Giant Pandas Mate For First Time In Decade Amid Zoo Closure

HONG KONG, CHINA. (THECOUNT) — Ying Ying and Le Le, a pair of pandas housed at Giant Panda Adventure in Hong Kong, mated for the first time during the zoo’s closure over the coronavirus pandemic.

After 10 years of trying, two captive giant pandas finally successfully mated with each other at the Ocean Park, China zoo, while the facility was observing a virus closure.

Via DailyDot:

Many are attributing this rare act of panda whoopie to the fact that the Ocean Park Zoo in Hong Kong, the home of Ying Ying and Le Le, has been closed to visitors since late January due to the coronavirus outbreak. It’s hard to say for sure if the constant presence of multiple humans hanging around was what was killing the mood, but what we do know is that they finally got it on.

The press release from Ocean Park also states that the pair started showing signs of increased interest in the nookie by late March, which tends to be the start of the natural giant panda mating season.

“Since late March, Ying Ying began spending more time playing in the water, while Le Le has been leaving scent-markings around his habitat and searching the area for Ying Ying’s scent,” the announcement reads.

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Geo quick facts: Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, is a special administrative region on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China – Wikipedia.