BANGKOK, 29 December 2013 Chiang Mai Zoo has announced that giant panda “Lin Hui” is pregnant after an ultrasound showed a fetus in her womb. The zoo has formed a special team of veterinarians to take care of the panda 24 hours.
The zoo on Sunday said Lin Hui was expected to give birth mid January 2014 which will coincide with the Chinese New Year. The zoo had informed the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and giant pandas experts in China of Lin Hui’s pregnancy.
It was highly likely that China would allow Thailand to take care of the panda and her cub due to the zoo’s experience with “Lin Ping,” the panda’s first baby born in Thailand, the zoo said.
Chief of the Thai giant panda project Vet.Boriphat Siri-arunrat said Lin Hui might be 91 days pregnant from the day she was artificially inseminated in September 2013. The special team of veterinarians was on 24-hour standby since the gestation period of giant pandas was hard to be predicted, the doctor said.
