Edinburgh zoo closes panda cage in new bid for patter of tiny paws from Tian Tian
ZOO keepers hope Britain’s only female giant panda will finally give birth.
Tian Tian was artificially inseminated for a third time at Edinburgh Zoo yesterday before an attempt is made at natural mating with her partner Yang Guang.
Three vets working with a panda expert from China were involved in the procedure.
The zoo’s panda enclosure will remain closed until Sunday.
Tian Tian did become pregnant last year following insemination, but vets believe that she may have reabsorbed the foetus.
Iain Valentine, from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland which runs Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Natural mating will also be attempted before the short breeding window comes to a close as both pandas remain extremely interested in one another.
“As Tian Tian’s transition to peak was so rapid it was a priority to move straight to artificial insemination.
“Throughout yesterday Tian Tian remained very quiet and sleepy but by 5pm there was a behavioural shift and the results of hormone tests confirmed ovulation had occurred.
Both pandas remain extremely interested in one another
“As each individual panda is different and their pattern can vary from year to year, this is why we start hormone monitoring via urine samples early and continually observe our female via CCTV as the window approaches.
"Tian Tian is doing very well and everything went according to plan.”
Tian Tian, whose English name is Sweetie, and Yang Guang, known as Sunshine, are the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years.
The pair arrived on loan from China in December 2011 and will remain at Edinburgh Zoo for a decade.
Panda reproduction is a notoriously tricky process, with females only ovulating once a year.
The gestation period is typically five months and one or two cubs are usually born.
