LONDON ZOO; AN-AN PACING IN PEN; ONLOOKERS; CHI-CHI IN PEN NEXT DOOR; AN-AN LOOKING ON; CHI-CHI AT GATE; MORE OF SAME INCLUDING CHI-CHI RUNNING AWAY.




Initials RM/V/AS/PF



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE BRITISH - WHO HAVE A DEVOTION FOR ANIMALS BOTH DOMESTIC AND WILD THAT FILLS VISITORS FROM OTHER LANDS WITH ASTONISHMENT - HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE ROMANTIC SAGA OF THE GIANT PANDAS "AN-AN" AND "CHI-CHI" WITH AN INTENSITY OF INTEREST OVER THE PAST FOUR DAYS THAT THEY RARELY DEVOTE TO THE LOVES OF WE LESSER, HUMAN, ANIMALS. BUT ALAS FOR ALL THE INTEREST AND WISHFUL THINKING, VERGING ON A SORT OF MASS "VOYEURISM", AN-AN AND CHI-CHI STILL REFUSE DOGGEDLY TO SHOW ANYTHING LIKE THE SEXUAL INTEREST IN EACH OTHER THAT EVERYBODY WANTS.

AN-AN AND CHI-CHI ARE THE ONLY GIANT PANDAS IN CAPTIVITY OUTSIDE THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THEIR NATIVE LAND. LAST YEAR, CHI-CHI WAS FLOWN FROM LONDON ZOO TO MOSCOW AND INSTALLED AT THE ZOO THERE WITH AN-AN, THE RESIDENT GIANT PANDA, IN AN EFFORT - UNSUCCESSFUL AS IT TURNED OUT - TO GET THEM TO MATE, SO THAT THE WESTERN WORLD MIGHT HAVE SOME MORE GIANT PANDAS. ON FRIDAY, AN-AN WAS FLOWN TO LONDON FOR ANOTHER TRY.

THE TWO PANDAS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED IN ADJOINING PENS TO ENABLE THEM TO GET USED TO EACH OTHER BEFORE THEY'RE PUT INTO THE SAME PEN TOGETHER. IN THE PAST FOUR DAYS THEY HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BY LARGE CROWDS OF ZOO VISITORS - SOME OF THEM OFFERING VOCAL ADVICE TO THE PROPOSED LOVERS - THEIR PROGRESS REPORTED DAILY AND EXTENSIVELY IN THE NEWSPAPERS AND ON TELEVISION AND RADIO, AND "SCIENTIFICALLY MONITORED" BY VARIOUS PRYING DEVICES INSTALLED IN THEIR PENS.

THE ZOOLOGISTS, EVEN MORE THAN THE PRESS MEDIA, HAVE BEEN SEIZING ON THE FAINTEST INDICATIONS OF MUTUAL RECOGNITION AS EVIDENCE OF GROWING AFFECTION BETWEEN AN-AN AND CHI-CHI. BUT IF THE TWO GIANT PANDAS AREN'T EXACTLY LIVING UP TO PUBLIC EXPECTATION, THE BRITISH ARE A NATION OF INFINITE PATIENCE. IT'S TO BE HOPED THAT AN-AN AND CHI-CHI HAVE MUCH OF THE SAME.