The fickle nature of the giant panda’s reproductive system has foiled us once again. The National Zoo gave up the ghost this morning and announced that Mei Xiang’s latest maybe-pregnancy won’t result in an adorable panda cub for us to hug and squeeze and love forever.

The Zoo said Mei either lost a developing fetus or once again experienced a “pseudopregnancy.” From the release:

In a pseudopregnancy, an animal’s hormonal changes and behaviors are identical to a pregnancy, but no conception occurred. Fetal loss during early pregnancy is a common occurrence in mammals, but the reasons for this phenomenon are poorly understood.

We say: not only is this sad, it’s practically a pandamergency. Tai Shan is only on loan from China until 2009 at this point. Hopefully the country will agree to extend Butterstick’s stay for another two years, but there’s no guarantees. With this latest news of another failed pregnancy for Mei Xiang, we could well be facing a panda shortage next summer, something we’re sure none of you want to experience. Just imagine the long lines down the street to get access to the scarce panda commodity. It simply won’t stand.

Here’s hoping Mei Xiang has better luck conceiving next time.

Photo of Mei Xiang by RoxandaBear