Mei Xiang Pregnancy Update
Mei Xiang has been seen doing a lot of paw-licking during the overnight and early morning behavior watches. This behavior is encouraging, as it is a behavior that pregnant pandas often exhibit, but is also seen during false pregnancies. A behavior that is more indicative of a true pregnancy is anogenital (or “AG”) licking. Back in 2005, Mei Xiang exhibited prolonged bouts of this behavior for several days prior to giving birth to Tai Shan. Beginning in the wee hours of the morning on June 25, behavior watchers noted a couple of short bouts of AG licking. While this is no way conclusive as to whether or not Mei Xiang is really pregnant, it is certainly a positive sign.
The vets are still conducting ultrasounds on Mei Xiang almost every day. For the most part, she is still very cooperative, although she is very clear when she is done participating. Nothing definitive has been seen yet, but we’re still all waiting and hoping.
Source: National Zoo
