The National Zoo has provided us with more information about Mei and her newborn cub. This is from their Giant Panda webpage.
September 17
As panda cam watchers may have noticed: from Mei's behavior and the sounds we're hearing, we have a giant panda cub!
As far as we can tell, the cub was born at about 10:46 p.m. on September 16. According to chief veterinarian Suzan Murray:
“Mei Xiang is behaving exactly the same way she did when Tai Shan was born. She is cradling her cub closely , and she looks so tired, but every time she tries to lay down, the cub squawks and she sits right up and cradles the cub more closely. She is the poster child for a perfect panda mom.”
We believe there is only one cub. If the cub is to have a twin, we should know by sunrise.
For now, the only way animal care staff will monitor the cub is using the web cams. Our goal is for Mei Xiang to raise this cub naturally. With Tai Shan, it wasn’t until he was about two weeks old that Mei walked away from him briefly and our veterinary team was able to give him a brief well-cub exam.
Keep your eyes on the panda cam and on our website and social media networks for more #cubwatch updates!
Below is a video from Channel 9 in Washington, D.C. They interview Brande Smith who is the Senior Curator and Curator of Asia Trail and Giant Pandas
