Giant Pandas at the National Zoo

[Dumpsterkitty]

Without commentary, today's message from the National Zoo...

April 23, 2010

We are closely observing Mei Xiang, our female giant panda, for signs of pregnancy. We have not confirmed that she is pregnant, but are happy to announce that if she gives birth, our web cams will live stream the event. Beginning tonight, Friends of the National Zoo volunteer behavior watchers will be observing Mei 24 hours a day to monitor her behavior, and our scientists will continue analyzing her hormones so we can better estimate when she might give birth.

We remain hopeful that Mei is pregnant and invite you to stay tuned to our panda cams for the latest news. Please be aware that we are limiting viewing sessions to five minutes, which will allow for more people to view the pandas via the cam. After five minutes, you can refresh the page to reconnect. If you are unable to connect, try the other cam or try again later. Read our panda updates and follow our Twitter feed.

Thanks for your continued interest and for supporting wildlife conservation around the world.

Sincerely,
Bob Lamb
Executive Director
Friends of the National Zoo

[Kris G.]

Posted on FB:

JULY 26
Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have confirmed a secondary rise in urinary progesterone in Mei Xiang. The rise indicates that she will experience the end of a pseudopregnancy or give birth to a cub in 40 to 55 days. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated twice March 30 after natural breeding attempts with the Zoo’s male panda, Tian Tian, were unsuccessful.
During the first procedure she was artificially inseminated with fresh as well as frozen sperm collected from Tian Tian in 2003. During the second procedure she was artificially inseminated with frozen sperm collected from Tian Tian in 2003 and frozen sperm from the San Diego Zoo’s male giant panda, Gao Gao. Tang Chunxiang, chief veterinarian of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, performed the artificial inseminations alongside a team of Zoo scientists, veterinarians and keepers.
Since the artificial inseminations the Zoo’s panda team has monitored Mei Xiang closely. Zoo scientists will continue to monitor her hormone levels through daily hormone analyses. Veterinarians are conducting ultrasounds regularly as Mei Xiang chooses to participate in them, to monitor changes in her reproductive tract and evaluate for evidence of a fetus. Giant panda fetuses do not start developing until the final weeks of gestation, making it difficult to definitively determine if there is a pregnancy. It may be too early to detect a fetus.
Keepers are also monitoring Mei Xiang’s behavior closely. She has begun nest building which is consistent with a rise in urinary progesterone. The area of the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat closest to her den will close any day to provide quiet for Mei Xiang, who shows extra sensitivity to noise during the final weeks of a pseudopregnancy or pregnancy. Panda fans can watch Mei Xiang on the upgraded panda cams, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund. The cams in Mei Xiang’s den, where she will be spending much of her time over the next month, have also been replaced with high-definition cameras. Visitors to the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat will see Tian Tian in his yard and inside the panda house as usual and Mei Xiang when she chooses to go into her outdoor exhibit.

[Kris G.]

Today's update on Mei Xiang:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm#update

[Dumpsterkitty]

Just tweeted (4:14 PM) at the National Zoo!

National Zoo ‏@NationalZoo 18m

Watch the panda cams now! Mei's water broke a short time ago and she's having contractions. She may give birth in a few hours

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm

[Kris G.]

Just tweeted (4:14 PM) at the National Zoo!

National Zoo ‏@NationalZoo 18m

Watch the panda cams now! Mei's water broke a short time ago and she's having contractions. She may give birth in a few hours

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm

Wonderful!  I hope things go well for her this year!

[Dumpsterkitty]

National Zoo ‏@NationalZoo 10m

WE HAVE A CUB!! Born at 5:32 p.m. this evening. More details to follow.

[Dumpsterkitty]

Posted by Spidder Musstanng on FB



by Freetaishanfreesulin



by me

[Dumpsterkitty]

And the official announcement!



Giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo 5:32 p.m. The panda team heard the cub vocalize and glimpsed the cub for the first time briefly immediately after the birth. Mei Xiang picked the cub up immediately and began cradling and caring for it. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm#update

Behavior watchers have been monitoring her 24 hours a day since Aug. 7 via the panda cams. The panda team began preparing for a birth when they saw her water break around 3:36 p.m. and she began having contractions. Mei Xiang started spending extended amounts of time body licking and cradling her toys Aug. 11, all signs that she could give birth.

