A big hoax happened at the Panda Research and Breeding Center in Chengdu, China. Ai Hing, a female panda named Ai Hing, was eating less and not moving much, the first signs of pregnancy.
Ai Hing was immediately placed in a separate enclosure where she was cared for around the clock. In addition, the new cage has a wonderful air conditioner and they give more sweets.So Ai Hin lived for more than a month – until finally they found out that she is not at all pregnant.
The fact is that pregnancy tests are difficult for pandas, they have too strange and unpredictable biology.
For example, the hormone progesterone, the level of which rises significantly during pregnancy in all normal mammals, is not at all indicative of pandas.
So you have to look at behavior, and it seems that some clever pandas have noticed a pattern and are now using it.
At least, that’s the speculation made by zoologist Wu Conju of the same center. Ai Hing’s case is not the first; according to him, it is already a trend.
On the other hand, an expert from a neighboring panda breeding center thinks it’s simpler than that. Pandas have spikes of progesterone, even though they’re not pregnant, and the same thing causes a change in behavior. It’s a number biological trait.
Either way, Ai Hing got extra food and attention, which is a good thing. Whether she did it on purpose or her clumsy biology helped, remains to be seen.