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| Edinburgh zoo says giant panda TIan Tian lost cub during pregnancy | |
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| Edinburgh zoo has said that its giant panda Tian Tian has again lost a cub during pregnancy, despite growing optimism in recent weeks that the zoo’s midwifery would finally pay off. | Edinburgh zoo has said that its giant panda Tian Tian has again lost a cub during pregnancy, despite growing optimism in recent weeks that the zoo’s midwifery would finally pay off. |
| Staff at the zoo had been convinced that Tian Tian’s prospects were greater than ever this year after her hormone readings and behaviour showed her pregnancy was going to plan, following her artificial insemination with semen from her mate, Yang Guang, in March. | Staff at the zoo had been convinced that Tian Tian’s prospects were greater than ever this year after her hormone readings and behaviour showed her pregnancy was going to plan, following her artificial insemination with semen from her mate, Yang Guang, in March. |
| Tian Tian was due to give birth during a four-day window last week, but the zoo’s experts now suspect she absorbed the foetus into the womb in the final stages of her pregnancy – repeating the events of the last two years, when cubs have been lost at a very late stage. | Tian Tian was due to give birth during a four-day window last week, but the zoo’s experts now suspect she absorbed the foetus into the womb in the final stages of her pregnancy – repeating the events of the last two years, when cubs have been lost at a very late stage. |
| Related: Everything you always wanted to know about panda sex (but were afraid to ask) | Sam Knight | |
| Iain Valentine, director of the zoo’s giant pandas project, who has given the Guardian exclusive access to the panda breeding programme, said it was too early to be certain what had gone wrong with the birth. | Iain Valentine, director of the zoo’s giant pandas project, who has given the Guardian exclusive access to the panda breeding programme, said it was too early to be certain what had gone wrong with the birth. |
| Tian Tian had shown the classic signs of going into labour on Tuesday 18 August, with the zoo carrying out the most comprehensive series of hormone tests yet done on a female giant panda, but by Thursday the evidence she was pregnant had faded. The zoo is now planning a series of tests and reviews of the data to learn further lessons. | Tian Tian had shown the classic signs of going into labour on Tuesday 18 August, with the zoo carrying out the most comprehensive series of hormone tests yet done on a female giant panda, but by Thursday the evidence she was pregnant had faded. The zoo is now planning a series of tests and reviews of the data to learn further lessons. |
| “We will now spend a lot of time looking at it all,” Valentine said. “This has been a very different year. There has been a step change, another step. How many more steps will we need to take? I don’t know, and of course it is biology, so it’s complicated. Producing a panda cub is icing on the cake, but we are working with an amazing species.” | “We will now spend a lot of time looking at it all,” Valentine said. “This has been a very different year. There has been a step change, another step. How many more steps will we need to take? I don’t know, and of course it is biology, so it’s complicated. Producing a panda cub is icing on the cake, but we are working with an amazing species.” |
| It is the fourth attempt by Edinburgh zoo to produce a cub from the pair since they arrived on loan from the Chinese government as part of a £2.6bn UK trade deal in December 2011. Their procession from the airport was witnessed by the then deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon and Michael Moore, then Scottish secretary. | It is the fourth attempt by Edinburgh zoo to produce a cub from the pair since they arrived on loan from the Chinese government as part of a £2.6bn UK trade deal in December 2011. Their procession from the airport was witnessed by the then deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon and Michael Moore, then Scottish secretary. |
| Alison MacLean, the pandas’ head keeper, told the Guardian her team and other executives had been extremely optimistic that they had perfected their techniques this year. | Alison MacLean, the pandas’ head keeper, told the Guardian her team and other executives had been extremely optimistic that they had perfected their techniques this year. |
| “We thought this was definitely going to be our year,” she said. “We were kind of skipping about the section trying not to grin from ear to ear, thinking this was it, and any minute it was going to go to full-blown labour,” she said. | “We thought this was definitely going to be our year,” she said. “We were kind of skipping about the section trying not to grin from ear to ear, thinking this was it, and any minute it was going to go to full-blown labour,” she said. |
| Her keepers are now extremely despondent, MacLean admitted. “It does tug at the heart. It’s hugely sad, and not just because we wanted it for us. I wanted it for her, [but] our priority right now is that she is all right, and we will pick ourselves up and go again. [It’s] an absolutely fantastic job, it’s probably the greatest job in the world, but it ain’t easy.” | Her keepers are now extremely despondent, MacLean admitted. “It does tug at the heart. It’s hugely sad, and not just because we wanted it for us. I wanted it for her, [but] our priority right now is that she is all right, and we will pick ourselves up and go again. [It’s] an absolutely fantastic job, it’s probably the greatest job in the world, but it ain’t easy.” |