For the first time this year scientists used another test developed by the Memphis Zoo which analyzed Mei Xiang’s levels of prostaglandin metabolite (a fatty acid) to narrow the window when she would give birth or experience a pseudopregnancy. Scientists at the Memphis Zoo performed the analysis and determined that if Mei Xiang were pregnant she would likely give birth during the last week of August. If she were not, her pseudopregnancy would have likely ended in early September.

“I’m glued to the new panda cams and thrilled to hear the squeals, which appear healthy, of our newborn cub,� said Dennis Kelly, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “Our expansive panda team has worked tirelessly analyzing hormones and behavior since March, and as a result of their expertise and our collaboration with scientists from around the world we are celebrating this birth.�

Keepers and veterinarians will perform a preliminary health exam on the cub within the next 48 hours. Li Guo, lead giant panda keeper at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, is at the National Zoo supporting the giant panda keepers. Li and the Zoo’s panda team will perform health checks every few days during the next week. The panda cams will be briefly turned off when the team performs the health checks.

[carly]

I've got my paws crossed for her!! 

[Dumpsterkitty]

http://youtu.be/43lCHjR4npk

 

[carly]

Mei gave birth to a second still born cub last night.  Just woke up to that news.  Cub one continues to do well ... paws crossed for her big time!

Smithsonian's National Zoo
At 7:29 p.m. this evening, Mei Xiang gave birth to a second, stillborn cub. Keepers watching Mei on the panda cam saw her groom it for 17 minutes. When she stopped grooming, it fell from Mei’s body onto the floor of the den. It lay motionless and made no sound. Throughout, staff could see it visually and hear the first cub squealing, and Mei never set it down. Staff retrieved the motionless cub with a grabbing device. It was immediately evident that the cub had developmental abnormalities and wasn’t fully formed. It was never alive. A necropsy is underway, and the Zoo will provide additional information tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Mei's first cub continues to do well.

[Kris G.]

Mei gave birth to a second still born cub last night.  Just woke up to that news.  Cub one continues to do well ... paws crossed for her big time!

Smithsonian's National Zoo
At 7:29 p.m. this evening, Mei Xiang gave birth to a second, stillborn cub. Keepers watching Mei on the panda cam saw her groom it for 17 minutes. When she stopped grooming, it fell from Mei’s body onto the floor of the den. It lay motionless and made no sound. Throughout, staff could see it visually and hear the first cub squealing, and Mei never set it down. Staff retrieved the motionless cub with a grabbing device. It was immediately evident that the cub had developmental abnormalities and wasn’t fully formed. It was never alive. A necropsy is underway, and the Zoo will provide additional information tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Mei's first cub continues to do well.

I hope things will continue to go well for Mei and her baby. Sad about the other one.

[Dumpsterkitty]

This morning, the panda team was able to get the first cub for its neonatal exam. The cub is robust, fully formed and is a bright, healthy shade of pink. It weighs 137 grams, which is about 4.8 ounces. Its heart rate is steady, and vets were able to hear breathing sounds from both lungs. It's belly was nice and full, it's mouth was normal, and it was obvious that the cub is both eating and digesting food. All signs are that we have a very healthy cub.

The next exam on the cub will be on Tuesday. We won't know the cub's sex or its paternity for two or three weeks.

Photo by Courtney Janney, Smithsonian's National Zoo.

[Kris G.]

This morning, the panda team was able to get the first cub for its neonatal exam. The cub is robust, fully formed and is a bright, healthy shade of pink. It weighs 137 grams, which is about 4.8 ounces. Its heart rate is steady, and vets were able to hear breathing sounds from both lungs. It's belly was nice and full, it's mouth was normal, and it was obvious that the cub is both eating and digesting food. All signs are that we have a very healthy cub.

The next exam on the cub will be on Tuesday. We won't know the cub's sex or its paternity for two or three weeks.

Photo by Courtney Janney, Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Great news! 

[carly]