ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta’s giant 18-year-old panda, Lun Lun, is expecting a cub.
The zoo says its veterinary team obtained an ultrasound of her fetus, and supporting hormone analyses and monitoring of Lun Lun’s behavior suggest that the birth could take place within three weeks.
The team will be on 24-hour birth watch starting Monday.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated on March 28, 2016. Since then, teams have continued to review hormone analyses.
The team is optimistic that a panda cub is on the way, however, there is no 100 percent certainty because fetal reabsorption is not uncommon in giant pandas. There is a possibility the pregnancy could fail.
The new cub would be the first giant panda born in the U.S. this year. It would be Lun Lun and 18-year-old male Yang Yang’s sixth cub.
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.
Lun Lun is currently resting in an off-exhibit den in the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center.
Zoo Atlanta says Animal Planet will host a live PandaCam on zooatlanta.org as the zoo family prepares for the cub’s birth.
It’s official! Lun Lun has been confirmed to be expecting, and 24-hour giant panda birthwatch begins this Monday, August...
Posted by Zoo Atlanta on Thursday, August 18, 2016
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