Copenhagen Zoo prepares for potential panda cub, gives mother extra peace

Copenhagen Zoo is taking extra precautions as its female panda, Mao Sun, might be pregnant. The zoo shared the news in a Facebook video, noting that while weekly scans are underway, confirming a pregnancy is difficult due to the cub's small size. There's also a chance of a false pregnancy, a situation the zoo has experienced previously.

To ensure the best conditions, the zoo is giving Mao Sun extra peace and quiet. This comes after the zoo's first-ever insemination of Mao Sun this year. Previously, attempts to get Mao Sun and the male panda, Xing Er, to mate naturally six times were unsuccessful. The pandas were leased from China in 2019 for approximately 100 million Danish kroner.

Newborn panda cubs weigh around 100 grams and are about the size of kittens. They do not open their eyes for two months. A panda's gestation period is approximately five months. If Mao Sun is indeed pregnant, the cub will stay with its mother for the first two to three years before joining a breeding program in Chengdu, China. Other European zoos, including those in Berlin, France, and Belgium, have successfully bred pandas in captivity.