Japan's Giant Pandas Put Back on Display at Ueno Zoo

Earlier this week, a pair of pandas was given a bit of space as they had entered the mating season. The 7-year-old giant male and female pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin at the Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, were taken away from public view.  

But now the pandas were put back on display Friday as zookeepers announced that the pandas' mating season was over. And they hope that the panda's attempts would bear fruit.

The zoo's deputy chief Yutaka Fakuda says that the panda pair is getting along well and they hope for a positive outcome this year.

Reports according to AFP state that two successful couplings occurred Monday evening and the second one occured the following morning. The keepers hope that Shin Shin might conceive with this. Zookeepers have uploaded the footage of one of the episodes on the zoo website and plan to broadcast it on the mainstream news programs.

According to the keepers, the mating process for pandas is difficult as the season comes just once a year. And there are just a few days when the females can conceive.

The zoo keepers will continue to monitor whether or not Shin Shin is pregnant.

Last year on 5 July, Shin Shin gave birth to Ueno Zoo's first giant panda cub in 24 years. But it died as it suffered from pneumonia, reports AFP.

Giant pandas are native to central-western and south western China. They live in the mountain ranges in central China and are an endangered species. There are about 1,600 pandas left in the wild. More than 300 are present in zoos and other breeding centers.