The wait for a baby panda has been unbearable. Who can forget last April, when the River Safari’s giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia, aged nine and eight, mated with zero success? (Anyone else felt bamboozled?)
Neither natural mating nor artificial insemination worked, but before you clutch your hair in despair, know that nothing is im-paw-sible. This year, the duo have a second shot at love. Breeding season usually takes place from February to May, which means you’ll see them getting beary intimate soon.
In preparation of the three-day sexathon — where the pandas will be cooped up in their dens, away from prying eyes — Kai Kai has been faithfully performing his ‘sexercises’ (read: standing repeatedly on his hind legs for a few seconds to strengthen them). Don’t laugh, the dude needs better stamina for a higher success rate.
To ensure that round two goes off without a hitch, the keepers have simulated a season change in the Giant Panda Forest by varying daylight hours and temperatures. They’ve also swapped exhibits and dens between Kai Kai and Jia Jia, so both of them can get a whiff of each other and be tempted to do the deed.
In the next few weeks, expect to see flashes of come-hither behaviour from the two. When Jia Jia starts feeling frisky, she’ll get restless and whine to attract the attention of Kai Kai, who’ll be busy bleating and marking his scent in his excitement.
If you’d like to see the beginnings of panda sexy time with your own eyes, the River Safari awaits.
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