After four years of trying, Ocean Park's panda Ying Ying is expecting and due to deliver within a week. But the identity of the father is a mystery - for now at least. Watch: Ying Ying the panda due to deliver Hong Kong’s first giant panda cub The cub will be the first panda ever born in Hong Kong. Both natural and artificial means were used to induce the pregnancy, and park officials do not know which method succeeded. Ying Ying was temporarily relocated to a panda reserve in Sichuan province earlier this year to give her a chance to mate with other pandas after repeated failures with the park's other resident panda, Le Le. She successfully mated with one male on the reserve but had also received artificial insemination. Female pandas ovulate just once a year for about three days, providing a narrow window for success. "We are absolutely thrilled," said Suzanne Gendron, the park's executive director of zoological operations and education. "I think for the people of Hong Kong, it's like our panda is having a baby." If Ying Ying has twins, one cub will be returned to Sichuan. The 10-year-old began displaying symptoms and hormonal changes when she returned from Sichuan in July. By late August, there were further signs - she was eating less, resting more and showed heightened sensitivity to sound. Ultrasound scans a few days ago confirmed she was carrying a foetus, about 3.5cm long. "It's tiny, but growing well," said park vet Dr Lee Foo Khong. Assuming there are no complications, Ying Ying is expected to give birth within a week or so. Two panda maternity specialists and a vet from Sichuan will provide support. Earlier this year Ying Ying and Le Le, who joined the park in 2007, took part in a national breeding scheme. "There's no single species in the world that has so many resources and scientific minds put into [breeding]," said Lee. "The science and things we've learnt along the way can be applied to other species." DNA analysis will determine the cub's gender and paternity after its birth. Fathers play almost no role in raising cubs and may never encounter each other in the wild due to their solitary lifestyles. The public will be able to see the new cub in three or four months and may be invited to take part in its naming.
