Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui have a Chinese wedding.
A male panda in a park of Thailand has been put on a diet because he is too heavy to mate with his partner, his caretakers said.Chuang Chuang weighs 150 kilos (330 pounds), while his partner Lin Hui is a lithe 115 kilos (253 pounds), said Kannika Nimtragol, a veterinarian at the Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand.
"We think Chuang Chuang should not weigh over 140 kilogrammes. Otherwise Lin Hui will carry too much weight while mating," she told reporters.
To help Chuang Chuang slim down, zookeepers are feeding him fewer bread loaves and more bamboo branches to cut back on the amount of carbohydrate he consumes, she added.
The diet program is under the careful supervision of Chinese panda experts. Six-year-old Chuang Chuang and his five-year-old partner Lin Hui arrived at the zoo in 2003 on a 10-year loan from China.
Giant pandas, notorious for their low sex drive, are among the world's most endangered animals.
Cutting out carbs is only the latest tactic used by the zoo in the hope of giving Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui a more loving feeling.
The two have been separated since December, in the hope absence will make their hearts grow fonder, Kannika said.
A plan to show them "panda porn" videos to coach them in mating techniques has been put on hold after research indicated that not all pandas learn from such videos.
Chiang Mai held an elaborate, traditional Chinese wedding for the couple in 2005 in the hope of encouraging them to procreate, and is considering bringing in a snow machine to help recreate a mountainous habitat.
But with the annual panda mating season due to begin within weeks, the zoo is preparing to try artificial insemination if the natural method does not work, Kannika said.
据泰国某动物园的管理员介绍，动物园的一只雄性大熊猫因体重过大无法正常交配，目前正在接受减肥计划。
泰国北部清迈动物园的兽医坎尼卡·尼姆特拉格尔说：“雄性大熊猫创创目前的体重已达到150公斤，而它的‘小媳妇’林惠只有115公斤。”
坎尼卡在接受记者采访时说：“创创的体重应控制在140公斤以内。否则，交配时林惠的负担会很重。”
她说，为了给创创“瘦身”，动物园的管理员们目前正在减少对它的面包喂养量、同时增加竹子的供应量，以控制创创所摄入的碳水化合物量。
这个“瘦身计划”是在中国大熊猫饲养专家的精心指导下进行的。今年6岁的创创和5岁的林惠于2003年从中国来到清迈的这个动物园，它们将在这里生活10年。
众所周知，大熊猫性欲不强，是世界上几大濒危物种之一。
清迈动物园实施的此项最新策略主要是为了使创创和林惠在交配时更有感觉。
坎尼卡说，为了达到“小别胜新婚”的目的，动物园从去年12月起对它们实行了“分居方案”。
为了教它们如何交配，动物园还曾打算给它们播放“色情录像”，但因有调查表明并非所有大熊猫都对此敏感，这一计划已经搁置。
为了促其繁殖，清迈动物园于2005年为它们专门举办了一个隆重的传统中式婚礼；为了给它们所居住的假山增添一些乐趣，动物园目前又在考虑引进一个雪花机。
坎尼卡说，大熊猫的交配季几周后即将来临，如果自然交配不成功，动物园准备对它们实行人工授精.
Vocabulary:
slim down : 消瘦；变瘦
put on hold : 此处指计划“搁置”
artificial insemination : 人工授精
