The later announcement included a picture that appeared to show the cub being examined by veterinarians. She delivered the panda cubs just three days after zoo staff realized that she was pregnant.
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We can confirm a second cub was born at 10:07.
The National Zoo shared the live footage of Mei Xiang’s labour and the twin’s birth on their website. “It appears to be in good health”, zoo officials said in a statement.
The new cub was the second in two years.
“We’re taking a very hands-off approach”, he said. Its lungs hadn’t fully developed.
This year, Mei Xiang exhibited signs of pregnancy in July that included sleeping more, eating less, building a nest and spending more time in her den. Keepers have heard it squeal and grunt. The giant panda habitat has been closed to the public until further notice to provide them some quiet.
For enthusiastic fans of the panda family now residing in the U.S. capital city, however, they are not expected to see the new cub very soon. If you’re having problems watching the camera, the zoo recommends downloading their app. It can take some time to determine an infant panda’s gender. The panda is believed to be in labor at the National Zoo which said on August 19 that veterinarians detected a 1.6-inch fetus during an ultrasound.
The zoo has also had disappointments in the past.
The zoo’s first pandas, Ling Ling, a female, and Hsing Hsing, a male, arrived at the zoo in 1972, one of the fruits of President Richard Nixon’s peacemaking visit to China. The pair had five cubs while living at the zoo but none survived.
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Giant panda Mei Xiang, together with her cub Bao Bao at the National Zoo in 2014. Baby animals are adorable, and baby panda cubs doubly so.
