A Spinster Cage For Chi-Chi

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31190, 14 October 1966, Page 15

A Spinster Cage For Chi-Chi

(N Z PA -Reuter—Copyright) MOSCOW, Oct. 13.

British and Russian zoo officials have given up hope of a successful mating between London Zoo’s giant panda Chi-Chi and Moscow s male An-An—at least for this year.

“There is no hope left now,” said Dr. Desmond Morris, curator of mammals at London’s Regent’s Park Zoo “She has finally proved that

she Is just not interested in An-An. “She is far more interested in people than in male pandas,” he said. Dr. Morris was speaking after a 90-minute meeting between the two pandas in An-An’s outdoor enclosure at the Moscow Zoo. This morning Chi-Chi refused to be budged from her cage into the enclosure, and when she joined An-An this evening she kept him at a long paw’s length. An-An himself bounced around the cage chattering a panda love call but to no

effect. He even climbed to the top of a tree in the enclosure in an apparent effort to impress her, but Chi-Chi remained stolidly unmoved. Now she will be flown back to her cage in London on Friday, but she has a final date with An-An fixed for this evening “just in case she should relent at the last minute.”

Dr. Morris said the London Zoo would like to have An-An brought there next year for another try, even though he was not hopeful that time would mellow Chi-Chi’s attitude.

So far there had been no serious discussion of this with the Russian Zoo officials.

Another possibility, artificial insemination of Chi-Chi, was also under theoretical consideration. “But there are enormous difficulties,” Dr. Morris said.

Back To Work.— Charlie Chaplin, who broke his left ankle in a fall at Pinewood film studios on Tuesday, will be back at work today. Chaplin is resting for two days at the Savoy Hotel, London, where he is staying.—London, October 13.