London Aug 24 (IANS) Tian Tian the only female Chinese giant panda in Britain is pregnant the media reported on Thursday.
If a cub is born it would be the first birth of a panda in Britain.
Tian Tian which means Sweetie in Chinese has failed to produce a cub despite repeated artificial inseminations since her arrival at Edinburgh Zoo in December 2011 Xinhua reported.
The giant panda was born on August 24 2003 at the Beijing Zoo. She is currently living at Edinburgh Zoo Scotland.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang meaning Sunshine in Chinese are Britain s only pair of pandas. After their arrival Edinburgh Zoo instantly became one of Scotland s most popular attractions.
Panda reproduction is very difficult partly due to the very short breeding window with ovulation occurring only once a year.
The zoo said that a pseudopregnancy in which female pandas show physiological and behavioural signs of pregnancy without actually being pregnant is possible. Many female pandas undergo pseudopregnancy and Edinburgh Zoo is using a battery of tests to try to rule it out.
--IANS
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