14 DAY TRIAL // 14-year-old Mei Xiang, a female panda living at the National Zoo, might be pregnant. However, for the time being at least, nobody can say whether Tian Tian or Gao Gao should start stacking up cigars.
Before anyone starts playing soap opera-like scenarios in their head, it need be said that there is a fairly reasonable explanation for this situation, Huffington Post says.
When Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated by a Chinese veterinarian towards the end of March, the latter used a cocktail of male gametes taken from both Tian Tian and Gao Gao.
Although the staff at the National Zoo are yet to confirm that Mei Xiang is in fact pregnant, they wish to reassure the public that, should a cub eventually be born, they will carry out a paternity test and settle this issue once and for all.