WASHINGTON (AP) — Venerable giant panda matriach Mei Xiang gave birth Friday to a baby cub and immediately began cradling her offspring, the National Zoo in Washington said.
The zoo said in a release that its panda team heard the baby vocalize.
"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, 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."
🐼❤️ See and listen to the joyous moment when our giant panda cub was born at 6:35 p.m.! The animal care team reports mom Mei Xiang and cub appear to be doing well. #PandaStory #PandaCubdates pic.twitter.com/An1wx3FZG8
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) August 22, 2020
Earlier on Friday, the National Zoo said Mei Xiang appeared to be in labor.
"Mei Xiang has become increasingly restless and started body licking — both signs that labor has probably started!" the National Zoo said on Instagram and Twitter. "Our giant panda team is closely monitoring her via the Panda Cam for a cub's arrival."
Mei Xiang has been spending most of her time indoors in a small den, where she has created a nest out of branches. Although the place looks tiny for a big panda, the zoo said giant pandas in wild give birth in small dens. "They stay in these dens for about the cub's first 100 days," the zoo said on Instagram.
Giant pandas at birth are about the size of a stick of butter. They're pink and hairless; the distinctive black and white fur markings of giant pandas come later.
Mei Xiang has had three cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei. At age 4, all were transported to China under an agreement with the Chinese government.
The zoo said Mei was impregnated via artificial insemination, a process which was heavily affected by precautions over the COVID-19 pandemic. The procedure was conducted shortly after the entire zoo shut down on March 14. The zoo has since reopened on a limited basis.
The father is giant panda Tian Tian.
Rather than using a combination of stored frozen sperm and fresh semen, the zoo inseminated Mei Xiang only with thawed-out semen to minimize the number of close-quarters medical procedures. If successful, it would be the first of its kind in the U.S. using only frozen sperm.
