Dutch Zoo Releases Footage of Chinese Giant Pandas Mating, Attracting Numerous Visitors

In the Ouwehands Animal Park in Rhenen, Netherlands, news of two giant pandas mating has led to increased visits to the zoo. The weekend was busier than February, according to zoo manager Robin de Lange, who said bookings for zoo tickets were ‘astonishing’, with the public hoping to see the pregnant panda mother, and even to see the panda cub.

Last week, Ouwehands Animal Park released a video showing footage of the pandas Wuwen and Xingya mating. This is the first time the two giant pandas have entered the Netherlands.

De Lange said that whether Wuwen is pregnant is still being observed, with regular checks of the female panda’s urine to see if there are any changes, followed by ultrasound scans to detect the embryo, as false pregnancies are possible.

Giant panda pregnancies last 90 days, and can be up to 7 months. If a panda cub is born, it will return to the Panda Centre in China, and Wuwen and Xingya also came from there.

There are still 1864 giant pandas living in the wild in China, which remains the only source of giant pandas.