The zoo believes Mei Xiang has going to give birth to a cub soon.
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However, the zoo said, both cubs would be given the opportunity to bond with their mother. 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.
Mei Xiang, a 17-year-old female weighing over 16 and a half stone, has had five previous “pseudo-pregnancies” where she showed false signs of carrying cubs. Asked about the possibility of a second cub this time around, Neiffer said that during an ultrasound earlier this week he did see “two areas that made me excited”. Its lungs had not fully developed.
“She delivered the cub nicely, scooped it right up”, the zoo’s head veterinarian, Dr. Don Neiffer, said during a press conference Saturday after the first birth. Keepers have heard it squeal and grunt.
The cubs will likely not be introduced to the public for months.
“All of us are thrilled”, said zoo director Dennis Kelly.
The zoo isn’t only ecstatic that the panda gave birth to twins, but they are also happy to have established a template for dealing with similar situations in the future. The first cub is “vocalizing” and is doing well. They’ll also be on the lookout for a possible second cub. Tai Shan was born July 9, 2005, and he now lives in China. The two appeared to be healthy, according to zoo staff. But he said “if there was something else it did not appear to be formed”.
On Saturday, people could watch live online as she gave birth to the first cub, which happened 30 minutes after her water broke as she lay on her back in a narrow cage.
This is the first time the National Zoo has had newborns and an older cub – in this case, 2-year-old Bao Bao – at the same time.
One of the giant panda cubs born August. 22, 2015 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo being examined by veterinarians.
Mei Xiang received sperm by artificial insemination from two potential fathers – Hui Hui, a panda in China, and the National Zoo’s Tian Tian. There are about 1,600 giant pandas known to be living in the wild and some 300 in captivity.
The National Zoo announced the birth of the second cub via Twitter.
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For her birthday, Bao Bao enjoyed a traditional frozen fruitsicle cake with all of her favorite treats: honey, apple juice, carrots, beet juice and of course bamboo.
