“In the midst of a pandemic, this is a happy moment that we can all be excited about,” said Don Neiffer, chief veterinarian at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo who performed the ultrasound. “We are optimistic that she can give birth to a very healthy puppy like a puppy.”
Giant pandas have a very short window for breeding. Females can only become pregnant 24 to 72 hours a year. When Mei Xiang’s behavior changed in mid-March, from walking in the garden to playing in the water, the team knew it was time.
They took additional precautionary measures due to Covid-19, such as minimizing contact on persons by setting equipment in advance and limiting the number of attendees during insemination.
While it is too early to tell if the tissue shown in Friday’s ultrasound is “a fully viable developing fetus, because there is the potential for the fetus to be resorbed,” estimates veterinarians Mei Xiang could give birth in the coming days, the zoo said in a statement Friday.
“This is another milestone in our long-standing and successful mission-critical 47-year-old Giant Panda Conservation Program and working with Chinese colleagues to study, nurture, and rescue the giant panda and its natural habitat,” he said. director of the zoo, Steven Monfort said in March.
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