Mei Xiang gives birth to a cub @ National Zoo
As panda cam watchers may have noticed around midnight on September 16, 2012: there is a new giant panda cub at the National Zoo!
Mei Xiang & Tian Tian have been waiting for 6 years after the birth of their first son Tai Shan. Mei Xiang was successfully inseminated in April, a good collaboration of National Zoo Scientists and CCRCGP Panda Experts.
According to chief veterinarian Suzan Murray:
“Mei Xiang is behaving exactly the same way she did when Tai Shan was born. She is cradling her cub closely , and she looks so tired, but every time she tries to lay down, the cub squawks and she sits right up and cradles the cub more closely. She is the poster child for a perfect panda mom.”
For now, the only way animal care staff will monitor the cub is using the web cams. Our goal is for Mei Xiang to raise this cub naturally. With Tai Shan, it wasn’t until he was about two weeks old that Mei walked away from him briefly and our veterinary team was able to give him a brief well-cub exam.
Source: National Zoo
