Funi Proves Ready for Motherhood
From mid January to the beginning of March, Funi, Adelaide Zoo’s female panda, went through her second pseudo-pregnancy, which saw her experience all the things she would if actually pregnant. Symptoms included hormonal fluctuations, loss of appetite and prolonged episodes of sleep. This is very normal for female pandas to go through even if they haven’t successfully mated during a breeding season.
Here is an update by Adelaide Zoo’s Senior Panda Keeper Simone Davey:
This year has been very different to last in the way she has behaved and we were thrilled with what we have seen knowing that next year it could actually be the real thing!
This year the panda team decided to give her access to a den area, where it’s hoped she will one day care for a panda cub, so she could have somewhere private to rest. This also allowed the team to monitor her behaviours and use this as a trial run for a real pregnancy. Funi’s response to being given access to the den was so positive, she almost immediately started collecting bamboo and taking it into the den. Over the next month she built herself a very comfortable nest; scratching around, shredding the bamboo into smaller pieces and rearranging them into particular spots.
Unlike last year, when she was very active and at times frustrated with what was happening, this year she has been the complete opposite. The team overall saw a very relaxed and sleepy panda. She as a whole seemed quite content with what was going on. Like last time she was fairly light and sound sensitive, so spent most of the time in the dark, either sleeping in the back of the building or in the den. Funi hardly ventured out into the day room and over all did not venture out into the main part of the exhibit for more than two full months.
The most amazing behaviour that the team witnessed was the maternal instincts that Funi showed during the pseudo-pregnancy. Her natural maternal instincts were so strong she attached herself to an enrichment toy normally used in play. Zookeepers started to see her regularly holding a piece of fire hose while she was sleeping and it soon became evident that she was ‘caring’ for it. Every time she would enter the den she would gently collect it in her mouth, find a comfortable position to sit and cradle the hose in a nursing position, eventually falling asleep holding it close.
All in all the team is really excited for what lies ahead this year. We hope and think that this is going to be a defining year for Wang Wang and Funi. We begun negotiations with our Chinese colleagues and hope they will be assisting us with artificial insemination this year as well as natural mating attempts. We have learnt so much from this last pseudo-pregnancy and it has really helped prepare for the upcoming breeding season and potential birth.
Source: Adelaide Zoo
