HUA MEI UPDATE: IS SHE PREGNANT?

The whole chunk copied from: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandas/hua_mei/huamei_update6-04.html

June 16, 2004 - Media outlets in China are reporting that San Diego Zoo-born giant panda Hua Mei may be pregnant. Hua Mei is the first foreign-born panda to return the giant panda homeland of China, and is currently living at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong Nature Reserve.

Although the San Diego Zoo hopes Hua Mei is pregnant, there is no way to be certain at this early stage. A team of giant panda researchers just returned from a visit to the Wolong Nature Reserve and a ccording to staff there, Hua Mei had a very strong estrus for two days in mid April, and mated with male Ling Ling on both days. She was then artificially inseminated for the three following days with sperm from a second male, Shuan Shuan.

At this early date in a presumed pregnancy, detection of a fetus by ultrasound is not possible. In addition, the hormonal profiles that often are diagnostic in other mammals can be misleading in giant pandas because of the occurrence of false pregnancies. During a false pregnancy, the panda female will show many of the signs of a true pregnancy, including nest preparation and even the beginnings of lactation. Although there is cautious optimism that Hua Mei is pregnant, confirmation by way of ultrasound will not be possible until just a few days before her projected delivery date at the end of August.

The San Diego Zoo has had two giant pandas born at the SBC Giant Panda Research Station, Hua Mei and Mei Sheng. At the time of Hua Mei’s birth in 1999, researchers could only positively confirm Bai Yun’s pregnancy three days before she gave birth. Even with the latest advances in technology, researchers could only confirm Bai Yun’s recent pregnancy with Mei Sheng in 2003 two weeks before she gave birth. Typically giant pandas breed in the spring and give birth in late summer. For both Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, positive confirmation of pregnancy could not be determined until August.