Panda Updates- Thursday, August 8

We’ve mentioned in recent updates that some of the female pandas have been going through pseudopregnancy, a normal phenomenon with female giant pandas wherein their bodies undergo hormonal changes that are similar to pregnancy, although none of our pandas are pregnant. (If you’re not caught up, please see our blog and social media updates from July 29, July 22, and July 15 to learn more about this phenomenon.)

They also exhibit behavioral changes. For the past week or so, all three females, Lun Lun, Xi Lun, and Ya Lun, have been in overlapping stages of pseudopregnancy. That means they have been mostly choosing to stay behind the scenes and sleep, and Yang Yang has been the star of the show! He has been our only visible giant panda some days when the others decide to stay inside. As always, it’s very important to the Panda Care Team that the pandas have an opportunity to choose where they are most comfortable.

Changes are afoot, though! Ya Lun is showing signs that she is reaching the end of her pseudopregnancy, and hopefully we will have more sightings of her in the dayrooms coming up soon. Some of the signs we’ve been seeing are her waking up a little earlier in the morning, an increase in activity, and a slight uptick in her bamboo consumption. Lun Lun should be the next to return to her normal state, with Xi Lun bringing up the rear since she entered pseudopregnancy last. That’s only what we expect, though – the pandas always make the final call, and we always listen!

Panda Care Team