Female giant panda could be ready to mate next week, say Edinburgh experts

Tian Tian and male counterpart Yang Guang likely to be given some privacy in zoo after tests show rise in her oestrogen levels

Tian Tian (right) and Yang Guang, the male, are separated by a grill but the barrier is likely to come down next week. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod for the Guardian

The UK's only female giant panda will be ready to mate next week, her keepers predict.

Experts at Edinburgh zoo have been monitoring Tian Tian since she arrived in December last year with her male counterpart, Yang Guang.

The zoo has now recorded the first rise in her oestrogen levels and a dip in her progesterone and it is believed she will be able to mate by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Female pandas ovulate just once a year, giving a narrow window of 36 hours in which they can get pregnant.

Iain Valentine, director of research and conservation, said: "We've seen behavioural changes in Tian Tian over the last week or so: calling out to Yang Guang, going up to the grate between the two enclosures and spending time in her pond to cool her internal system down.

"Based on the data we have, we believe our female panda will probably be ready to mate early next week, likely on the Tuesday or Wednesday."

The zoo said both pandas would probably be taken off display for some or all of Tuesday and Wednesday. Visitors who have booked a viewing slot will be refunded or be able to rebook for a later date.

Both pandas will be put in the same enclosure for about 15 minutes initially, said Valentine. "Our expert keepers will be on hand to separate the two bears if the sparks fly just a little too much as, at the end of the day, both are powerful and dangerous animals and it's not uncommon for pandas to attack each other after or instead of mating.

"We will introduce them up to three times on the first day. If all goes well, we will continue to encourage natural mating on day two as well. If natural mating doesn't occur on day one, we will consider artificial insemination."

Tian Tian (meaning Sweetie in English) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) arrived in Scotland from Ya'an reserve in Chengdu, China, on 4 December last year. They went on show to visitors for the first time on 16 December.

Earlier this month the zoo said it might stream any birth live on the internet. The panda enclosure has a camera already installed, allowing people to watch the animals every day.

Valentine said: "If Tian Tian does get pregnant, confirmation of this may also not be straightforward. Female pandas often have pseudo-pregnancies where their behaviour and hormones indicate they are pregnant for fairly long periods of time, when in fact they're not.

"Also, experts do not know how long panda gestation periods actually are, as female pandas practise delayed implantation. Panda pregnancies can be anything from 85 to 100 days. If Tian Tian and Yang Guang mate next week, it might not be until mid-July before positive or negative results can be confirmed."