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Panda cub (Photo Credit: Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre)
A giant panda may have faked a pregnancy to get better living conditions and nicer food at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre in Central China.
The live broadcast planned for the birth of six year old Ai Hin’s cubs has been scrapped since the discovery of the "phantom pregnancy.” According to a report by the Xinhua News the world’s first live broadcast of a panda birth was cancelled on Monday.
"After showing prenatal signs, the 'mothers-to-be' are moved into single rooms with air conditioning and around-the-clock care. They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life," said Wu Kongju, an expert at the Chengdu Base.
Panda cubs (Photo Credit: Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre)
Phantom pregnancy is common among endangered bears and pandas can even exhibit prenatal behaviours. Ai Hin showed signs of pregnancy including reduced appetite, less mobility and a surge in hormones. Since July her behaviour has indicated that she was pregnant but after two months her tests went back to normal.
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