SINGAPORE on Saturday welcomed its first giant panda cub at River Safari, the offspring of two iconic pandas — male panda ‘Kai Kai’ and female panda ‘Jia Jia’ — on Aug 14.
According to Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), the gender of the cub weighing 200 grammes is yet to be determined and will be announced later.
“In July, ultrasound scans showed a thickening of Jia Jia’s cervix and some fluid in the uterine horns. We stayed hopeful for Jia Jia, while maintaining her ultrasound checks to monitor developments,” said WRS’ Deputy Chief Executive Officer Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, in a statement here.
Dr Cheng who is also the Chief Life Sciences Officer said female giant pandas display pseudopregnancy, exhibiting all the hormonal and behavioural signs of pregnancy even when they were not expecting.
“The only sure way of confirming a pregnancy is visualisation of a foetus near to term. This happened for us on Aug 10 when our vet picked up on ultrasound not only a clear outline of a foetus but one with a strong heartbeat,” said Dr Cheng.
In April this year, WRS said 13-year-old Kai Kai and 12-year-old Jia Jia displayed signs of being in heat, officially entering their seventh breeding season. The gestation period for pandas is five months.
Working closely with the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP), WRS’ animal care team initiated the breeding plan for 2021, emphasising natural mating with assisted reproductive technology as back up if required.
“Jia Jia’s first pregnancy and birth of a cub is a significant milestone for us in the care of this threatened species in Singapore. This is the result of good animal care, assisted reproductive science and sheer perseverance on the part of our staff coupled with valuable advice from the China panda experts.
“The work continues now with supporting the first-time mother to raise her newborn cub,” said Dr Cheng.
Giant pandas’ conservation threat status recently improved to Vulnerable from Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
This is testament to a well-managed conservation programme instituted by the Chinese wildlife authority which encompasses habitat protection, research and maintenance of sustainable population in human care, said WRS.
Caring for Kai Kai and Jia Jia, which were presented to Singapore from China on Sept 6, 2012, contributes to giant pandas’ conservation efforts, it added.
Kai Kai and Jia Jia are from Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base, a two-hour drive from Chengdu City. – Bernama
