'Flirtatious' behavior from National Zoo's pandas caught on camera

It’s probably 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. said in a post on X.

They were caught on video last month “bleating” at each other. The zoo said 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 said.

The staff at the National Zoo has been testing Qing Bao’s hormones, and said she shows signs of changes that would get her ready for pregnancy. In a blog post, zookeepers said that Qing Bao’s estrogen levels were high, indicating that she was in an “estrus cycle.” But Bao Li, like males of most species, will mature more slowly, according to staff. So, while it’s promising, don’t print the birth announcements just yet.

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