Zoo Atlanta's Giant Panda is Expecting; Cub Would Be Lun Lun's Sixth

ATLANTA, GA – Zoo Atlanta's giant panda, Lun Lun, is expecting a cub.

The zoo confirmed the pregnancy on Thursday. A 24-hour birthwatch will begin on Monday.

If successful, the cub would be the first giant panda born in captivity in the U.S. this year.

Lun Lun was artificially inseminated on March 28, 2016. On August 16, zoo veterinary team members obtained an ultrasound image of a fetus measuring 0.78 centimeter (a third of an inch), and supporting hormone analyses and monitoring of Lun Lun’s behavior suggest that a birth could take place within three weeks.

Zoo officials say they are optimistic that the newest addition to the Zoo Atlanta giant panda program is on the way, but there is still no certainty of an impending birth. Fetal reabsorption is not uncommon in giant pandas, so the possibility remains that the pregnancy could fail. Because of the difficulty in obtaining ultrasounds of Lun Lun’s entire uterus, there is also no certainty that there is not more than one fetus present.

Giant pandas represent Zoo Atlanta’s most significant financial investment in conservation. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild in China’s Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and more than 1,200 of these live inside nature reserves. Support from Zoo Atlanta benefits wild giant pandas living on eight of these reserves.

A new cub, which would be the first giant panda born in the U.S. in 2016, would be the sixth for 18-year-old Lun Lun and 18-year-old male Yang Yang. The pair’s first, second and third offspring, Mei Lan, Xi Lan and Po, now reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Their fourth and fifth, 3-year-old females Mei Lun and Mei Huan, reside at Zoo Atlanta and are the only twin giant pandas in the U.S.

Photo via Zoo Atlanta.