Officials at the Calgary Zoo say they’ve moved ahead with the process to add more pandas to the facility’s population, announcing that Er Shun was artificially inseminated on Tuesday.
At the beginning of the month, the zoo commenced a breeding program for the female panda after keepers noted she had entered the preliminary stages of her breeding cycle.
Animal care and veterinary teams, along with a specialized team from China, have been working all month to determine the best time for insemination.
That time came at 12:17 p.m. on April 2, according to the zoo’s Facebook page.
It won’t be known if the process is a success for some time since pandas experience delayed implantation in the uterus.
In the meantime, officials say Er Shun is receiving special care by a team of workers in a custom den in the back of the Panda Passage.
The female panda has already given birth to two cubs, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue in October 2015 at the Toronto Zoo.
Officials say it’s difficult for female pandas to get pregnant because they only ovulate for three days out of the year.
If the Calgary Zoo’s efforts are successful, cubs would likely arrive in four months.
