Pregnant Pandas...

by Kaere Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:33 pm

...or are they?! Suspect

Several questions come to mind. Is it possible that a panda could consciously fake physical and hormonal changes to mimic pregnancy? Would a panda be able to consciously understand that pregnancy leads to more appealing environmental circumstances given by their carers? Or is the panda's body evolving, reacting, and changing? Are zookeepers too eager to jump to conclusions? And whyyy are they doing things differently than they would happen in nature? Did ancient pandas have air conditioning and extra buns and a cushier place to live when they were up the duff?

It's all very weird *taps pencil*

http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/sneaky-zoo-panda-fakes-pregancy-to-get-more-treats-again-1.3176042

For the second time in less than a year, a giant panda is making headlines for acting pregnant to get more snacks, fancier accommodations, and round-the-clock care out of zookepers.

Taipei Zoo officials were reportedly thrilled in early June when their 11-year-old panda Yuan Yuan, who'd recently been artificially inseminated, started showing signs that the procedure had been successful.

While panda fetuses are nearly impossible to detect via ultrasound early on due to their size, Yuan Yuan was showing a loss of appetite, thickening around the uterus, and increasing levels of fecal progesterone, according to Chinese state newspaper China Daily.

This was enough for her to be deemed pregnant and, due to the rarity and importance of giant panda births, Yuan Yuan immediately started receiving specialized care to ensure that she had a healthy cub.

In other words, she was moved into the lap of luxury: a single, air-conditioned room with round-the-clock care and all of the bamboo, fruit and buns she could eat.

Yuan Yuan enjoyed her cool quarters and deluxe snack buffet for about a month until zookeepers determined through more testing that she wasn't, in fact, pregnant.