WASHINGTON (KRON/AP) – Officials at Washington’s National Zoo say they believe the mother of nearly 2-year-old giant panda Bao Bao is pregnant again.
The zoo said veterinarians performing an ultrasound Wednesday on Bao Bao’s mother, Mei Xiang, detected what they believe is a developing panda fetus.
The zoo’s veterinarians say that based on the size of the fetus Mei Xiang could give birth early next week or possibly in early September. She’s also exhibiting signs of possibly being pregnant. Zoo officials say Mei Xiang is nest building and spending “more time in her den, sleeping more and eating less.”
Her hormones also began to rise in late July – a possible sign that she is carrying a cub.
But the zoo cautions there is a substantial possibility that Mei Xiang could miscarry or not give birth.
Zoo officials say determining pregnancy isn’t as obvious in pandas as it is in humans. Unlike in humans, where the egg is fertilized and the fetus starts to grow and can be measured, a panda can have a fertilized egg, which can float in her uterus for weeks before it attaches to the wall of her uterus, according to zoo officials.
Though Mei Xiang has given birth to cubs in the past, the zoo says historically she has refused to participate in ultrasounds at this stage.
Mei Xiang’s first surviving cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005. Bao Bao, her second, turns 2 on Sunday.