| Chris West, the zoo’s chief executive, who came to Edinburgh from Adelaide zoo in Australia which is also home to giant pandas, said: “Tian Tian is still showing behaviour of a pregnant panda, being sleepy and off her food, but we now must assume she has resorbed her pregnancy in late term. | Chris West, the zoo’s chief executive, who came to Edinburgh from Adelaide zoo in Australia which is also home to giant pandas, said: “Tian Tian is still showing behaviour of a pregnant panda, being sleepy and off her food, but we now must assume she has resorbed her pregnancy in late term. |
| “It is believed that resorption is a common occurrence in giant pandas, as it is in other species, and may well be the true explanation behind many so-called ‘fake’ pregnancies.” | “It is believed that resorption is a common occurrence in giant pandas, as it is in other species, and may well be the true explanation behind many so-called ‘fake’ pregnancies.” |
| The zoo had been hoping for a surge in visitors and worldwide attention. Tian Tian and Yuang Guan are already its biggest attraction, greatly helping the zoo recover from a financial crisis, but panda cubs would have seen visitor numbers surge again had they gone on public show this winter. | The zoo had been hoping for a surge in visitors and worldwide attention. Tian Tian and Yuang Guan are already its biggest attraction, greatly helping the zoo recover from a financial crisis, but panda cubs would have seen visitor numbers surge again had they gone on public show this winter. |
| Tian Tian was chosen for Edinburgh because she has successfully produced twin cubs before. The zoo’s disappointment was deepened by news over the weekend that Mei Xiang, a giant panda at Washington National zoo, had unexpectedly given birth to twins. Its staff had not even been aware she was pregnant. She already has two surviving cubs. | Tian Tian was chosen for Edinburgh because she has successfully produced twin cubs before. The zoo’s disappointment was deepened by news over the weekend that Mei Xiang, a giant panda at Washington National zoo, had unexpectedly given birth to twins. Its staff had not even been aware she was pregnant. She already has two surviving cubs. |
| Early on Monday, keepers at Zoo Negara in Malaysia announced their panda Liang Liang had also given birth, to a female cub, only a year after arriving there. There have been other giant panda cubs born at other zoos and conservation centres this year, including three sets of twins in five days at a Chinese research centre in Sichuan province, and pregnant pandas in zoos in Memphis, Tennessee and Hong Kong. | Early on Monday, keepers at Zoo Negara in Malaysia announced their panda Liang Liang had also given birth, to a female cub, only a year after arriving there. There have been other giant panda cubs born at other zoos and conservation centres this year, including three sets of twins in five days at a Chinese research centre in Sichuan province, and pregnant pandas in zoos in Memphis, Tennessee and Hong Kong. |
| “2015 isn’t our year, we celebrate Washington and Malaysia’s success,” Valentine said. “We keep our fingers crossed for Memphis and for Hong Kong, the small little panda club we are part of, we celebrate and commiserate together.” | “2015 isn’t our year, we celebrate Washington and Malaysia’s success,” Valentine said. “We keep our fingers crossed for Memphis and for Hong Kong, the small little panda club we are part of, we celebrate and commiserate together.” |
| Edinburgh zoo’s three previous attempts have ended in disappointment. Tian Tian, whose name translates as Sweetie, successfully conceived in 2013 after she was artificially inseminated, but she then resorbed the foetus at a late stage of her pregnancy. She failed to conceive in 2012, and a successful conception last year also ended in failure when she failed to carry to full term. | Edinburgh zoo’s three previous attempts have ended in disappointment. Tian Tian, whose name translates as Sweetie, successfully conceived in 2013 after she was artificially inseminated, but she then resorbed the foetus at a late stage of her pregnancy. She failed to conceive in 2012, and a successful conception last year also ended in failure when she failed to carry to full term. |
| Edinburgh’s pandas have played a key role in helping the zoo’s finances and reputation recover after it suffered £1.5m losses, a steep fall in visitor numbers and a series of damaging staffing crises five years ago. | Edinburgh’s pandas have played a key role in helping the zoo’s finances and reputation recover after it suffered £1.5m losses, a steep fall in visitor numbers and a series of damaging staffing crises five years ago. |
| The pandas’ arrival saw a surge in visitor numbers, peaking at 810,000 – up 51% – in their first year at the zoo. Heavy merchandising of the pandas boosted the zoo’s finances, with its income jumping by more than £5m to nearly £15m. | The pandas’ arrival saw a surge in visitor numbers, peaking at 810,000 – up 51% – in their first year at the zoo. Heavy merchandising of the pandas boosted the zoo’s finances, with its income jumping by more than £5m to nearly £15m. |
| Although visitor numbers fell last year by 12% to nearly 672,000, they dropped less significantly than forecast and far less sharply than at other zoos with pandas, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s latest accounts. | Although visitor numbers fell last year by 12% to nearly 672,000, they dropped less significantly than forecast and far less sharply than at other zoos with pandas, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s latest accounts. |