Zoo Atlanta's 13-year-old giant panda Lun Lun is pregnant with her third cub

Yang Yang, a 13-year-old giant panda, is pictured at a zoo Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, in Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta's 13-year-old giant panda Lun Lun is pregnant with her third cub and expected to give birth early next month. In June, Lun Lun was inseminated with sperm from her partner, Yang Yang, after the two had failed to mate.





Colter Kleisner, 4, of Columbus, Ga. , gets a closer look at Yang Yang, a 13-year-old giant panda, behind a window at a zoo in Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta's 13-year-old giant panda, is pregnant with her third cub and expected to give birth early next month. In June, she was inseminated with sperm from her partner, Yang Yang, after the two had failed to mate.




This undated photo provided by Zoo Atlanta shows the ultrasound confirming the pregnancy of Giant panda Lun Lun. Zoo Atlanta said Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 that they have confirmed the pregnancy with an ultrasound of mother Lun Lun. This will be the third cub for the 13-year-old panda. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams estimate that a birth should occur in 10 days to 2 weeks. While cautiously optimistic, experts caution that Lun Lun could still miscarry or reabsorb the fetus as her pregnancy progresses.




Yang Yang, a 13-year-old giant panda, eats bamboo leaves at a zoo in Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta's 13-year-old giant panda is pregnant with her third cub and expected to give birth early next month. In June, Lun Lun was inseminated with sperm from her partner, Yang Yang, after the two had failed to mate.


photo: AP photo

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Newly born twins panda cubs grimaces in their incubator at the Madrid Zoo

A chinese specialist takes care of one of the newly born twins panda cubs resting in their incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




One of two newly born panda bears is feed with a bottle in an incubator at the Zoo in Madrid, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. The giant panda cubs, born last month were conceived using artificial insemination. The gender of the cubs is still not known.




Newly born twins panda cubs rest in their incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




One of the newly born twins panda cubs grimaces in its incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




A chinese specialist checks one of the newly born twins panda cubs in its incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




One of two newly born panda bears reacts in an incubator at the Zoo in Madrid, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. The giant panda cubs, born last month were conceived using artificial insemination. The gender of the cubs is still not known.




One of two newly born panda bears is seen in an incubator at the Zoo in Madrid Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. The giant panda cubs, born last month were conceived using artificial insemination. The gender of the cubs is still not known.




A chinese specialist feed one of the newly born twins panda cubs in its incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




A chinese specialist checks one of the newly born twins panda cubs in its incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.




One of the newly born twins panda cubs grimaces in their incubator at the Madrid Zoo on October 8, 2010 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010, are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China.



photo: AP photo

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A cute world first: Rare panda cubs conceived by artificial insemination go on show in Madrid

Double act: The month-old twin panda cubs, introduced to the media at a press conference yesterday, are the first of their species to be born in Spain since 1982 and only the third litter to be born in Europe


Two rare panda cubs born at Spain's Madrid Zoo have had their first taste of the limelight.

The twins, both male, weighed just five ounces when born on September 7.

But after a month of constant nursing - with handlers helping out mum Hua Zui Ba by bottle-feeding the brothers - they now weigh more than a kilo and were ready to make their press debut yesterday.


Helping hand: A veterinarian feeds one of the panda cubs with a bottle of milk during the pandas' presentation to the media yesterday


They are the first giant panda twins to be conceived using the artificial insemination method outside of China, and experts consider that their survival is now almost guaranteed.

The Madrid Zoo now has four of the endangered animals: the newborns and their parents, motherHua Zui Ba and father Bing Xing.

That couple was a goodwill gift from the Chinese government to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia during a visit to China in 2007.


Grin and bear it: The cubs will not be given names until they are three months old in keeping with Chinese custom



Strike a pose:The cubs are expected to be a star attraction for visitors to Madrid Zoo


An incubator installed in the area usually occupied by the pandas in the summer will allow zoo visitors to see how the playful pair are being fed and cared for.

The cubs belong to the Chinese Government, and will stay in Madrid for up to four years before being moved to another centre so they can reproduce.

Experts believe there are only an estimated 1,600 pandas left living in the wild in China, their numbers depleted by destruction of their habitat.


source :dailymail

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Giant panda mother Yang Yang holding her newborn cub inside a birth box at Vienna zoo

A still image from a monitoring camera shows giant panda mother holding her newborn cub in her mouth, inside a birth box at Vienna zoo on the day of the cubs birth August 23, 2010. The panda cub, whose sex is not yet detectable, measures some 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) and weighs about 100 grams, the zoo reported August 24. Picture taken August 23, 2010. Picture rotated 180 degrees.




HANDOUT - In this photo taken with a surveillance camera and provided by the Schoenbrunn Zoo, female giant panda Yang Yang holds her newborn cub in an enclosed compound in Vienna, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2010. Yang Yang gave birth to her second cub on the third birthday of her first baby _ called Fu Long _ who has since left for China.




HANDOUT - In this photo taken with a surveillance camera and provided by the Schoenbrunn Zoo, female giant panda Yang Yang holds her newborn cub in her mouth in an enclosed compound in Vienna, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2010. Yang Yang gave birth to her second cub on the third birthday of her first baby _ called Fu Long _ who has since left for China.




A still image from a monitoring camera shows giant panda mother Yang Yang holding her newborn cub inside a birth box at Vienna zoo, on the day of the cubs birth August 23, 2010. The panda cub, whose sex is not yet detectable, measures some 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) and weighs about 100 grams, the zoo reported August 24. Picture taken August 23, 2010. Picture rotated 90 degrees.


photo: Reuters

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Funi the Panda enjoys eating her birthday cake

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda enjoys inspecting her present and birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in Australia.





ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda inspects her birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in Australia




ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda enjoys eating her birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in Australia.



ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 23: Funi the Panda enjoys eating her birthday cake to celebrate her first Australian birthday at Adelaide Zoo on August 23, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. Funi, meaning 'Lucky Girl', turns four years old today. Funi, who shares an enclosure with Wang Wang, are the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to live permanently in Australia.


photo: Gettyimages

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Giant Panda

This file picture taken on August 3, 2010 shows a Chinese zookeeper playing with a giant panda at the Chengdu Panda Base centre in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province. The Chengdu Panda Base centre and the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) have launched 'Project Panda,' on August 17, and a global search for six people who would spend a month looking after the endangered animals, as part of an awareness and conservation campaign.




Zhen Zhen, a three-year-old panda at the San Diego Zoo celebrates her birthday with a cake made of ice and bamboo on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010 in San Diego.



A giant panda plays at the Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, on August 3, 2010. There are only 1,590 remaining pandas in the wild, mostly in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, as another 290 are in captive-bred programmes worldwide, mainly in China, according to official reports.




Yun Zi, the youngest panda at the San Diego Zoo, eats a birthday cake made of ice, bamboo and apples to celebrate his first birthday at the zoo in San Diego, California, in this picture taken and released to Reuters on August 5, 2010.



photo: AP, Gettyimages

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