Giant panda Ai Hin looking very guilty in her enclosure at the Chengdu research centre (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
They may be cute and endangered
but theyre also big fat liars, and its all there in black and white.
Last week, experts at the snappily titled Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre waited with nervous anticipation as six-year-old Ai Hin prepared to give birth.
They had even set up a live TV transmission of the event.
But, without so much as a Just joking, Ai Hin suddenly stopped showing signs of pregnancy and the whole show was off.
Phantom pregnancy is said to be common among pandas, but one expert claims that those in Chinas breeding programme have learned that they get special treatment when they display signs of pregnancy, and may be faking it for an easier life.
Youd think bamboo wouldnt melt in her mouth (Picture: AFP/Getty)
Wu Kongju, an expert at the CGPBRC (an unlikely acronym to catch on), told Chinese news agency Xinhua that pandas suspected of being pregnant at the breeding centre were given their own air-conditioned rooms, round-the-clock attention, and other enrichment programmes.
Wu added: They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life.
Heres a video of Ai Hin (right) and Mei Hin (left) shot in 2011, showing Ai Hins love of food and why she might have gone to extremes to get more of it (the little minx).
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