Edinburgh panda keepers on 24-hour cub watch
Edinburgh Zoo’s keepers put giant panda Tian Tian on 24-hour surveillance after the latest hormone tests revealed she could give birth in a matter of days.
It is impossible to say for certain, as the female giant panda has not cooperated with a full pregnancy test. But keepers are preparing for the UK’s first panda cub at any time in the next two weeks.
Tian Tian will be constantly monitored by panda keepers, who will have access to CCTV footage in their homes, and will be looking out for signs of labour such as restless behaviour and bleating.
The experienced Chinese panda keeper Haiping Hu from the China Conservation and Research Centre arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday and will be on hand to assist if a cub or cubs are born during the next two weeks.
Even if she is pregnant, the risk of complications remain: there is the possibility that she may not carry to the full term. But staff at the zoo said they have given her access to her off-show area where her cubbing box is located to try and keep her relaxed.
At the moment, keepers say she is spending most of her time there, coming outside for an afternoon stroll. “We are keeping the lights switched off for most of the day inside to help mimic the atmosphere of a den that she would seek in the wild,” said Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
Extra insulation has also been placed in her enclosure to reduce noise.
‘Extremely risky’ time
New incubators have been placed in the panda nursery and the keepers are prepared to work in shifts to provide 24-hour care for a cub or cubs that may need to be hand-reared.
Ms Hu has experience of many panda births, especially the birth of twins, and for the next two weeks she will be available to assist the team in Edinburgh.
Mr Valentine said: “What we are seeing in Tian Tian’s hormones is encouraging, but we still cannot guarantee a pregnancy or successful birth. If indeed she is pregnant, this is an extremely risky time for panda pregnancies.
“Female giant pandas can actually reabsorb any foetuses or reject them if pregnant. If she is pregnant and carries to full term, we believe a cub or cubs could be born any time over the next two weeks. Although there are no certainties, we must err on the side of caution and be on red alert from today.”