How the National Zoo Tried to Get Panda Couple to Mate

• Pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will go away their enclosure in DC subsequent 12 months.
• Throughout their time on the Nationwide Zoo, employees tried to get Mei Xiang and Tian Tian to mate.
• Zoo employees ended up having to artificially inseminate Mei Xiang with Tian Tian’s semen.

Earlier than the Nationwide Zoo’s beloved big pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, had their cub Xiao Qi Ji in 2020, zoo employees struggled to get the couple to mate.

Zoo curators tried practically each technique, The Washington Publish reported: dimming the lights of the couple’s enclosure, decreasing noise ranges, and even placing Tian Tian, the male panda, on a health program to construct up his stamina.

“We’re getting him in form. We’re increase his stamina … I feel Tian is in fairly fine condition, however, you recognize what, we’re turning him into an Olympic athlete,” Brandi Smith, the zoo’s director, informed the Publish in 2011.

One of many workouts was to get Tian Tian to face as tall as he may to work out his legs, in accordance with the newspaper. For Mei Xiang, curators had her lie on a log to assist her put together for when Tian Tian approached her. Mei Xiang had a behavior of mendacity flat on the bottom, which made it tougher for Tian Tian to mate, The Publish reported.

A Nationwide Zoo spokesperson didn’t reply to a request for remark despatched throughout the weekend.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived within the US from China in 2000 as a part of the Large Panda Cooperative Analysis and Breeding Settlement between the 2 international locations, in accordance with the zoo. The settlement was established to check the copy of and preserve the wild inhabitants of big pandas.

The analysis settlement was renewed 3 times.

Now, the pandas at Washington DC’s Nationwide Zoo are anticipated to be returned to China by the tip of the 12 months through FedEx.

Since her time in America, Mei Xiang has given delivery to 4 surviving cubs with Tian Tian.

Zoo employees had difficulties getting the couple to mate regardless of the 2 liking one another.

“Each time we put them collectively, once we thought it was the appropriate time, they undoubtedly appreciated one another,” Pierre Comizzoli, a analysis biologist on the Nationwide Zoo, informed the Publish. “They had been form of frolicking collectively, however nothing actually was taking place.”

Although the desire is to have the pandas naturally mate, zoo officers ended up artificially inseminating Mei Xiang with Tian Tian’s semen a number of occasions.

Their newest cub, Xiao Qi Ji, was born on August 21, 2020.