Panda may have faked pregnancy to get 'more buns and treats'

Experts believe that panda Ai Hin may have faked the signs of pregnancy after she learned that she can get a single room as well as more treats.

17:23 28 August 2014

A giant panda at Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research is now being accused of faking the signs of pregnancy to get a single room with air-conditioning plus more treats including extra buns.

Her Chinese keepers reported that she was moving less and initially had a smaller appetite, among other signs typical of pregnancy in the species.

However, when the tests came back, it was revealed that Ai Hin was never pregnant. Experts believe that she may have been putting on an act.

Ai Hin, was moved into a single room with air conditioning when she previously got pregnant.

"They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life," Wu Kongju, an expert told China's state news agency Xinhua.

Experts added that it is possible that the bear learned to fake signs of pregnancy after associating them with being pampered.

The giant pandas have a notoriously low reproduction rate and are suffering because of changing factors such as habitat loss.

"Only 24% of females in captivity give birth, posing a serious threat to the survival of the species," Xinhua stated.