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CNN Live Today

Interview of Lisa Stevens, National Zoo

Aired March 27, 2002 - 11:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The talk in politically-minded Washington is turning today to animal lust. Zoo keepers are hopeful that a pair of visitors from China are ready to -- you know, mate. The male, Tian Tian, is making it clear he is ready to rumble, but the young female, Mei Xiang, apparently is being coy.

Lisa Stevens is the associate curator for primates and pandas at National Zoo in Washington -- Lisa, hello. What's the problem? Maybe he is just not her type.

LISA STEVENS, ASSOCIATE CURATOR FOR PANDAS, NATIONAL ZOO: Well, I hate to disappoint you. It is really not a lot about breeding, and more about Tian Tian reaching maturity. He is a year older than Mei Xiang, and he is maturing, and she is just not quite ready for the kind of adult, more rough interactions that he engaged her in.

KAGAN: Well, I felt so bad when I read about this this morning. Upon this first advance, she ran up her favorite tree and hung out there for about 36 hours. I would hate the idea that she is not comfortable in her own home.

STEVENS: Well, as pandas mature, they become more solitary, and we have the opportunity to correlate behavior with hormones and really learn more about this whole process. What happened was, he played a little more rough than usual...

KAGAN: He bit her.

STEVENS: Yes, he bit her, and wrestled, and pinned her down. He outweighs her by about 60 pounds. So she went up her tree, and we decided it was best to separate them for the time being.

KAGAN: So they are separated for now?

STEVENS: They are separated, and we will run introductions through a mesh barrier, and when it looks like she is comfortable with interacting with him again, we will put them together.

KAGAN: They are on loan for ten years, so it doesn't -- wouldn't seem that you are in a huge hurry to maybe get them together, but I would think the end goal is to have more baby pandas.

STEVENS: Yes, we very much would like Panda cubs here at the zoo, but it really is all about their time schedule, and we are learning about the process.

KAGAN: All right. Well, we wish them well, and a more relaxed, slowed down little courtship there.

STEVENS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Lisa Stevens from the National Zoo, thank you so much. Love apparently not completely in the air.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, I was thinking that. I'm glad to hear that's the issue. I thought it might have been a deal where he couldn't get the Panda Viagra open or whatever. No thumbs. You know, it is kind of hard to get those jars open. We will have to keep an eye on that one.

KAGAN: Yes, we'll keep an eye on you.

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