Giant Panda Gives Birth to Cub Surprising Zookeepers

New Mom Mei Ling/Getty Image

 

 

Mei Xiang, Smithsonian Zoo's giant panda females hid a secret from all who cared for her.  She was pregnant. Scientists at the zoo artificially inseminated 14-year-old Mei Xiang’s, giving her a last chance to conceive after many previous attempts failed. They believed there was a less than a 10 percent chance she would become pregnant, but she proved them wrong. 

 

Chief veterinarian Suzan Murray said the unnamed cub was born at about 10:46 p.m. Sunday night.

Newborn pandas, enter the word pink, hairless and tiny, about the size of a stick of butter. Chinese custom dictates waiting100 days to name a cub, and zoo officials will uphold that custom.

 

Born in China, Mei Xiang and her mate Tian Tian, are the second pair of pandas to live at the zoo. 

Mei Xiang's first cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and gained instant star status before going to China in 2010 as part of the agreement for the loan of the giant panda pair.

 

Panda keepers were keeping a watch on Mei Xiang, in case the artificial insemination had worked. One of them reported hearing a sound that resembled a bird's shriek, so a small group accessed their computers to watch the zoo’s panda cam. They, too, heard the distinct cry of a newborn panda cub.

 

According the those who care for her, Mei Xiang fared well during the birth and is responding to the cub’s fussy grunt and high-pitched squeal.

 

Ham on Wry joins well wishers around the world who are rejoicing in the birth of another giant panda.