Latest news with #giantpanda
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Book excerpt: "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt
We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. In the latest book by Nathalia Holt (the bestselling author of "Rise of the Rocket Girls"), two sons of Theodore Roosevelt set out for China on a quest to find a mythical creature: the giant panda. "The Beast in the Clouds" (Atria/One Signal) recounts the brothers' treacherous trek, and examines the implications their expedition posed towards these gentle animals. Read an excerpt below. "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now. Two brothers smoothed a map on the table in front of them. The land they were examining was colored in greens, browns, and grays. Running across the map, like the stripes of a tiger, were irregular white blotches. Each blank space represented the unknown, a section of the map still unplotted and unexplored. The squiggly dotted line of a river, unknown printed in small text, cut through the white. It was 1928 and the world was still a checkerboard of wonder, the continents imperfectly mapped. Ted and Kermit Roosevelt, the two eldest sons of former president Theodore Roosevelt, were planning an adventure. Although they consulted maps from a diverse range of cartographers, including those drawn in China, the unexplored regions persisted. The vast Asian continent dappled with white spoke to them. The world was full of explorers, all examining maps like the ones the Roosevelts possessed. There was a heady, optimistic feeling that persisted among them. No one could be certain which mountain was the tallest on earth nor which trench in the ocean the deepest. Every expedition held the possibility of making its members world-famous explorers. The 1920s were a decade of discovery, as groups of scientists, adventurers, and hunters ventured forth into the wilderness to fill museum collections. They were successful: every large mammal on earth had been attained, and their bodies mounted in exhibits, except for one. The Roosevelts desired this one animal so acutely that they could barely speak about it with each other, much less anyone else. "We did not let even our close friends know," wrote Ted of their shared purpose. Some dreams sound too wild when spoken aloud. The animal the Roosevelt brothers coveted looked like no other species in the world. It was a black-and-white bear so rare that many people did not believe it was real. This legendary creature was called the giant panda. Rumors swirled about the mysterious animal. No one, not even naturalists who had worked in China all their lives, could say precisely where the creature lived, what it ate, or how it behaved. Brown, black, and polar bears had never been in doubt among humans. Even polar bears, although living in the remote reaches of the Arctic, were well known, and had been kept in zoos for thousands of years. In Egypt, King Ptolemy II had a polar bear in his zoo in Alexandria as early as 285 BC. In 1252, a polar bear was part of the Tower of London's extensive menagerie of beasts. Yet the same could not be said of the panda bear. Even among those living in the Republic of China, spanning some 7.7 percent of the earth's landmass, few had ever caught sight of the creature. Dozens of names were used to describe what might be a panda. In different dialects they called it "spotted bear," "giant bear cat," "white bear," and "bamboo bear," although no one could be sure that all these different names were referring to the same species. There were probable references to the giant panda in Chinese literature as early as the third century, although the descriptions were mythical, describing yellow-and-black creatures that munched on copper and iron. "While there are tantalizing stories implying that one Chinese emperor or another knew all about panda," wrote one author, "there's one great mystery. Why is there not a single rendition of this endearing beast in any of imperial China's illustrated natural histories?" From "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt, published by Atria/One Signal, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright (c) 2025 by Nathalia Holt. All rights reserved. Get the book here: "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt Buy locally from For more info:
NHK
28-06-2025
- NHK
Four giant pandas leave Japanese theme park for new home in China
Four female giant pandas have left a theme park in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama for their new home in China. Rauhin and her daughters Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin are being transferred from Adventure World in the town of Shirahama to China as the contract for a bilateral joint-conservation project is set to expire shortly. On Saturday, the pandas were put into four separate cages, and loaded onto two trucks. They were not shown to the public to ensure their well-being and safety. The operator of the park said the animals were in good shape and were munching on bamboo as usual. Around 300 people, including staff and their families, gathered at the park. Park director, Imazu Koji, told them that Saturday marks a new start, and he asked everyone to see the pandas off with smiles. The trucks left the facility a little before 8:30 a.m. One of the keepers, Nakaya Yuka, who has taken care of the pandas for eight years, said they seemed a bit restless in the unusual atmosphere, but were eating well. Nakaya said she has no concerns because the staff are closely coordinating with their Chinese counterparts. The pandas will be sent to a breeding facility in Sichuan Province on a chartered flight.
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Hong Kong's baby pandas finally get names. Meet Jia Jia and De De
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's first locally born giant panda have finally been named and introduced as Jia Jia and De De. The names of the cubs, affectionately known as 'Elder Sister' and 'Little Brother,' were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Hong Kong's baby pandas finally get names. Meet Jia Jia and De De
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's first locally born giant panda have finally been named and introduced as Jia Jia and De De. The names of the cubs, affectionately known as 'Elder Sister' and 'Little Brother,' were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year. The names were the winning suggestions from residents in a naming contest that drew more than 35,700 entries. The Chinese character 'Jia,' from the female cub's name 'Jia Jia,' carries a message of support and features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace. The name embodies the prosperity of families and the nation and the happiness of the people, the park said. The Chinese character 'De,' from the male cub's name, means to succeed, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. De also has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for virtue, the park said, suggesting giant pandas possess virtues cherished by Chinese people. Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong said they followed tradition by using Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas' English names. He said 'Jia' sounds like a word in the Cantonese term for elder sister, while 'De De' sounds a bit like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers. 'It's a very positive pair of names,' he said. 'We have to be a bit creative here with the names.' The twins' birth in August made their mother, Ying Ying, the world's oldest first-time panda mom. Their popularity among residents, visitors and on social media raised hopes for a tourism boost in the city, where politicians touted the commercial opportunities as the 'panda economy.' Observers are watching whether housing six pandas helps the park revive its business, especially when caring for the animals in captivity is expensive. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($9.2 million) last financial year. The park recorded a nearly 40% growth in visitor flow and 40% increase in overall income during a five-day holiday beginning May 1 in mainland China, said Pong, who hopes the growth momentum will continue through summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons. Pandas are considered China's unofficial national mascot. The country's giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing's soft-power diplomacy.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Hong Kong's baby pandas finally get names. Meet Jia Jia and De De
Hong Kong 's first locally born giant panda have finally been named and introduced as Jia Jia and De De. The names of the cubs, affectionately known as 'Elder Sister' and 'Little Brother,' were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year. The names were the winning suggestions from residents in a naming contest that drew more than 35,700 entries. The Chinese character 'Jia,' from the female cub's name 'Jia Jia,' carries a message of support and features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace. The name embodies the prosperity of families and the nation and the happiness of the people, the park said. The Chinese character 'De," from the male cub's name, means to succeed, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. De also has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for virtue, the park said, suggesting giant pandas possess virtues cherished by Chinese people. Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong said they followed tradition by using Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas' English names. He said 'Jia" sounds like a word in the Cantonese term for elder sister, while 'De De' sounds a bit like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers. 'It's a very positive pair of names,' he said. 'We have to be a bit creative here with the names.' The twins' birth in August made their mother, Ying Ying, the world's oldest first-time panda mom. Their popularity among residents, visitors and on social media raised hopes for a tourism boost in the city, where politicians touted the commercial opportunities as the 'panda economy.' Observers are watching whether housing six pandas helps the park revive its business, especially when caring for the animals in captivity is expensive. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($9.2 million) last financial year. The park recorded a nearly 40% growth in visitor flow and 40% increase in overall income during a five-day holiday beginning May 1 in mainland China, said Pong, who hopes the growth momentum will continue through summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons. Pandas are considered China's unofficial national mascot. The country's giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing's soft-power diplomacy.
