Ying Ying the panda getting an ultrasound check during her pregnancy at Ocean Park in Hong Kong.[UPDATE - 2.44, October 7]
Ocean Park staff have today confirmed that Ying Ying the panda has lost her baby in a miscarriage.
Ocean Park vet Dr Lee Foo Khong confirmed the last scan this morning showed the foetus had stopped developing.
The foetus appeared " to be breaking down and there was no heart beat detected....The foetus is no longer viable," he said.
No definite reason or cause has been detected as to why the miscarriage occurred.
The baby panda was to be the first ever born in captivity in Hong Kong and was due to have been delivered sometime this week.
Ocean Park will reveal the latest status of its panda Ying Ying and her foetus this afternoon amid rumours that she has suffered a miscarriage.
Chinese-language media Apple Daily reported early this morning the condition of Ying Ying’s foetus has been “unstable” in recent days and that it “might have been absorbed into the mother’s body”.
Ocean Park has not confirmed the details but said it will hold a press conference this afternoon to explain Ying Ying’s status.
On the national holiday last Thursday, Ocean Park announced that after four years of trying, Ying Ying, aged 10, was expecting and due to deliver within a week. She was confirmed to be pregnant by ultrasound last month. Ocean Park said Ying Ying successfully mated with one male in a reserve in Sichuan province but had also received artificial insemination.
If Ying Ying could successfully deliver her baby, her cub will be the first panda ever born in Hong Kong.
Pandas are endangered species. Last year, 36 pandas were born in captivity, and 32 of them managed to survive. Around 200 captive pandas have been born in China over the past 10 years.