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Ueno Zoo's
11-year-old panda, Shin Shin, has shown signs of being pregnant,
such as dozing more and urinating less, although she currently
has a good appetite, the deputy head of the zoo, Hirofumi
Watabe, told reporters.
Shin Shin and her partner, Ri Ri, arrived from China in February
2011 and went on view to the public soon after a devastating
earthquake and tsunami the next month, providing Japan with some
welcome news.
The birth of a cub to the panda couple in 2012 was the first
panda born at Ueno Zoo in 24 years and was greeted with
widespread excitement.
However, the tiny cub was found motionless and without a
heartbeat on his mother's belly and, although moved to an
incubator, efforts to revive the baby panda failed.
"The previous cub died after six days. Raising them at the early
stage is very difficult, so we want to properly prepare," Watabe
said.
Panda pregnancies, rare in captivity and outside of China, are
hard to establish or predict. If Shin Shin is pregnant, she is
likely to give birth in early June or a bit later.
"Last time it didn't turn out well, but I think it will be OK
this time," said Rie Nishimura, 40, who was with her
three-year-old daughter Koharu among the crowds who came to see
the possibly pregnant panda on Friday.
(Reporting by Hyun Oh; Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by Paul
Tait)
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