Zookeepers at the National Zoo in Washington excitedly reported that after conducting a 10-minute physical exam, the giant panda cub seems to be in excellent health. The baby panda, born on a Friday afternoon, weighs 4.8 ounces, pinkish, and has white fur. It wriggled and gave out a loud squeal when zoo officials attempted to take it away from its mother.
On Saturday night, a second cub was delivered but it was announced as a stillborn. Still, the zookeepers were ecstatic at the prospect of having at least one healthy cub given the fact that pandas belong to the critically endangered list and captive breeding of pandas have been difficult.
Mei Xiang, the cub’s mother, had successfully given birth to a male panda named Tai Shan in 2005. After enjoying celebrity status, Tai Shan was returned to China in 2010. The pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are all owned by China.
Veterinarians described the new cub as having a full stomach and its digestive system seems to function normally. Moreover, it has a steady heartbeat and well-functioning lungs.
Last year, Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub after many years of unsuccessful breeding. However, the cub died only six days after it was born. Its lungs were under developed causing its liver to receive not enough amount of oxygen.
After such disappointment and proper consultation with Chinese breeders, the zookeepers decided to change their protocols for pandas that were newly born. The new plan would prompt veterinarians to get hold of the panda within only 48 hours from the time of its birth.
The veterinarians were able to take the cub away from Mei Xiang on Sunday morning after failing twice the day before. They will try to examine the baby panda again on Tuesday. Its eyes are still closed and its gender is still undetermined. A DNA sample was taken to find out the cub’s paternity.
