Zoo says panda may be pregnant

Tian Tian, the UK’S only female giant panda, is ‘believed’ to be pregnant and is being closely monitored by experts at Edinburgh Zoo. The due date is unclear but could be any time from today until late September.

The UK’S only female giant panda Tian Tian is believed to be pregnant, Edinburgh Zoo has said.

The surprise news came to light in correspondence between the zoo and the Scottish Government, which suggested the due date could betoday.

However, the zoo said the exact date was hard to predict.

A spokeswoman for Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Edinburgh Zoo said: “Giant panda breeding is a very complicated process but we believe that Tian Tian is pregnant.

“Although a specific date was suggested, like all babies it’s hard to predict precisely and the panda breeding season can last until late September.

“Tian Tian is being closely monitored by our expert team and we will be the first to share any news as soon as we can.”

It follows repeated attempts over several years to see if the female giant panda could produce a cub.

Panda reproduction is a notoriously tricky process, with females only ovulating once a year.

Artificial insemination was attempted for a fifth time after the zoo’s male panda Yang Guang was unreceptive to natural mating.

Documents released under Freedom of Information laws show that in late July this year Tian Tian’s pregnancy was “on track” and the mother-to-be is “doing real well”.

An e-mail, dated 25 July 2017, from Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), to the Scottish Government, stated: “TT doing real well.

“Asthingsareatthemoment, she seems on track but I have shifted possible birth date to around 25 August. Will be able to be a bit more precise in a week’s time. So she is about 30 days out now and pregnancy proper has now begun in what we think is a 37-day pregnancy.

“See or hear from you soon. My best, Iain.”

The e-mail that prompted the revelation was sent earlier that day from the Scottish Government reading: “I was reminded that this is the season when we might be expecting some baby pandas and I know [Scottish Government official] has been in touch with you about the progress there.”

Tian Tian – Sweetie –and Yang Guang – Sunshine – are the only giant pandas living in the UK. The black and white bears arrived on loan from China in December 2011 and are due to remain at Edinburgh Zoo for a decade.

The pair, described as a gift from China, were the first giant pandas to reside in the UK for 17 years. 0 Tian Tian, along with male Yang Guang, has lived at Edinburgh Zoo since 2011. It now appears the female giant panda is pregnant