Britain's only female giant panda, thought to be pregnant, has passed her due date with no sign of a panda baby appearing.
Edinburgh Zoo's Tian Tian should have gone into labour over the weekend, according to experts, but tests indicated she may have miscarried.
"Giant panda Tian Tian is now past her due date and the evidence suggests that this may be bad news," said Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
"She is still displaying some of the behaviours of a pregnant panda, but the scientific data from the urine analysis of her hormones is becoming more atypical. "
The 10-year-old pandas Tian Tian (Sweetie) and male Yang Guang (Sunshine), on loan from China, are the first giant pandas to live in Britain for 17 years. Tian Tian lost a cub at a late term last year.
Animal protection group OneKind said Edinburgh Zoo should abandon attempts to breed a baby panda.
"Unlike a human mother who makes the choice to undergo artificial insemination, Tian Tian has no say in whether she has these procedures," said OneKind policy director Libby Anderson.
GMT 09:43 2018 Monday ,03 December
Warmer seas could be behind New Zealand whale strandings, expert saysGMT 11:17 2018 Monday ,26 November
Up to 145 pilot whales die in New Zealand mass strandingGMT 16:01 2018 Friday ,23 November
Indonesia may charge tourists 500 dollars to see rare Komodo dragonsGMT 08:09 2018 Monday ,12 November
Japanese whalers leave for Antarctic amid international criticismGMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,05 November
Leopard kills wildlife warden in BotswanaGMT 07:37 2018 Tuesday ,30 October
Putin’s tiger finds another "girlfriend"GMT 07:33 2018 Tuesday ,30 October
60 per cent of wildlife wiped out in 44 yearsGMT 05:24 2018 Sunday ,09 September
Hundreds of seals are dying on the New England coastMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor