Berlin (AFP)
Meng Meng, the female panda of the Berlin Zoo, is pregnant, said Tuesday the zoo that is betting on a birth in two weeks.
"Meng Meng's mini panda was first seen by the experts during an ultrasound," said the Berlin Zoo in a statement.
Female behavior, fetal size, and hormonal test results indicate that the birth will occur in one or two weeks.
Meng Meng ("Little Dream") and male Jiao Qing ("Little Treasure") have been lodged in the German capital since July 2017. The two plantigrades were presented with great pomp by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
They are the only animals of this species visible today in the country.
"Every birth (of an individual) of an endangered species like pandas is a great gift," said Berlin Zoo director Andreas Knieriem, quoted in the statement, especially as he is very difficult to breed these animals.
The female was also inseminated artificially to increase the chances of fertilization, even if the two plantigrades had seemed to mate.
The move to Berlin of these giant pandas, considered national treasures in China, was a new episode of the "pandas diplomacy" initiated by Beijing to maintain good relations with its partners.
China has sent these special ambassadors to only a dozen countries, including France, where a baby panda was born last year.
Babies born abroad usually leave for China after three or four years, once weaned.
The Berlin Zoo has invested more than 9 million euros to develop the "House of Pandas", which has become one of its most popular attractions.
© 2019 AFP