Once the San Diego Zoo traded its distant, brooding male panda Shi Shi for panda playboy Gao Gao, their female panda, Bai Yun, has given birth twice. They didn’t even have to artificially inseminate her, as Gao Gao was reportedly up to the task time and time again. And now, after a third mating, another baby panda is on its way this summer.
It’s widely known that the Memphis Zoo’s pandas have had trouble in bed this year. The female, Le Le, sent the right scent signals and the zoo even turned on some porn, but her male companion Ya Ya just wasn’t interested. He seemed to prefer munching bamboo bars and napping to making the beast with two backs. The cad. (He obviously has issues.)
After Le Le retired to her room, desolate, Memphis zookeepers tried artificial insemination. We’re not sure if that’s worked yet, but we do think the San Diego Zoo is on to something. The Memphis zoo should just trade in the ambivalently male Ya Ya for the studly Gao Gao and let him do his stuff. We’re betting he could make Le Le go go.
-Cherie Heiberg
