Ya Ya, the Giant Panda, Has Miscarriage

Ya Ya, the female giant Panda at the Memphis Zoo, has officially had a miscarriage. Zoo officials announced the miscarriage on Wednesday June 13, 2007.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Matt Thompson (curator of mammals at the Memphis Zoo) is quoted as saying "You could still see the embryonic sack, but the walls were thinner and were starting to collapse in on itself and that is the beginning of a miscarriage." He went on to say that there was still no visible sign of development within the sack

Giant Panda's pregnancies are somewhat complicated. It is very hard to tell if a panda is even pregnant. The hormone levels can be the same in both pregnant and non-pregnant pandas. The only way to know for sure that a giant panda, like Ya Ya, is pregnant is to have an ultrasound.

Ya Ya has not been sedated for her recent ultrasounds. The zoo trainers have worked with her so that she lies on her back for the exam. Ya Ya can lie on her back for up to five minutes, according to zoo officials, giving the doctors time to complete the ultrasounds.

The giant pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le, came to the Memphis Zoo in April 2003. They are on loan from China for ten years at a cost of one million U.S. dollars per year. Ya Ya was first announced to be expecting on May 23, 2007.

Ya Ya was artificially inseminated in January 2007 after she and the male giant Panda, Le Le failed to mate. This was to be the first cub for both Ya Ya and Le Le. Having a panda cub does not come cheaply. In addition to the medical costs of having Ya Ya artificially inseminated and prenatal care, the zoo also must pay an extra one time "baby tax" of $600,000 to China.

Ya Ya is a still a very young panda at just shy of seven years old. This year was the first time she was old enough to conceive a panda cub. So, while her miscarriage is a disappointment, Ya Ya still have many years to bear cubs.

The giant Panda is one of the most treasured endangered species on the Earth. The Memphis Zoo is one of only four zoos in the United States to host giant Pandas. Other host cities to Giant Pandas are Atlanta, Georgia, San Diego, California, and Washington, D.C. All three zoos have had the pleasure of having a giant panda cub being birthed. The Memphis Zoo officials say that they will try again next year.

Sources: Memphis Commercial Appeal (www.commercialappeal.com); The Memphis Zoo (www.Memphiszoo.org); and National Geographic News (www.news.nationalgeographic.com)