Edinburgh pandas: Yang Guang may not be panda dad

YANG GUANG, Edinburgh Zoo’s male giant panda, may not be the father of Tian Tian’s future cubs, scientists revealed yesterday because sperm from another source was used during artificial insemination.

An international team of leading panda reproduction experts oversaw the procedure on Sunday morning in which a mix of frozen and thawed semen from Yang Guang and another panda, Bao Bao, were introduced into Tian Tian’s uterus.

The samples from Bao Bao were collected and frozen while he was living in Berlin Zoo. He died last year.

The decision to carry out artificial insemnination took place after Tian Tian ovulated on Saturday, but did not appear willing to mate with Yang Guang.

A zoo spokeswoman said: “[Tian Tian’s] 36-hour breeding window showed she wanted to mate, but her behaviour suggested she would not be responsive to our male panda, Yang Guang; putting them together potentially posed risk of injury. In the wild this would not be a problem, as she would find and mate with multiple partners. In the zoo however, this means we used artificial insemination, the recommended method by the Chinese.”

Iain Valentine, the zoo’s director of giant pandas, said: “This was ground-breaking science taking place for the first time in the UK. It would have been amazing if the pandas had mated naturally. However, artificial insemination is the next best thing for the overall global conservation effort and the individual biology of Tian Tian.”

During the procedure, both pandas were sedated. If Tian Tian is pregnant, confirmation will come in mid-July, when experts can give her an ultrasound scan.

Mr Valentine added: “Both pandas are doing very well.”

The pandas will go back on show today.