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Giant panda Jia Jia artificially inseminated again after mating attempt fails

SINGAPORE — After an unsuccessful attempt to mate giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia earlier this week, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has once again turned to artificial insemination in hopes of producing a cub.

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SINGAPORE — After an unsuccessful attempt to mate giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia earlier this week, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has once again turned to artificial insemination in hopes of producing a cub.

Kai Kai went through two rounds of artificial insemination on Wednesday (April 13) and Thursday, said WRS in a statement. The procedure was carried out twice to maximise the chances of conception.

The insemination was conducted by a veterinary team, who were assisted by another team led by Professor Ng Soon Chye, a human obstetrics and gynaecology specialist.

This is the second time that the WRS has used artificial insemination, after an earlier attempt to mate them naturally failed.

WRS said that such failures were not uncommon, given the pandas’ young age and inexperience.

“The past few days have involved very intensive observation and monitoring of the pairs which culminated in the artificial insemination of Jia Jia. Our female panda is timid by nature and our focus now is on her after care,” said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, the Chief Life Sciences Officer at WRS.

The results of the procedure will only be known in several months, as giant pandas have a delayed implantation during pregnancy. This means that vets will only be able to confirm a pregnancy in the later part of a giant panda’s gestation period, which lasts between 95 and 160 days. The pregnancy will be confirmed through ultrasound scans.

The pair had been showing signs of entering their mating season at the end of March. WRS said that they had already displayed classic courtship behaviour before that. For example, Kai Kai was seen scent-marking his territory and chirping to get Jia Jia’s attention, while she was sleeping more and when awake, paced about restlessly.

Such behaviour confirmed that attempts to stimulate breeding cycles and interest had been successful.

Giant pandas’ mating instincts are triggered by hormonal changes in response to seasonal variations in temperature and day lengths.

Keepers recreated these changes by modifying the giant panda exhibit’s daylight hours and temperature to simulate the transition from winter to spring in Sichuan, China, where the giant pandas are from.

Besides changes in their environment, the duo were also placed side by side for short periods of time so that they could smell each other’s scent. Their reactions indicated their receptiveness to the opposite sex. Jia Jia’s hormone levels were also studied to determine her readiness to mate. ASHUTOSH RAVIKRISHNAN

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