Zoo Atlanta Panda Gives Birth

THE THIRD TIME IS A CHARM!

Zoo Atlanta’s Giant Pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang Successfully Reproduce

ATLANTA – Sept. 6, 2006 - Zoo Atlanta animal management staff confirmed today that 9-year-old female giant panda Lun Lun (Loon Loon), and 8-year-old male giant panda Yang Yang (Yahng Yahng) successfully produced a cub. Delivery took place at 4:51 p.m. in a specially constructed birthing den in the Giant Panda Building at Zoo Atlanta.

This panda cub birth at Zoo Atlanta is the fifth birth in a U.S. zoo within the last six years. Only an estimated 1,600 to 3,000 giant pandas remain in the wild today, with 185 additional living in captivity.

Animal management staff continues to closely watch Lun Lun for a potential second birth. Twin births occur nearly 50% of the time in the species. The second birth could occur up to 12 to 24 hours after the first.

"We’re ecstatic to have a cub here at Zoo Atlanta. This is a proud moment for all of Atlanta, another landmark day in our great city’s history. Zoo Atlanta’s successful breeding of Lun Lun and Yang Yang increases the population of this endangered species and provides invaluable data for further study,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta President and CEO.

The cub, which is about the size of a human hand, is being cared for by mother, Lun Lun, and will have its first veterinary check-up when Zoo Atlanta officials determine it is possible to do so without disrupting maternal care. Zoo Atlanta veterinary and animal management staff and a keeper from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will continue to monitor the mother and cub’s progress around the clock.

Yang Yang, father, who is currently on exhibit, is separated from Lun Lun and the cub and will not be introduced to the cub. This separation is normal in the wild.

The cub will be introduced to Zoo Members and guests in late 2006 or early 2007. Until then, images of the cub will be available on monitors at Zoo Atlanta and on Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Cam (located on zooatlanta.org). Zoo Atlanta officials, in collaboration with China, expect to name the cub in approximately 100 days, a Chinese tradition.

2006 Panda Reproduction Timeline:

March 28-30: Ovulation and Attempted Mating
After hormone levels indicated ovulation was approaching, the pair was put together to allow breeding to take place. Although Yang Yang and Lun Lun both exhibited normal behaviors, attempts at mating were unsuccessful this year. Zoo Atlanta staff believed the behavior observed was encouraging for future mating attempts .

March 29 & 30: Artificial Insemination
After determining that the pair was unlikely to successfully breed this year because of behavioral inexperience, Zoo Atlanta employed artificial insemination. This procedure has resulted in many giant panda pregnancies and has no effect on future natural efforts to reproduce. Fresh semen was collected from Yang Yang for insemination.

March 31 – August 6: Tracking Possible Pregnancy and Preparation for Birth
Zoo Atlanta continued hormone tracking, recording behavior and used ultrasound to detect a possible pregnancy as well as prepared the nursery for potential birth(s).

August 7: Birth Watch
Zoo Atlanta initiated 24-hour watch based on hormonal changes that are consistent with pregnancy and pseudo-pregnancy, a phenomenon in which the behavioral and hormonal signs of pregnancy are exhibited but the female panda is not actually pregnant. Lun Lun continued to show normal activity and received her usual diet (bamboo and high fiber biscuits) until August 12 when her activity level began to decrease. This is normal for both pregnancy and pseudo-pregnancy,

For daily updates on both Lun Lun’s and the cub’s progress, please visit our Web site at http://www.zooatlanta.org/animals_giant_panda_cub_updates.htm. Zoo Atlanta will post daily updates by 5 p.m. daily.