Euphoric atmosphere follows birth of panda at National Zoo

Click on photo to enlarge or download: Tian Tian, the male giant panda at the National Zoo, munched bamboo in front of onlookers at the zoo Monday morning. Tian became a father late Sunday night, when Mei Xiang gave birth to the zoo’s first cub since 2005. SHFWire photo by Matt NelsonWASHINGTON — The National Zoo was thrown into pandemonium Monday morning with the arrival of a hairless squawking animal about the size of a stick of butter.

Mei Xiang, the zoo's female giant panda, gave birth to her second panda cub at 10:46 p.m. Sunday. Her first cub was Tai Shan, born in 2005.

While zoo officials didn't catch a glimpse of the cub until late Monday morning, they did hear squawking sounds from the newborn and witnessed Mei Xiang cradling something in her arms.

Nicole MacCorkle, an animal keeper who has worked almost exclusively with the pandas for years, said the panda team was excited about the birth.

"It's great to see her with a cub tucked under her chin again, like last time," MacCorkle said, referring to the birth of Mei Xiang's first cub.

After an attempt to breed Mei Xiang naturally with the zoo's male giant panda failed, Mei Xiang underwent artificial insemination in April. Even with the procedure, the 14-year old Mei Xiang had a less than 10 percent chance of getting pregnant, MacCorkle said.

Zoo Director Dennis Kelly said the birth of the panda was the culmination of years of work.Click on photo to enlarge or download: Tian Tian, the male giant panda at the National Zoo, bopped around a toy in front of onlookers at the zoo Monday morning. Tian Tian became a father late Sunday night, when female giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth. SHFWire photo by Matt NelsonClick on photo to enlarge or download: Onlookers outside the Panda House at the National Zoo watched Tian Tian eat bamboo and play with a toy Monday, following the birth of Tian Tian’s son. Mei Xiang and the baby are being given privacy after Sunday’s birth. SHFWire photo by Matt Nelson

"We were confused and actually quite pessimistic that a panda that had gone six years between births would be able to reproduce," Kelly said. "We think there is some interesting science to be learned."

Kelly said the zoo will be using data from Mei Xiang to help determine markers of pregnancy hormones that help indicate when a panda is pregnant. Until Tuesday night, zookeepers could not be certain that Mei Xiang was pregnant or if she was undergoing a pseudopregnancy, which is typical for pandas.

Zoo officials hoClick on photo to enlarge or download: Jasmine Trumbull, 17 of Edgewater, Md., right, said she was excited about the birth of the baby panda and joked about stealing it away from the zoo. She and her friend, Victoria Daley, 17, center, wore panda ears to celebrate. SHFWire photo by Matt Nelsonpe to examine the baby in about two weeks. Until then, they are leaving mom and baby alone, and the zoo’s Panda House is closed to the public.

The baby panda won’t have a name for 100 days.

"I always listen to my good friends in China. They always give me good suggestions on names," Kelly said.

Jasmine Trumbull, 17, of Edgewater, Md., said she was pumped about the birth of the panda. Trumbull is a senior at South River High School. Trumbull and her friends said they were bringing two Spanish foreign exchange students with them to the zoo. The group was wearing panda ears bought at the zoo because they said they were "cute."

"We were talking about different ways we would hold the panda, and different ways we could escape with the panda," Trumbull said. Trumbull joked that she would simply "grab it and run!"

The newborn panda probably won't be available for public viewing until sometime in early 2013, MacCorkle said. However, those eager to catch a glimpse can watch the live panda cam on the National Zoo's website. Another option is to download the zoo's paid mobile app, which gives the user unlimited access to the panda cam.

All pandas in U.S. zoos are owned by China, and Tai Shan was sent to China at age 4 in 2010.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of panda Mei Xiang's name.

Reach reporter Matt Nelson at matt.nelson@shns.com or 202-408-2735. SHFWire stories are free to any news organization that gives the reporter a byline and credits the SHFWire.