Six-year-old giant panda Ai Hin was ‘exhibiting signs’ that she was carrying a panda cub, including reduced appetite and mobility in July, at which point she was chosen to star in a heavily-publicised first ever live birth.
Keepers at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre in China then moved Ai Hin into a better enclosure and began feeding her more food in an effort to keep her in optimum health throughout her ‘pregnancy.’
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After two months of around-the-clock care and observation, plans to stream the birth online were cancelled when vets made the discovery that the panda was not expecting.
Workers at the panda centre suspect the pregnancy was faked in order to encourage keepers to feed her more.
In fact panda expert Wu Kongju, who works at Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre where Ai Hin is kept, revealed that this is not the first time a panda has 'faked' her pregnancy.
He said: “After showing prenatal signs, the 'mothers-to-be' are moved into single rooms with air conditioning and around-the-clock care.
“They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life.”
The news comes as Edinburgh Zoo’s panda Tian Tian is expected to give birth, though keepers are concerned that she may miscarry due to stress due to noise from low flying aircraft.
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