Disappointed zoo says no new panda cub

Veterinarians artificially inseminate great panda Lin Hui in February this year. (file photo by Cheewin Sattha)

CHIANG MAI - Chiang Mai Zoo has closed its centre for monitoring great panda Lin Hui’s pregnancy, saying the 135-day gestation period has passed without her giving birth to the much anticipated new cub.

Nipon Vichairat, the director of the zoo, announced the decision at midnight on Monday.

He said the 135th day had passed since she was artificially inseminated.

Lin Hui's progesterone level had returned to normal and veterinarians monitoring the panda’s pregnancy had confirmed it had ended. They continued monitoring the panda’s hormone levels for another six hours.

A formal announcement would be made later on Monday, when the zoo’s panda research team would provide a detailed explanation, he said.

The announcement ended five months of high expectations after she was thought to be pregnant following insemination in February.

As recently as Thursday last week, Mr Nipon said Lin Hui was likely to give birth in the next few days, judging by her behaviour and physical condition.

Nipon at that time quoted veterinarians as reporting her birth passage was lubricated, indicating she was about to deliver her baby in the next few days.

It was the second such disappointment. In February 2014 the zoo said Lin Hui appeared to have lost her cub after 128 days of gestation. She had been diagnosed as pregnant after artificial insemination.

Lin Hui and her mate Chuang Chuang, on loan from China since 2003, produced their first cub in 2009, after artificial insemination succeeded where attempts to get them to mate naturally, including using panda pornography and a low-carb diet, failed.

Lin Ping, the cub, became so popular she had her own live TV channel. She has since been sent to China for mating.

Mr Nipon said that since Lin Hui is not pregnant and her health has returned to normal, the zoo plans to reopen the visitors area of the panda’s living quarters by the end of this week.