Giant panda at National Zoo gives birth to cub: ‘A much-needed moment of pure joy’ by Ryan W. Miller & Joel Shannon, USA TODAY
“It’s panda-monium amid pandemic.”
“In a refreshing bit of good news out of Washington, Mei Xiang, the giant panda matriarch of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, gave birth to a cub Friday and immediately began cradling and caring for it, zoo officials said.”
“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,” the Zoo tweeted Friday. “
“Zoo officials say they are monitoring the mother and the new cub using the cams. It may be several days before zookeepers retrieve the cub to perform a neonatal exam, and the cub’s sex will be determined in the future, the zoo said in a release.”
“At 22, Mei Xiang is the oldest giant panda to successfully give birth in the United States. The oldest in the world was 23.”
“Her age made the chances of having a cub “slim” — but zookeepers “wanted to give her one more opportunity to contribute to her species’ survival,” zoo administrators are quoted in a release.”
“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.”
CURIOUS to the MAX 