WASHINGTON — The National Zoo welcomed a new giant panda Friday night.
The zoo’s female panda, Mei Xiang, gave birth to a cub at 6:35 p.m. EDT, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
The birth by Mei Xiang was considered “a miracle,” because at 22, she had a 1% chance of giving birth, according to The Washington Post. The successful birth was the first giant panda cub in five years, according to zoo officials.
🐼 A precious giant panda cub has arrived! We’re overjoyed to share that Mei Xiang gave birth at 6:35 p.m. and is caring for her newborn attentively. Positive mothering behaviors include nursing her cub and cuddling it close. 👀🎥 TUNE IN: https://t.co/99lBTV2w92. #PandaStory pic.twitter.com/x02fEYfAmx
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) August 21, 2020
Mei Xiang, who has lived at the National Zoo since 2000, had been in labor about 3 1/2 hours before becoming the oldest panda to give birth in the United States, the Post reported. Zoo officials said Mei Xiang immediately picked up her cub and began caring for it.
“The panda team heard the cub vocalize and glimpsed the cub for the first time briefly immediately after the birth,” the zoo said in a statement.
The cub, which is currently the size of a stick of butter, will be named in 100 days, Smithsonian Magazine reported. It is too early to determine the cub’s sex, but the most reliable method is through DNA analysis, WRC reported. Scientists will get the cub’s DNA from a cheek swab when it is examined, the television station reported.
The birth of the cub was streamed live through the zoo’s panda cam, the magazine reported. While the pair will remain in isolation, people can tune into the panda cam to watch them interact, zoo officials said.
“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and with the birth of this precious cub we are thrilled to offer the world a much-needed moment of pure joy,” said Steve Monfort, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “Because Mei Xiang is of advanced maternal age, we knew the chances of her having a cub were slim. However, we wanted to give her one more opportunity to contribute to her species’ survival. I am incredibly proud of our animal care and science teams, whose expertise in giant panda behavior was critical to this conservation success.”
Female pandas are only capable of conceiving cubs for 24 to 72 hours a year, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
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