Mysterious Zurich Zoo hopes for offspring of the giant pandas
The lesser pandas at Zurich Zoo are in the mating season. The zookeepers observed approaches at the beginning of January. The zoo is expecting signs that the female is pregnant in May.
04.02.2026, 11:42
SDA
The female lesser panda is currently working hard to build a nest, Zurich Zoo announced on Wednesday morning. Small branches and plenty of straw are already in the female's breeding den. The increased urge to build a nest and the high level of activity during the day of the mostly sleeping lesser pandas indicate that babies are on the way.
The mating season for giant pandas also begins in winter. This is when conspecifics of the opposite sex become interesting. During the rest of the year, the animals are solitary, according to the zoo.
Certainty prevails in May
After some initial skepticism, the two lesser pandas at Zurich Zoo also seem to have "clicked". The zookeepers were able to observe several matings on two consecutive days. According to the zoo, the two animals have been living separately again since last week. The female has made it increasingly clear that she will not tolerate any further advances. This suggests that the mating was successful.
Whether this is really the case will only become clear in May at the earliest. The gestation period of the lesser panda is between 112 and 158 days. The only breeding pair in Switzerland lives at Zurich Zoo.
Trade on the pet market
In the wild, the lesser panda is a highly endangered species. It lives in the mountain forests of the Himalayas in Nepal and Bhutan as far as the bamboo forests of China. However, its population has plummeted over the past 20 years or so.
The reason for this is the loss and severe fragmentation of habitat. But also the spread of "cute" panda pictures on social media, which fuel illegal hunting and the trade in the endangered species for the pet market.
