The world’s first live broadcast panda cub delivery was canceled Tuesday — not because something went wrong, no, just because Mama Panda wasn’t actually pregnant. She faked it.
Chinese experts suggested that Ai Hin, the panda who was supposed to be the star of the show, may have faked her condition to get extra bun rations, AFP reports.
Last month she showed signs of pregnancy at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre, but according to China’s news agency Xinhua, “her behaviors and physiological indexes returned to normal,” leading experts to declare it a “phantom pregnancy.”
Once a panda at the center is thought to be pregnant they receive 24-hour care, more food, and are moved to an air-conditioned single room. Xinhua noted that panda bears have been known to display signs of being pregnant after becoming aware of the preferential treatment.
File photo of a panda at Chengdu Center — Photo: La Priz
