More quality programming
Sep. 28th, 2005 01:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mikkenekoA continuation of the previous day's post.
Given the natural animosity between the Edward and the Mustang, such a program has its difficulty, but a few successful breeding attempts have been managed with the aid of a restraint program. When presented with a restrained, available Mustang, it's sometimes touch and go whether the Edward will choose to attack the Mustang or mount it, but clever zookeepers can tip the odds in their favor by judicious use of aphrodisiac drugs. The Mustang itself may be damaged by this reversal of nature, and start to exhibit various neuroses, which limits the utility of this program.
However, no amount of aphrodisiacs will induce an Edward to attempt to mount the Canadian Envy, even when the dangerous beast can be adequately restrained.
So far, no successful offspring has been observed even in the successful Edward-Mustang crossings. It has been postulated that the Mustang simply is not the offspring bearer of its species.
The curious and the ambitious of breeders have speculated that perhaps the situation would work in reverse, introducing a Mustang to a restrained Edward; similar measures have been proposed for attempting to breed the endangered Envy, on the theory that such a situation might appeal to the Envy's latent mating instincts.
So far, thankfully, protest lobbies launched by the Foundation for the Protection of Elrics has prevented any such breeding project from being carried out.
*Dark screen with white subtitles across the screen: The rearing of Elric offspring*
*Pan across an Elric enclosure, this one a little more secluded and spacious than the usual zoo exhibits. In addition to the usual rocks, trees, grass, and mini-stream, there's a nest in a concealed corner and a number of artificial toys such as blocks and rope lying about the enclosure floor.*
*A pair of baby Elrics rom about the enclosure, playfighting with each other or pestering their Alphonse parent; Edward has removed himself from the scene atop the rock.*
Elric young, called "kittens," are usually born in small litters of two to three. In the wild, large litter size is made unnecessary by the relative long life of the Elrics and the frequency of their mating cycles.
It's still not known exactly how the Elrics produce their young, since there is no apparent sign of gestation, and they simply will not litter unless provided with a private and safe place to do so. The commonly held theory is that the Elrics are a heretofore misunderstood species of mammalian egg-layers, although a few more radical theories suggest spontaneous alchemical generation.
*screen cuts abruptly away from the enclosure, to a blurry interior of a poorly-lit room somewhere. An unknown pair of hands is holding up a squirming, dusty-blond and green-eyed Elric kitten up to the camera for a good look, then places it out of camera range and holds up another one, gold-eyed and dark-furred.*
Elric kittens are born with some variety of markings and coloration, although as they approach physical maturity, they all drop off their baby coats and assume either an Edward or an Alphonse phenotype. These kittens are quite young, as you can see by the non-typical colorations.
*cut back to the enclosure, where the VO is still droning on about eggshell theory* Breeders have tried, through restrained-mating experiments, to determine whether the Edward or the Alphonse is the primary carrier, but offspring tend to appear whether the Alphonse or the Edward has been dominant in their mating behaviors beforehand. However, since Elrics will mate of their own volition outside the restrained-mating conditions, and attempting to prevent them from doing so will cause physiological strain and prevent breeding, it is impossible to be sure.
No matter which parent is the carrier, the Alphonse tends to display more parental concern and care towards the kittens than the Edward. However...
*a shot of the interior of a family habitat, with two Elric kittens frolicking around the older pair. One of the kittens is being held and fussed over by the Alphonse, while the Edward perches on top of the faux rock and feigns indifference.That ends, though, when the other Elric kitten pounces unexpectedly on the Edward's legs. The Edward abandons all pretense of indifference and begins rolling around with its offspring in the grass in play.*
...both parents display attachment and affection towards their young, and the Edward will become furiously aggressive if it perceives any threat to its family.
In terms of childrearing, the Elrics are usually happy to raise their young themselves until adulthood. However, since Elrics are reluctant to breed while their offspring are in the pen, many zookeepers remove the kittens from the enclosure as soon as possible after birth, to encourage resumption of breeding behavior and the production of the next litter.
Most breeders can get good results by fostering the offspring with a mated pair of a distant cousin, the Winry line, or, oddly enough, occasionally the young will be adopted by the usually-grouchy Izumi. However, the Izumi must then be watched to see that she does not accidentally damage the kittens in her enthusiasm.
