“Since late March, Ying Ying began spending more time playing in the water, while Le Le has been leaving scent-markings around his habitat and searching the area for Ying Ying’s scent,” the park said. Experts will now monitor Ying Ying for signs of pregnancy, but it may be quite some wait as the gestation period for giant pandas ranges from 72 to 324 days. But Ying Ying might exhibit hormonal fluctuations and behavioural changes as early as June if fertilisation has occurred. The announcement was a rare bit of good news as Hong Kong reels under a recession and movement restrictions caused by the coronavirus. Many Facebook commenters speculated that the absence of crowds might have boosted Ying Ying and Le Le’s confidence.

Source: The Express Tribune April 07, 2020 13:41 UTC