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Even Pandas Suffer From Impotence

They're cute and cuddly but sadly theyWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF) on captive
can't get it up! Yes, Virginia, evenpandas' aversion to sex.
pandas suffer from impotence and nothing"Barely a quarter of adult pandas in
it seems can help these furry animalscaptivity are breeding, and the few that
mate. Not even Viagra!do are not contributing to the survival
This was reported by Chinese officialsof their wild relatives," added BBC News
who said that the creature's innateenvironment correspondent Alex Kirby.
modesty may prove to be its undoing.In the 1990s, authorities experimented
Authorities are alarmed that the shywith Chinese medicine to boost the
pandas may soon be extinct unless theypandas' dwindling sex drive. Zhang
have sex soon.Hemin, director of the Wolong Nature
For years, scientists have struggled toReserve in the central province of
boost the dwindling panda populationSichuan, said the herbal medicine worked
that now numbers less than a thousand.but it also made the males hot-tempered
Poaching and loss of habitat havethat the experiment had to be
greatly reduced the number of pandasdiscontinued.
worldwide. The few that inhabit ChinaScientists then turned to the
face extinction due to their celibateanti-impotence drug Viagra, hoping it
nature.would have the same effect in pandas.
"Pandas, which have relatively lowPandas normally mate for about 30
fertility rates even in the wild, loseseconds and Viagra could reportedly
virtually all interest in sex once theyextend that to 20 minutes.
are in captivity," according to BBCUnfortunately, that didn't work either.
News.Sixteen-year-old male panda Zhuang
Researchers are at a loss to explainZhuang (Chinese for "Strong Strong")
this strange behavior. Some saytook the drug but nothing happened. Wang
captivity prevents them from indulgingPengyan, deputy director of the reserve,
in elaborate mating rituals. Otherssaid he had no intention of giving
believe they are not interested inViagra to other pandas although others
mating with partners chosen for them.believe Zhuang Zhuang wasn't a good
Still, others say all they want is acandidate.
little privacy and the attention they're"You can't say Viagra has no results on
getting from the public is not good forpandas. We used the wrong panda. That
them.panda basically has no capability," said
"Who would want to mate in front of anGuo Feng, a scientific researcher at
audience?" asked Sally Nicholson of theWolong.



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