The handlers of a giant panda in Taiwan believe she has 'faked' a pregnancy in order to secure extra meals and an air conditioned room at her home in Taipei Zoo.
Yuan Yuan, an 11-year-old panda had shown signs of pregnancy, including loss of appetite, thickening around the uterus and increasing levels of fecal progesterone since June 11, reported Chinese state newspaper, China Daily.
However, when mainland panda experts were called in to perform an ultrasound scan confirming her condition they discovered that Yuan Yuan was not expecting after all, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
Wu Kongju, an expert at the centre where Ai Hin was kept, told Xinhua state news agency at the time he believed some pandas use the preferential treatment given to mothers-to-be for their own advantage.
“After showing prenatal signs, the 'mothers-to-be' are moved into single rooms with air conditioning and around-the-clock care,” Mr Wu said as he explained not every 'fake' pregnancy was down to hormonal changes.
“They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life," the expert said at the time.
