Panda Ling Ling tries for parenthood again

ling ling

TOKYO (Reuters) - After a string of failed attempts, Japanese giant panda Ling Ling is getting another, unexpected chance to become a father after the discovery that his prospective mate was on heat unusually late in the year.


Tokyo's Ueno Zoo said on Wednesday that Ling Ling's sperm was used last week in an attempt to artificially inseminate Shuan Shuan, a 17-year-old female on loan from Mexico.


An earlier effort in February ended in failure despite initial signs Shuan Shuan might be with child.


Shuan Shuan came to Japan last December for a mating attempt after Ling Ling, now 18, made three unsuccessful trips to Mexico between 2001 and 2003.


Ueno Zoo said in a statement that the latest effort was made after Shuan Shuan showed higher than usual hormone levels, indicating she was on heat despite the fact that giant pandas usually become fertile between February and May.


"We will be waiting for good news," Kyodo news agency quoted Rafael Tinajero, director of the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, as saying.


There are only an estimated 800 to 1,000 pandas left in the wild and they are exceedingly difficult to breed in captivity.