Given the natural animosity between the Edward and the Mustang, such a program has its difficulty, but a few successful breeding attempts have been managed with the aid of a restraint program. When presented with a restrained, available Mustang, it's sometimes touch and go whether the Edward will choose to attack the Mustang or mount it, but clever zookeepers can tip the odds in their favor by judicious use of aphrodisiac drugs. The Mustang itself may be damaged by this reversal of nature, and start to exhibit various neuroses, which limits the utility of this program.
However, no amount of aphrodisiacs will induce an Edward to attempt to mount the Canadian Envy, even when the dangerous beast can be adequately restrained.
So far, no successful offspring has been observed even in the successful Edward-Mustang crossings. It has been postulated that the Mustang simply is not the offspring bearer of its species.
The curious and the ambitious of breeders have speculated that perhaps the situation would work in reverse, introducing a Mustang to a restrained Edward; similar measures have been proposed for attempting to breed the endangered Envy, on the theory that such a situation might appeal to the Envy's latent mating instincts.
So far, thankfully, protest lobbies launched by the Foundation for the Protection of Elrics has prevented any such breeding project from being carried out.
*Dark screen with white subtitles across the screen: The rearing of Elric offspring*
*Pan across an Elric enclosure, this one a little more secluded and spacious than the usual zoo exhibits. In addition to the usual rocks, trees, grass, and mini-stream, there's a nest in a concealed corner and a number of artificial toys such as blocks and rope lying about the enclosure floor.*
*A pair of baby Elrics rom about the enclosure, playfighting with each other or pestering their Alphonse parent; Edward has removed himself from the scene atop the rock.*
Elric young, called "kittens," are usually born in small litters of two to three. In the wild, large litter size is made unnecessary by the relative long life of the Elrics and the frequency of their mating cycles.
It's still not known exactly how the Elrics produce their young, since there is no apparent sign of gestation, and they simply will not litter unless provided with a private and safe place to do so. The commonly held theory is that the Elrics are a heretofore misunderstood species of mammalian egg-layers, although a few more radical theories suggest spontaneous alchemical generation.
*screen cuts abruptly away from the enclosure, to a blurry interior of a poorly-lit room somewhere. An unknown pair of hands is holding up a squirming, dusty-blond and green-eyed Elric kitten up to the camera for a good look, then places it out of camera range and holds up another one, gold-eyed and dark-furred.*
Elric kittens are born with some variety of markings and coloration, although as they approach physical maturity, they all drop off their baby coats and assume either an Edward or an Alphonse phenotype. These kittens are quite young, as you can see by the non-typical colorations.
*cut back to the enclosure, where the VO is still droning on about eggshell theory* Breeders have tried, through restrained-mating experiments, to determine whether the Edward or the Alphonse is the primary carrier, but offspring tend to appear whether the Alphonse or the Edward has been dominant in their mating behaviors beforehand. However, since Elrics will mate of their own volition outside the restrained-mating conditions, and attempting to prevent them from doing so will cause physiological strain and prevent breeding, it is impossible to be sure.
No matter which parent is the carrier, the Alphonse tends to display more parental concern and care towards the kittens than the Edward. However...
*a shot of the interior of a family habitat, with two Elric kittens frolicking around the older pair. One of the kittens is being held and fussed over by the Alphonse, while the Edward perches on top of the faux rock and feigns indifference.That ends, though, when the other Elric kitten pounces unexpectedly on the Edward's legs. The Edward abandons all pretense of indifference and begins rolling around with its offspring in the grass in play.*
...both parents display attachment and affection towards their young, and the Edward will become furiously aggressive if it perceives any threat to its family.
In terms of childrearing, the Elrics are usually happy to raise their young themselves until adulthood. However, since Elrics are reluctant to breed while their offspring are in the pen, many zookeepers remove the kittens from the enclosure as soon as possible after birth, to encourage resumption of breeding behavior and the production of the next litter.
Most breeders can get good results by fostering the offspring with a mated pair of a distant cousin, the Winry line, or, oddly enough, occasionally the young will be adopted by the usually-grouchy Izumi. However, the Izumi must then be watched to see that she does not accidentally damage the kittens in her enthusiasm.
