Limited to a small area in China's bamboo forests, less than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild, making conservation efforts critical—especially since female pandas don't give birth before the age of five, and rarely breed successfully in captivity. This Animal Planet documentary double-feature follows the efforts of Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Zoo to encourage a pair of pandas to mate. When the pandas don't show much interest in performing nature's way, the staff helps things along with artificial insemination. Curators patiently wait, and are ultimately rewarded when the female gives birth to a male cub. However, since cubs are born blind, hairless, and weigh only a few ounces, much depends on the parenting skills of the mother. It's touch and go for several months, but eventually baby panda Tai Shan (“peaceful mountain”) is ready to greet an adoring public. Narrated by Bo Derek, A Panda Is Born covers events leading up to and immediately following Tai Shan's birth, while the accompanying program Baby Panda's First Year focuses on Tai Shan's adventures as a new media darling and the zoo's main attraction. From comparing American and Chinese panda propagation methods, to exploring ways to “cub proof” the zoo grounds, this entertaining two-parter combines wonderful footage with interesting insights. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
A Panda Is Born
(2008) 84 min. DVD: $14.95. Genius Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). ISBN 1-5944-5053-6. Volume 23, Issue 5
A Panda Is Born
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