Panda Updates- Monday, July 22

We recently shared that Ya Lun is experiencing an annual pseudopregnancy. Pseudopregnancy, in which a female’s body goes through the same hormonal and behavioral changes as are seen in pregnancy, even when she is not pregnant, occur on a yearly basis with female giant pandas. (See our post from July 15 for more on this interesting panda phenomenon.) Ya Lun is about halfway through the expected timeframe for a typical pseudopregnancy, which is about 4 weeks.

Lun Lun has been behind the scenes the past few days as well; she has also started her annual pseudopregnancy. Both are given the opportunity to go into the dayroom areas if they choose, but they can also choose to remain behind the scenes. This ability to choose is very important to the Panda Care Team, as the bears’ comfort is paramount. This means that during this time, only Xi Lun or Yang Yang may be visible. The care team appreciates your understanding as we tend to each bear’s individual needs – we know you want the pandas to be comfortable too!

Panda Care Team