National Zoo delivers a ‘miracle’ giant panda cub
WASHINGTON — Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s female giant panda, delivered a “miracle” cub Friday — becoming at 22 the oldest giant panda to give birth in the U.S. and giving Washington its first giant panda cub in five years, the zoo said.
The cub was born about 6:30 p.m., after Mei Xiang had been in labor for about 3½ hours. It could be heard on the zoo’s panda cam, as its mother licked it.
The pregnancy had been “a miracle” because at her age, Mei Xiang had a less than 1% chance of having another cub, the zoo said.
The happy event comes as Washington and the nation are in the midst of a deadly pandemic, waves of social upheaval and a bitter presidential campaign season.
“If there was ever a time that Mei Xiang needed to do us a [favor] and have a baby, it’s right now,” chief veterinarian Dr. Don Neiffer said. “In the middle of a pandemic, this is a joyful moment.”
Mei Xiang went into labor at about 3 p.m. Friday, as viewers looked on via the zoo’s black-and-white panda cam. So many were watching that the feed kept breaking down, the zoo said.
The panda’s pregnancy came about despite Mei Xiang’s age and her insemination with 5-year-old frozen semen from her mate, Tian Tian, said zoo research biologist Pierre Comizzoli.
Mei Xiang is the first giant panda in the U.S. to give birth after the use of frozen semen, he said. Scientifically, “that’s a huge accomplishment,” he said.
Last November, as the zoo sent cub Bei Bei off to China, as required by agreement, zoo officials said they did not expect another for a while.
Mei Xiang’s days of motherhood seemed to be over — she turned 22 in July.
But last March, she began her reproductive cycle normally and was artificially inseminated on March 22.
And last Friday, Dr. Neiffer was able to conduct an ultrasound and spotted the fetus. He predicted a birth could come within days.
Zoo officials were exultant. Volunteers went on 24hour-a-day watch. The public watched, too: Panda-cam views had soared 1,000% since Friday, the zoo said.