Giant Panda Tian Tian Loses Cub (Video)

Britain's only female giant panda that currently resides at the Edinburgh Zoo has allegedly suffered a miscarriage, according to the BBC.

Tuesday marked an incredibly sad day for British zoos everywhere as officials also announced that their first tiger cub born in nearly 17 years drowned.

The panda, named Tian Tian, is currently spending a decade in the Scottish capital on loan from China with her male companion Yang Guang. Workers had noticed that while she had typically been displaying signs of pregnancy, she lost her cub due to unknown reasons.

"Experts at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland can now confirm that they no longer believe Edinburgh Zoo's female giant panda, Tian Tian, is pregnant," the zoo said in a statement. "All of her hormonal and behavioural signs now indicate that she had conceived and carried a foetus until late term, but then lost it."

While reports indicate that many had hoped Tian Tian would produce Britain's first ever panda cup after she began showing signs of pregnancy in late August, including a lack of appetite, moodiness and hormonal changes, her miscarriage disappointed many who realize that this chance may not come again for quite some time.

Giant pandas are black and white bears that naturally live in temperate-zone bamboo forests located in central China. Over the years, they have unfortunately began to symbolize endangered species, and as few as 1,600 giant pandas have survived in the mountain forests of central China. Studies also show that only a little over 300 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world. 

Want to watch Tian Tian. Check her out on Panda Cam, courtesy of the zoo.