Zoo Berlin, dubbed¹ the most species-rich zoo worldwide, is getting ready to welcome one or two newborn panda cubs³.

 

柏林动物园，号称世界上物种最丰富的动物园，正准备迎接一或两只熊猫幼仔的降生。
 

 

The panda couple, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, sent by China in 2017, mated in April and later artificial insemination was also performed on Meng Meng to boost the likelihood of pregnancy⁴, the Zoo announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

 

Meng Meng's altered behavior hinted a pregnancy, and ultrasound images and hormone⁵ tests have also provided extra reasons to expect a panda cub² in a few weeks' time, said Zoo Berlin, known as Germany's oldest zoological garden, home to almost 20,200 animals of around 1,380 species.

 

Germany's Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) is conducting regular examinations on Meng Meng. Thomas Hildebrandt, head of the reproduction management department at IZW, said the most recent test on Wednesday showed that Meng Meng's ovaries are activated⁶, her uterus becomes much larger, and a small bulge⁷ is visible that could be one or two embryos⁸.

 

"Although phantom⁹ pregnancies¹⁰ are relatively¹¹ common in giant pandas, at the moment we are around 85 percent sure that Meng Meng is actually expecting," said Hildebrandt.

 

Moreover, experts say that Meng Meng's recent lethargy, lack of appetite and shunning¹² contact with humans are all signs of her being pregnant.

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