Female giant panda Shin Shin , seen here in Ueno Zoo in in December 2017, may be pregnant AFP/TORU YAMANAKATOKYO: A possible panda pregnancy at a Tokyo zoo caused stocks of a nearby restaurant chain to briefly soar 30 per cent on Friday as the chance of a pandemic conception bred excitement among investors.
Ueno Zoo, which reopened on Friday after five months of coronavirus closure, said female panda Shin Shin was showing possible signs of pregnancy after mating with male Ri Ri in early March.Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike delivered the news to media in a mid-morning announcement, which gave a welcome bump to shares in eateries near the zoo anticipating a visitor boom if a baby panda arrives.
Shares of Chinese restaurant chain Totenko spiked nearly 30 per cent before settling to around 1,109 yen, up 10 per cent from Thursday. And French restaurant chain Seiyoken, also a celebrated establishment in Ueno, was trading up 7.8 per cent in the afternoon. The announcement comes as a rare spot of bright news for the Japanese capital, which is preparing to host the postponed Olympics this summer despite deep public opposition and coronavirus concerns.