Thursday, May 24, 2007

Memphis Zoo

I've never been to the Memphis Zoo.

Now, their giant panda, Ya Ya (on loan from the zoo in China) is pregnant through arificial insemination. The giant panda has been notorious for being a poor breeder, accounting for their endangered status. Ya Ya has just come through a stage of "dispause" in which the fetus does not grow. It is hard to tell if a panda is pregnant until right before giving birth. Gestation lasts 133 days. Ya Ya is expected to give birth within 30-45 days. The most recent panda birth was Mei Lan in Atlanta, one of three zoos in the U.S. to house a panda.

That I'd like to see.


No comments: