No panda birth today, Edinburgh Zoo confirms

Edinburgh Zoo has confirmed that giant panda Tian Tian will not give birth today.

Tian Tian will not be giving birth today, the zoo has confirmed. Picture: SWNS

Emails between the zoo and the Scottish Government that were released yesterday earmarked August 25 as the expected due date.

However, the zoo has confirmed today that Tian Tian won’t be giving birth.

A statement read: “We can confirm our female giant panda, Tian Tian, will not be giving birth today.

“Breeding pandas is exceptionally complex and we anticipate that her breeding cycle will continue into September.

“We’re closely monitoring Tian Tian and we will share any news as soon as possible.”

The released documents showed that in late July this year, Tian Tian’s pregnancy was ‘on track’ and the mother-to-be was ‘doing real well’, according to director of giant pandas Iain Valentine.

This is the fifth time that Tian Tian, who gave birth to a cub prior to her move to Edinburgh in 2011, has been artificially inseminated.