A female panda was inseminated on Monday at a breeding base in southwest China after she was found to be in heat for a second time this year, which surprised scientists as the rare animal is known for having a low sex drive.
The eight-year-old panda, named Qiyuan, a mother of three, went into heat in May and was inseminated, but she did not become pregnant then. She went into heat again starting last Monday, said Wang Chengdong, an official of the breeding base in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.
Wang told Xinhua on Tuesday that this was the first known case in which a captive-bred female panda had experienced estrous twice in one year, and the event deserved further research.
Female pandas become sexually mature at the age of four or five. They are normally in estrus in the spring and give birth to one or two cubs in autumn, according to Zhang Hemin, head of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.
The rare second estrus of Qiyuan was shorter than that of the spring but still sufficient for insemination, Wang said.
Qingyuan mated 11 minutes with 19-year-old male Xiaopingping on Monday and was artificially inseminated two hours later.
"We are not sure whether she could be pregnant this time. We want the miracle to happen," Wang said.
China has been working hard to tackle giant pandas' breeding problems. Zoologists have resorted to artificial insemination and the use of frozen sperm. Pandas have even been shown sex films in an effort to arouse their breeding instincts.
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. Just 1,590 giant pandas are estimated to live in the wild, mostly in southwest China's mountainous regions.
By the end of 2006, about 210 giant pandas lived in captivity in China.
Source:Xinhua
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