Giant panda

It’s the end of an era for so-called panda diplomacy

Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France by Beijing since 2012, is pregnant again and could soon grace the country with her second cub, the Beauval zoo in central France said July 21.

"An ultrasound a few hours ago confirmed the presence of a panda embryo," a spokesman told AFP, adding that birth could occur late this month or in early August.

Red pandas, the bushy-tailed and russet-furred bamboo munchers that dwell in Asian high forests, are not a single species but rather two distinct ones, according to the most comprehensive genetic study to date on these endangered mammals.

A pet cafe in China where dogs are dyed black and white to look like panda cubs has triggered a heated online debate over the treatment of animals.

In its maiden year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ship 'Blue Panda' has been making stops at key ports in the Mediterranean with the hopes of stemming the tide of plastics choking the world's natural environment.

This will help to adapt the new inhabitants of the Moscow Zoo, reported NOVA TV.

The new inhabitants of the Moscow Zoo - the two pandas will listen to Russian President Vladimir Putin's voice through the speakers in the framework of the adaptation procedure, Vesti.ru and BGNES reported.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented two pandas to Moscow's zoo at a ceremony with Vladimir Putin on June 5, in a gesture the Russian president described as a sign of deepening trust and respect between the two powers.

A little girl was rescued after falling into the pandas cage in a park in southwest China, state media reported in the country.

The rescue in Laos of three endangered red pandas trafficked from China has raised fears the rare animals are increasingly being coveted by exotic pet owners.

In the past we presented some animals thought to have only existed in myths and legends of past ages, or in our scariest nightmares. Continuing in our quest to discover the out-worldly and strange that inhabit the animal kingdom, we give a list of some animals you might never have heard of.

1. The Penis Snake