Zoo's Panda Not Pregnant
Bai Yun Shows Signs Of False Pregnancy
POSTED: 10:58 am PDT August 17, 2001
UPDATED: 11:56 am PDT August 17, 2001
The giant panda keepers were scheduled to return to regular daytime hours Friday after concluding that one of their star attractions is not pregnant after all, according to 10News.
Bai Yun, the female giant panda at the San Diego Zoo, had been monitored 24 hours a day since June in hopes she might give birth for the second time in three years.
But her keepers concluded Bai Yun was showing signs of a false pregnancy, which is common among pandas in captivity, said Donald Lindburg, the zoo's main expert on the endangered animals.
"We think it's over, but we would prefer not to be surprised, and will continue to watch her closely," Lindburg said.
Lindburg said that Bai Yun's interest in food has increased, her hormone levels have lowered and her "nesting behaviors" have diminished -- all signals that are inconsistent with pregnancy.
Bai Yun gave birth nearly two years ago to a cub, Hua Mei, after she was artificially inseminated with sperm from Shi Shi, the zoo's male panda.
A previous attempt at artificial insemination in 1998 failed and resulted only in Bai Yun showing signs such of false pregnancy, including nest building and a loss of appetite.
Bai Yun will be fertile again next April and zoo officials will again try to breed her, Lindburg said.
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Lindburg said that Bai Yun's interest in food has increased, her hormone levels have lowered and her "nesting behaviors" have diminished -- all signals that are inconsistent with pregnancy.
Bai Yun gave birth nearly two years ago to a cub, Hua Mei, after she was artificially inseminated with sperm from Shi Shi, the zoo's male panda.
A previous attempt at artificial insemination in 1998 failed and resulted only in Bai Yun showing signs such of false pregnancy, including nest building and a loss of appetite.
Bai Yun will be fertile again next April and zoo officials will again try to breed her, Lindburg said.
- August 2, 2001: San Diego's Favorite Panda Pregnant?
- July 5, 2001: Pandas Get New Digs
- July 2, 2001: Pandas Move Into Refurbished Home
- April 12, 2001: San Diego Zoo Panda Undergoes Artificial Insemination
- February 24, 2001: San Diego's Favorite Panda On Her Own
- February 23, 2001: Baby Panda Separated From Mother
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