« Road To Hell Still Paved With Good Intentions | Main | Take Two Sites And Stir »
April 11, 2005
San Diego Shares Collective Cigarette
'Pandamonium' Ceases At San Diego Zoo
KGTV TheSanDiegoChannel.com
The honeymoon appears to be over -- at least for the rest of the year -- for giant pandas Gao Gao and Bai Yun, who mated Friday and Saturday, a San Diego Zoo spokesperson said Sunday.
Panda mating typically occurs over a two-day period, zoo information officer Kristin Reinhardt said.
"As far as we can tell, the mating is over for the year," Reinhardt said.
Zoo officials monitoring Bai Yun's hormone levels became aware recently that the 13-year-old female was in estrus and ready to mate.
Bai Yun did not mate last year because she was nursing her baby, Reinhardt said.
Mei Sheng, born at the zoo in 2003 to much fanfare, is 19 months old and 118 pounds now, according to the zoo's Web site.
Zookeepers will monitor Bai Yun's hormone levels to determine whether an ultrasound exam should be taken.
It won't be known whether the panda is pregnant for at least two months, Reinhardt said.
The gestation period for a panda is about four months.
Now that the mating is over, said Reinhardt, the pandas are "having snacks, eating some bamboo and taking naps," Reinhardt said.
Posted by Mark at April 11, 2005 06:31 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)