Giant pandas have a reputation
for being unwilling to procreate, but things are changing. Researchers are expecting a panda baby boom this summer, and the next few weeks should reveal whether they beat last year's tally of 31 cubs born in captivity.
In the leafy suburbs of the Sichuan capital of Chengdu , scientists have long been at the vanguard of efforts to keep the creatures from becoming extinct. And this year it looks as if their work is paying off. The recent surge in births in captivity shows that they seem to have overcome the breeding difficulties that have kept the captive panda population down.
'We hope we'll have a baby boom this year,' said Wang Chengdong, top veterinarian at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. 'Ultrasounds will take place this summer. A major reason for the baby boom last year was animal management - the improvement in food quality and environment and nutrition as well as reproductive technology.'
Of last year's 31 cubs, 12 were from Chengdu Panda Base: nine were born on the base, two born in Japan, and one at Zoo Atlanta in the US. The early signs of another bumper batch of baby bears are there. Mei Xiang, the panda matriarch at Washington's National Zoo, is showing a spike in hormone activity and zookeepers say she may be pregnant for the second time. She gave birth to Tai Shan nearly two years ago in the zoo after artificial insemination.
The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and the only wild ones are found on the mainland. The state forestry administration estimates that there are 1,590 animals in the wild - mainly in the mountains of Sichuan province - and 210 in captivity.
