No panda pregnancy, but hope remains
There will be no pitter-patter of panda paws at Adelaide Zoo this year.
Giant panda Fu Ni and her partner Wang Wang have failed to mate for a fifth year, Zoos SA says.
Fu Ni could have been pregnant and reabsorbed the foetus or she may have experienced a phantom pregnancy after being artificially inseminated last year.
The only way to confirm a panda pregnancy is with an ultrasound but Fu Ni would not co-operate for the procedure.
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“We have every hope that she will go on to become a mother in the future,” Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted said.
Female pandas have a very short fertility window of 48 hours, which is why breeding can be so difficult.
But partner Wang Wang’s sperm quality has improved significantly, which the zoo says is a promising sign for years to come.
AAP
