Pairi Daiza welcomes Chinese panda breeding specialists

Two experts from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, arrived this week in Pairi Daiza, Belgium's animal theme park famous for its two giant pandas, Hao Hao and Xing Hui. Professor Li Descheng and his assistant Li Rengui are visiting the park after changes were observed last week in the pandas' behaviour, a possible indication that the animals are ready to mate, writes De Standaard.

Professor Descheng is at the park temporarily to share his knowledge of giant panda reproduction with the team of caregivers and scientists. Hao Hao's most recent urine samples, however, show an insufficient drop in estrogen, meaning that is it still too early to bring the pandas together, or to start the insemination process.

The breeding period of female giant pandas is characterized by a peak in estrogen, followed by a significant drop in the hormone level, at which time the animal is most fertile, according to a press release from Pairi Daiza.