National Zoo's giant panda experiencing "pseudopregnancy," zoo says
There won't be a baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., any time soon. It turns out Mei Xiang, one of the zoo's giant pandas, is not pregnant, despite showing signs for the last few months, the zoo says.
Scientists at the zoo have determined Mei Xiang was experiencing a "pseudopregnancy," or false pregnancy, during the past few months. She was artificially inseminated March 1, and scientists have been tracking her hormones and behavior since then. A final ultrasound on July 5 confirmed she was not carrying any new cubs.
It's the second year in a row that Mei Xiang has had a false pregnancy, according to the Washington Post.
Giant panda reproduction is a mysterious process. The animals' behavior and hormones mimic a pregnancy even if they are experiencing a pseudopregnancy, the National Zoo says, and the only way to confirm a pregnancy before birth is by ultrasound.
Scientists noticed in the last few months, Mei Xiang was spending more time inside her den and was sleeping more, coming out only to eat her bamboo breakfast. She was also nesting -- a soft cushion of shredded bamboo mostly covered the floor of her den, the zoo says. Her movements were tracked 24/7, via the zoo's panda cams, starting July 1.
Giant panda pregnancies and pseudopregnancies can last between 90 and 180 days, the zoo says. They expect Mei Xiang to return to her normal routine within a few weeks.
Mei Xiang, who is turning 20 this month, has given birth to three surviving cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei. Because of her age, Mei Xiang is nearing the end of her reproductive life. Tian Tian, a male giant panda at the National Zoo, has fathered all of her cubs.
Tai Shan was born in July 2005 and now lives in China. Bao Bao was born in 2013 and was moved to China last year. Bei Bei was born in 2015 and still resides at the National Zoo, but he will move to China by the time he turns four. All panda cubs born in D.C. return to China -- which owns and leases the animals in U.S. zoos -- by their fourth birthday.
Giant pandas are listed as "vulnerable" in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the zoo says, and there are an estimated 1,800 in the wild.
The National Zoo's giant panda house, which had been closed while scientists monitored Mei Xiang, was set to reopen on Thursday.
