notice As stated above, from May 13th onwards, Shin Shin and Xiang Xiang will be using outdoor enclosure A in turns, except on days with high temperatures. While Xiang Xiang is in outdoor enclosure A, Shin Shin uses the private outdoor enclosures C and E2. Therefore, you may not be able to see Shin Shin at certain times.
Xiang Xiang is growing well and now weighs over 60 kg. She has started to behave like an adult, resting for 11 to 13 hours a day and spending the rest of the time foraging and being active.
Furthermore, Xiang Xiang's Eurasian Moorhen training (*), which began on February 4th, is progressing smoothly, and a blood sample was successfully taken on July 8th.
Xiang Xiang's diet mainly consists of bamboo and bamboo grass, and in addition, like Ri Ri and Shin Shin, she is also given apples, carrots, panda dumplings, and pellets.
On July 5, 2019 (753 days old), the weight was measured at 61.1 kg (an increase of 0.5 kg from the 60.6 kg measured on June 15).
On July 3rd, which is Shin Shin's birthday, the three pandas were given ice. Xiang Xiang showed the most interest in the ice among the three, and was seen playing with it by rolling it around and rubbing it against her head and chest.
Mother Shin Shin has returned to her pre-raising lifestyle. Shin Shin is being fed bamboo, dwarf bamboo, apples, carrots, panda dumplings, and pellets, and her feeding is going well.
(*) Eurasian Moorhen training Training animals to exhibit spontaneous behavior is aimed at ensuring their healthy living and safe working conditions for humans.
Regarding the breeding status of Ri Ri and Shin Shin
(1) Shinshin's estrus status Since Xiang Xiang became independent in December 2018 and Shin Shin returned to living alone, we have been carefully observing her for signs of estrus in preparation for the next breeding season, but no behaviors that could be considered signs of estrus have been observed. Furthermore, when we regularly measured hormone metabolites in the urine that indicate signs of estrus, we observed slight fluctuations in the values from February to April, but these did not indicate estrus, and there have been no further fluctuations since then. Currently, the values have stabilized at non-breeding levels.
(2) Lili's situation Male Giant Panda exhibit specific behaviors during the breeding season. Since October 2018, these specific behaviors (increased frequency of urinating while standing on their heads, sniffing, marking, vocalizing, and rubbing their bodies) have been observed. Therefore, since December, we have been regularly bringing the males into the female enclosure to allow them to smell the females and observe any further changes in their behavior. However, since April 2019, these behaviors have subsided and have hardly been observed.
(3) Future plans Since there have been instances of Giant Panda going into estrus since June, we will continue to carefully monitor the situation while maintaining regular contact with experts in China, as we have done before.
*As a general rule, Xiang Xiang's physical examination is conducted on days ending in "5" (it may also be conducted on other days). *Announcements will be made on the website once a month, on the day after the park is closed.
We will announce our schedule for August 2019 and beyond at a later date.
