Photo by BrianMKA.Panda sex! Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about it. It’s around this time of the year when we get all excited, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang do their whole “we’re really not into this whole intimacy” thing, then Mei gets loaded up with frozen sperm, only to inevitably disappoint us all when, for yet another year, we get no baby pandas. The National Zoo reveals this afternoon, in great detail, that, oh yes, that time has definitely arrived.
Mei Xiang and Tien Tien apparently tried to knock boots on Saturday, but, as the Zoo put it, “it was determined that competent natural breeding between the pair had not occurred.” It’s not like Tien Tien didn’t give it a shot though!
On Jan. 29, Tang, alongside Zoo scientists and veterinarians, performed the first of two nonsurgical artificial inseminations on Mei Xiang after it was determined that competent natural breeding between the pair had not occurred. Due in part to the bears’ rigorous attempts at natural mating, efforts to retrieve semen from Tian Tian was not successful. The team decided to thaw high-quality semen of Tian Tian collected and frozen in 2005. Mei Xiang was then anesthetized for the procedure. A second artificial insemination was performed Jan. 30.
Wow, that really couldn’t be any less sexy, could it?
And to think, all that prep work, and for nothing!
The Zoo took measures to provide optimum conditions for both pandas prior to mating. Automatic lighting and excessive noise were kept at a minimum at the panda house afterhours, which included closing the exhibit to visitors during the Zoo’s evening holiday event, ZooLights last month.
In addition, keepers worked for several months on the physical stamina of the bears in preparation for mating season. Tian Tian underwent behavioral training to stand tall on his hind legs by receiving food treats to build stronger leg muscles; Mei Xiang was trained to lie across a large log in her enclosure to improve her breeding positioning.
“We wanted them to be well-rested and in the best possible shape physically to breed naturally,” said curator Brandie Smith. “And if there was anything we could do to enhance that success, then we did our best to apply it.”
Bow-chicka-wow-wow.
Anyway, there’s a whole bunch of Chinese scientists that are pitching in to help D.C. have a Butterstick II to fawn over for the next few years. As usual: fingers crossed, breath not being held.
