The crew was so nice and friendly, and they let us have some of their American instant coffee sticks every morning which made us insta-friends. We’d give them the insights into which pandas would probably be breed that day. Nicolas Brown said to me, “I feel like a bookie and your the expert with the inside information”, because I’d constantly brief him in the morning with which cages he should concentrate their efforts on. Here’s a brief clip of Mei Sheng and Qian Qian’s introduction on the inside cage of B12 (sometimes they make their way inside during breedings).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2QHItXSCOw&feature=youtu.be
Here what the National Geographic site says about the release of the film:
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Pandas 3D: Million Dollar Babies
Release Date: June 27, 2014
Running Time: 40 minutes
Produced by Oxford Scientific Films
Distributed by National Geographic Entertainment
Oxford Scientific Films was granted permission to film the first-ever release of pandas bred at China’s giant panda breeding center and to follow a group of wild pandas in their mountain habitat. Charismatic, captivating and severely endangered, the giant panda has been the worldwide symbol of nature conservation for 50 years. The 40-minute film invites audiences to witness the births, nursery care and teaching of panda cubs, part of an extraordinary effort to save the panda in the wild. “Pandas” will be available in 2D and 3D digital formats.
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I’m in talks with OMSI about showing the film and speaking a couple of nights there about my research. Let’s hope it pans out!
-Meg