EDINBURGH Zoo has said it will attempt to breed its giant pandas again next year after confirming female Tian Tian is no longer pregnant.
Tian Tian's hormones have returned to normal and it is likely that a reabsorption of the foetus occurred, the zoo said.
Keepers described it as "devastating" news and said the breeding programme will continue.
Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "First we need to make sure that Tian Tian and Yang Guang are in great condition.
"Tian Tian still needs to get back into a routine which will take a few months and then from about the shortest day we will start to monitor her again for breeding.
"So it's only around three months until we start monitoring, and another three months until we're back into the breeding season, there's still lots of work to do but hopefully next year it will all come together."
He added: "There's a lot of new science we've brought to panda breeding and we've learnt a huge amount from the last two years and every time we go through this we learn more and take another step forward.
"It will take time and absolutely it's devastating for everyone involved. It's nine months of work for a huge group, people are tired, exhausted and disappointed but we carry on."
Tian Tian, the UK's only giant female panda, has been closely monitored since she was artificially inseminated in April 13. The zoo stepped in after she and male, Yang Guang, failed to mate.
Previous data suggested she was pregnant and likely carry to full term, however hopes of a cub faded when she passed her due date.
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