Pandas show ‘positive interest in each other,’ National Zoo staff says

It s likely not much of anything yet but Qing Bao and Bao Li are at least getting curious about each other That s what staff at the National Zoo in D C revealed in a post on X Bleats and chirps between two giant pandas are a sure sign that flirtatious feelings are in the air Paired with rolls playful pounces and splashing around in the pools these vocalizations tell our animal care gang when Bao Li and Qing Bao s hormones are changing Read pic twitter com ocYadblWgO National Zoo NationalZoo May They were caught on video last month bleating at each other The zoo disclosed that s a sign of flirtatious feelings from the normally solitary pandas By the end of April Bao Li and Qing Bao went from checking in with each other every once in a while to spending all their time near the howdy window the zoo disclosed Related stories Panda-monium closer than you ve ever been before Tag along with National Zoo panda keepers Giant pandas debut at DC s National Zoo How to tell the Smithsonian Zoo s pandas apart The staff at the National Zoo has been testing Qing Bao s hormones and declared she shows signs of changes that would get her ready for pregnancy In a blog post zookeepers stated that Qing Bao s estrogen levels were high indicating that she was in an estrus cycle But Bao Li like males of majority species will mature more slowly according to staff So while it s promising don t print the birth announcements just yet By early May while the bears were still interested in one another and vocalized at times they occasionally walked away but the staff commented that eventually both bears will get back into the groove of their normal routine WTOP s Valerie Bonk contributed to this account Source