BEIJING (AFP) - China's notoriously sex-shy pandas are being put through a rigorous "sexercise" programme in a new effort to encourage them to mate, state media reported on Tuesday.



The Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan is making male pandas walk on their two legs to strengthen their pelvic and hip muscles, to better prepare them for sex, the China Daily said.

The move, which is achieved by luring male pandas up with an apple, looks remarkably like a dance routine and is aimed to boost the animal's sexual stamina, the report said.

Giant pandas are known to be sexually inactive, but the new measure follows several other initiatives taken to try and encourage breeding, including panda pornography.

The quirky measures aim to ensure the survival of one of the world's most endangered animals.

As of November last year, China had 239 giant pandas in captivity, with another 27 pandas living outside the country. About 1,590 more are thought to be living in the wild.

The pandas at the base in Chengdu are also put through a fitness and sensory stimulation programme.

In one experiment, a male panda is placed in a den normally occupied by a female panda, and vice versa, so that they can smell each other's odour, the report said.

When the two show signs of wanting to have sex, they are placed in the same den, the report continued. It did not say if the experiment has been successful.

Randy pandas are also showcased having sex in front of their inexperienced counterparts to show the latter how it's done.

More than 30 percent of pandas at the base in Chengdu can now have sex naturally, compared to just 10 percent a decade ago, according to the report.