IT was the second most highly-anticipated birth of the year. But Britain will have to wait for its first baby panda after it emerged that Tian Tian has lost her much longed-for cub. After weeks of high hopes for an historic captivity-bred newborn, Edinburgh Zoo yesterday announced that the animal – also known as Sweetie – had lost the baby late in the pregnancy. Tian Tian, Britain's only female giant panda, is believed to have lost her cub Experts noted signs in August that the artifical insemination in April had been successful and a panda cub had been expected for last month
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Zookeepers believe Tian Tian was successfully inseminated but lost foetus
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Carers had been kept guessing since artificial insemination in April
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Experts noted signs the fertilisation had been successful in August
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The zoo today has said it is believed she is no longer pregnant
The bears also commonly have phantom pregnancies - @placeholder had one last year.