MEMPHIS ZOO PRESS RELEASE
The Memphis Zoo has started a 24-hour watch on its female giant panda after seeing signs that she may be pregnant. The watch began on Thursday, May 3.
The Memphis Zoo's 6-year-old female panda, has been more restless and irritable than usual. Plus, her appetite has decreased, and she has spent more time in seclusion.
She is in her maternity den and has access to her dayroom, or on-exhibit area.
If she were going to have the baby, she would spend a lot more time alone and settle into the tree; in her maternity den. The tree, which is equipped with an infrared camera, is a replica of where a giant panda would give birth in the wild.
Memphis Zoo staff started performing ultrasounds on Ya Ya three weeks ago. Even with ultrasound, it is difficult to confirm pregnancy. The cubs are very small and hard to detect. At birth, they weigh about 100 grams - or about the size of a stick of butter.
"We are seeing all of the signs that she could be pregnant," said Matt Thompson, the Zoo's Curator of Mammals. However, we realize that it could still be a pseudopregnancy" ....
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