Apr 08, 2020 10:30:00

Pandas who did not mate for about 10 years finally mate, 'potential for privacy' suggested in zoo closed by new coronavirus epidemic

While zoos around the world were closed due to the new coronavirus epidemic, pandas, Lee Lee and In-in of Hong KongOcean

Park , who had been pregnant for about 10 years but did not mate in one direction, April 6, 2020 The day finally mated.

Ocean Park Giant Pandas Ying Ying and Le Le Experienced First Successful Natural Mating | Ocean Park Hong Kong
https://www.oceanpark.com.hk/en/press-release/ocean-park-giant-pandas-ying-ying-and-le-le-experienced-first-successful-natural

A zoo has been trying to get two pandas to mate for 10 years.When coronavirus shut the zoo down, the pandas finally did | CNN Travel
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/pandas-mate-ocean-park-trnd/index.html

Ocean Park's giant pandas, male Lee Lee and female In Yin, both turned 14 in 2020. Since the panda male is 7 years old and the female is 5 years old and sexually matures, the garden has been attempting natural mating since 2011 when the in-in was 5 years old, but the two will not mate was.

However, when the garden was closed in late January 2020 due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus, two animals began to show behavior specific to the breeding season. In-in began to play longer in the water, and Lee Lee began marking around his home, looking for the smell of in-in. A team of veterinarians and breeders in the same garden confirmed that the in-in hormone levels had changed, and certified that the two had entered the breeding season. After careful observation, the two finally copulated on the morning of April 6, 2020.


The actual mating scene is below. It is a video released by the local newspaper Hong Kong newspaper.

Promising B: 20200406-Hong Kong Newspaper-Wired Newspaper CABLE News-YouTube


This time we were able to confirm mating, not 'pregnancy'. The team is still closely monitoring changes in the in-in behavior, but said Michael Booth, director of zoo operations and conservation at Ocean Park, `` Because natural mating is more likely than pregnancy, All of us are excited today that they have reached natural mating. '' The signs of pregnancy can occur as early as late June, but there is also the possibility of pseudo-pregnancy with in-in, so we are watching closely. '.

Pregnancy is a big event because the

giant panda is an endangered species . 'We hope we can deliver the wonderful news of panda pregnancy to everyone in Hong Kong and contribute to the protection of the panda species,' said Booth.

The panda's pregnancy period is 72 to 324 days. At the time of writing the article, Ocean Park was closed due to the new coronavirus, but the garden has a program called ' Panda Honorary Keeper ' where you can experience a panda breeder and ' Giant Panda with a close feed' I was carrying out a program called ' encounter '. When two children are raised, you may be able to interact with these programs.