first panda bred in captivity and released into the wild has died in China after less than a year... The body of the 5-year-old panda, Xiang Xiang, was found Feb. 19. "Xiang Xiang died of serious internal injuries in the left side of his chest and stomach by falling from a high place," Heng Yi, an official from the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in Sichuan, said in a telephone interview Thursday. "The scratches and other minor injuries caused by other wild pandas were found on his body," Heng said. "So Xiang Xiang may have fallen from trees when being chased by those pandas."

He said the announcement of the death was delayed because of the need for an investigation.

Zhang Hemin cautions us that this does not mean failure for the project aiming to return captive born pandas to the wild.

I know. But I'm still sad.

Xiang Xiang
"auspicious"

Ya Ya is Expecting

The Memphis Zoo has announce that the 6 year old female panda, Ya Ya, is pregnant via artificial insemination performed in January. Since panda gestation is approximately 133 days, Ya Ya is expected to deliver in the next month and a half. More information will be available to the zoological team closer to the panda's delivery date. Right now, Ya Ya remains under 24 hour observation. (She is shown at left, with male friend Le Le.)

Pandas are notoriously poor breeders, in the wild and especially in captivity. For a brief review of the difficulties with panda pregnancy, see this article from ScienCentral News. Excerpted without permission:

The scant patterns that have been found indicate that a pregnant panda’s urine hormones track exactly to a non-pregnant panda’s, except for a four- or five-day period about 30 days before delivery.

The change in hormones is thought to correspond to the implantation of the panda fetus, another mysterious event. Called variable delayed implantation, this phenomenon of pandas means that the embryo floats freely in the uterus until, researchers think, conditions for a successful birth are deemed to be favorable and the fetus implants in the wall of the uterus late in the three-to five-month pregnancy. A human embryo implants within days of fertilization.

Year of the Panda

The Scientist magazine declares 2007 the Year of the Panda, with a record breaking 19 pandas in kindergarten from last year's record breaking number of births at the Woolong Nature Reserve in China. Wolong director, Hemin Zhang, is cautiously optimistic about the panda's future in the wild. The Chinese government has increased the number of wild reserves from 13 to 59 over the last decade, and the next decade should see the construction of a new captive breeding facility. In addition, plans continue to relase more captive born pandas in to the wild, after the successful release of Xiangxiang in 2006.

Tai Shan to stay at National Zoo for 2 More Years

Tai Shan, the cub born to the new pair of pandas in Washington D.C.'s National Zoo, will remain in the US for another two years.

Under the original agreement with China, any cubs born to the pair will return to China after their second birthday for breeding.

"As an envoy of goodwill from the Chinese people and a symbol of friendly cooperation between China and the United States, Tai Shan will continue to bring more happiness and delight to the American people, especially the Washingtonians, who care for him and have given him so much love," said Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong.

Death of Panda Yan Yan

Female panda Yan Yan passed away yesterday, 27 March 2007, at the Berlin Zoo. She was 22 years old. The zoo has not yet released any information regarding her cause of death. She is survived by her breeding partner Bao Bao, 27, the oldest living male panda in captivity. They produced no offspring during their 12 years together.


Yan Yan, 2003

Keds has new Panda kicks

I will die if I do not buy these sneakers immediately. The pandas are subtle and adorable, and green is my favorite color.

From the Keds website:

Keds collaborates with rock poster artist Eleanor Grosch on a whimsical collection of shoes. Eleanor's signature is her use of bold colors in simple designs, with animals as graphic elements. These combination of colors and critters make her shoes fashionable and fun.

Also available in parrot, owl, frog, camel, and duck. Retail price is $39.99.

Update: My awesome wonderful boyfriend bought them for me the same day. When they arrive, I will post a review and additional pictures.