NATION : Capital Panda Aborts Tiny Fetus, May Give Birth to Twin Next Month
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WASHINGTON — Luckless giant panda Ling-Ling has aborted a fetus the size of a postage stamp, but panda watchers at Washington’s National Zoo held out hope today for a live birth possibly within a month.
Zoo spokesman Bob Hoage said a fetus weighing less than a gram was found by a keeper Thursday. A zoo pathologist said the fetus was in a very early stage of development and was aborted spontaneously.
Hoage said since pandas have twins 60% of the time, it was still possible Ling-Ling could give birth perhaps by mid-September if there is another fetus and if the normal gestation period of roughly 97 to 168 days runs its course.
The 20-year-old panda, along with 19-year-old male panda Hsing-Hsing, are the only two pandas permanently on display in the United States.
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