Adelaide Giant Panda Breeding Season
The 2013 Adelaide Zoo Giant Panda breeding season has concluded with Funi coming into season on September 21, 2013. After closely monitoring Funi’s hormonal levels to determine the short breeding window of opportunity, Wang Wang was introduced for a natural mating.
After a period of time and several unsuccessful attempts, it was apparent a natural mating was not going to be successful this year, so the team started the process of preparing for artificial insemination.
Reproductive scientists, keepers and veterinarians from Adelaide Zoo alongside a reproductive specialist from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda at Wolong prepared for the procedure, however it is believed that the artificial insemination attempt was unsuccessful.
Panda breeding is difficult at the best of times, and this year’s attempt at Artificial Insemination was made more complicated by low sperm volume. As Wang Wang is still a young male panda, this isn’t uncommon. In the wild, young pandas generally don’t breed, as dominant males ward off younger rivals.
It is anticipated that as Wang Wang matures, his ability to breed will increase, this is backed up by his promising dominant behaviours that were shown during his introduction with Funi this season.
Whilst it is disappointing that this year’s attempt to breed Giant Pandas at Adelaide Zoo hasn’t eventuated, the events leading up to this have provided valuable data and information that will assist breeding programs for this endangered species.
Adelaide Zoo Senior Panda Keeper, Simone Davey, says both Wang Wang and Funi are returning to their normal routines following the breeding season.
“We’re still occasionally seeing some breeding season like behaviours – scent-marking or some restlessness – but their appetites have returned, and both are spending time exploring their individual areas”
“We have learnt a great deal from this year’s breeding attempt and are looking forward to next year when hopefully we will have more success. Panda breeding is extremely complex, mainly due to the very small window of opportunity that occurs for breeding each year. We also need to remember that both Wang Wang and Funi are still young pandas, and are only just reaching sexual maturity.”
The Bamboo Forest is open with both Funi and Wang Wang on display.
Adelaide Zoo acknowledges the invaluable voluntary contribution of Repromed Fertility Specialists who performed hormone analyses and provided resources for processing sperm samples; Healthscope Pathology who processed vaginal cytology slides; and Noah’s Crossing Veterinary Clinic who assisted with cryopreservation of sperm samples.
Source: Adelaide Zoo
