Female giant panda receives artificial insemination in Singapore

A female giant has undergone an artificial insemination at a Singapore zoo and if the procedure proved successful the River Safari will become home to a baby panda.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore said in a statement on Friday that a team of vets had performed an artificial insemination on Jia Jia after her failed mating with male partner Kai Kai.

"The past few days have involved very intensive observation and monitoring of the pairs which culminated in the artificial insemination of Jia Jia," said Cheng Wen-Haur, Chief Life Sciences Officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

For weeks, the two pandas have displayed classic courtship behavior.

River Safari's keepers and vets employed a number of measures since November to trigger the breeding cycles of the pandas.

On April 13, both pandas were brought together in their dens for natural mating. However, the mixing session was not successful, a situation not uncommon for young and inexperienced pandas.

Vets and keepers will have to wait to conclude if Jia Jia is pregnant through ultrasound scans. Giant pandas have delayed implantation during pregnancy so vets cannot confirm pregnancy until the later part of the panda's gestation period. Endit