Panda Watch: Edinburgh Panda Loses Baby

It was announced this morning at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland that Tian Tian, Edinburgh’s giant female panda, is believed to no longer be pregnant. Based on hormone and behaviour assessments staff at the zoo think she carried a foetus until late term but sadly miscarried.

Panda’s only feel the urge to mate once a year.

Chris West, the Chief Executive Officer at the Royal Zoological Society, commented on the news saying: “We are all saddened by this turn of events after so many weeks of waiting” and goes on to point out that “such a loss had always been in our minds as a very real possibility, as it occurs in giant pandas as well as many other animals, including humans.”

Tian Tian has been given some time off from the limelight in order to recover.

Historically it can take years for a successful pregnancy to occur for pandas in zoos. West went on to exclaim that the success Edinburgh Zoo has had after only having the pandas for two years is “immense”.

Hopefully baby pandas will be running around Edinburgh Zoo in the next few years.

The wait for the UK’s first panda cub continues. Fingers crossed for Tian Tian and Yang Guang for next year’s mating window…