Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, July 25 (Reporter Zhu Yuxuan) Hong Kong Ocean Park said on the 25th that the 14-year-old female giant panda Yingying began to show signs of typical pregnancy in mid-July this year, including decreased appetite and increased rest time. The park will continue to observe closely. Yingying situation.
According to Ocean Park, in late March this year, Yingying and another 14-year-old male giant panda, Lele, showed estrus behaviors of giant pandas, and they successfully mated naturally in early April, the first time since 2011. In mid-July, Yingying began to show some typical pregnancy symptoms, but it was not ruled out that it was a false pregnancy. The park will continue to closely observe Yingying's hormone levels and behavior changes, and provide the public with the latest news in a timely manner.
Ocean Park stated that under normal circumstances, the chance of successful conception of pandas from natural mating is higher than that of artificial insemination. The park hopes to bring good news to the public this year.
It is understood that Yingying and Lele entered their first mating season in 2011, during which time Yingying had false pregnancies and pregnancy terminations.
The central government presented two pairs of giant pandas to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1999 and 2007, namely Jiajia and An'an, and Yingying and Lele, which were kept in Ocean Park. Giant panda Jiajia passed away in 2016.
In August this year, Yingying and Lele will celebrate their 15th birthday, and the male giant panda An'an will also be 34 years old. Ocean Park stated that An'an is the world's longest-lived male panda currently in captivity. The animal care team and veterinary team in the park are closely monitoring An'an's physical condition and provide them with quality and appropriate medical care.
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic before, the Hong Kong Ocean Park announced the suspension of opening on January 26, and then resumed operations on June 13. Due to the recent recurrence of the epidemic in Hong Kong, Ocean Park has been suspended again since July 14th.
Ocean Park stated that it will continue to pay close attention to the development of the epidemic, cooperate with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's epidemic prevention measures and requirements, and continue to take care of the giant pandas and other animals in the park. It is hoped that the park will reopen as soon as possible and meet with tourists again.