TAIPEI, Taiwan, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Chinese officials say if an artificial insemination procedure works, the panda Yuan Yuan will give birth to the first cubs to be born in Taiwan.
Panda experts resorted to artificial insemination after Yuan Yuan's mate, Tuan Tuan, showed no interest in breeding, said Xinhua, China's official, state-run news agency.
Taipei Zoo workers collected sperm from Tuan Tuan.
"Hope remains that the artificial insemination will be successful, as Tuan Tuan's sperm is sound and will impregnate Yuan Yuan," said Huang Yan, deputy chief engineer of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
If the procedure is successful, the resulting cub or cubs would become the first pandas born on the island. A panda pregnancy lasts for 83 to 200 days, the report said.
