Giant Panda Breeding Season Peaks

ATLANTA – Mar. 29, 2016 – The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams at Zoo Atlanta performed artificial insemination (AI) on Lun Lun, an 18-year-old female giant panda, in the evening of March 28, 2016. The teams opted to employ AI when hormonal and behavioral indicators suggested that Lun Lun had entered her species’ critically brief window of fertility.

Female giant pandas are fertile for just two to three days a year, and this short period dictates that AI be performed within hours of ovulation. Hormone analyses conducted by David Kersey, PhD, an expert in giant panda endocrinology from Western University of Health Sciences, indicated that Lun Lun ovulated on March 28. The Zoo’s Animal Management and Veterinary Teams were assisted in the AI procedure by Copper Aitken-Palmer, DVM, Chief Veterinarian at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and an expert in giant panda reproductive physiology, and Dr. Kersey.

“Time is of the essence in giant panda breeding season. Giant panda females are known for their ephemeral period of fertility, and our pair, as in previous breeding seasons, did not demonstrate interest in mating this year,” said Hayley Murphy, DVM, Vice President of Animal Divisions at Zoo Atlanta. “Given Zoo Atlanta’s long-term investment in this endangered species, and given the success of our giant panda program thus far, we are hopeful that Lun Lun, who has proven herself to be an outstanding mother, will once again be able to bring a new addition to a population of animals that have become global icons for the conservation of wildlife and wild places.”

Lun Lun and male Yang Yang, also 18, have never mated naturally in their 17 years of association. All five of the pair’s offspring have been products of AI. The pair’s first three cubs, male Mei Lan, born in 2006; male Xi Lan, born in 2008; and female Po, born in 2010, now reside at China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Their fourth and fifth offspring, females Mei Lun and Mei Huan, born in 2013, reside at Zoo Atlanta. Mei Lun and Mei Huan are the only giant panda twins in the U.S.

Giant pandas represent Zoo Atlanta’s most significant financial investment in conservation. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild in China’s Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and more than 1,200 of these live inside nature reserves. Support from Zoo Atlanta benefits wild giant pandas living on eight of these reserves. In 2012, Zoo Atlanta and partners Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Memphis Zoo and San Diego Zoo Global received the International Conservation Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for their commitment to the species. The award recognized exceptional efforts toward giant panda regional habitat preservation, species restoration and support of biodiversity in the wild.

Stay tuned for updates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachel Davis Director of Communications

rdavis@zooatlanta.org

404.624.2812 – office

404.309.2238 – cell

About the giant panda program at Zoo Atlanta

The giant panda program at Zoo Atlanta dates to the mid-1990s, prior to the debut of giant panda pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who arrived in 1999 on loan from China. Zoo Atlanta initiated its giant panda loan with its primary Chinese partners, the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG), the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the Chengdu Zoo. Zoo Atlanta scientists developed a program focused on using behavioral and veterinary research to understand, support, and lengthen maternal care; improve reproductive success and well-being; understand giant pandas’ cognitive and perceptual abilities; and improve health, including preventative medicine. Zoo Atlanta’s relationship with the Chengdu Research Base and Chengdu Zoo also led to the creation of conservation education departments at these institutions – the first of their kind in Chinese zoos. In 2012, Zoo Atlanta and partners Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Memphis Zoo and San Diego Zoo Global earned the prestigious International Conservation Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for their long-term commitment to the species. To date, five giant panda cubs have been born at Zoo Atlanta: Mei Lan (2006); Xi Lan (2008); Po (2010); and Mei Lun and Mei Huan (2013). Mei Lan, Xi Lan and Po currently reside at the Chengdu Research Base.

About Zoo Atlanta

Viewed as one of the finest zoological institutions in the U.S. and a proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoo Atlanta has a mission to inspire value and preservation of wildlife through a unique mix of education and outdoor family experiences. From well-known native wildlife to critically endangered species on the brink of extinction, the Zoo offers memorable close encounters with nearly 1,400 animals from around the world. The Zoo’s newest destination, Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, featuring more than 70 species in a 111,000 square-foot complex, opened in April 2015. Zoo collection highlights include Mei Lun and Mei Huan, the only giant panda twins in the U.S.; North America’s largest zoological collection of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Up-close-and-personal animal experiences include behind-the-scenes Wild Encounters with African elephants, giant pandas, lemurs and Aldabra giant tortoises. Zoo Atlanta is open daily with the exceptions of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Keeper talks, interactive wildlife shows, education programs and special events run year-round. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org or call 404.624.WILD.