After yesterday’s sad panda news, our collective hearts probably cannot handle the death of another panda cub. Luckily, the National Zoo says that Mei Xiang’s surviving panda cub “looks great.” Here’s a brief update the Zoo provided today on its Facebook page:
Overnight it was evident to panda keepers and veterinarians that our healthy panda cub was active and nursing appropriately throughout the night. Mei is showing proper maternal care, which includes short sleep cycles, adjusting the tiny cub in her arms for better positioning and grooming. The panda team heard strong vocalizations from the cub and observed it a couple times during the night. The cub is growing more hair, its tail looks plump and the cub overall looks great.
Here, look at this cute video of Mei and her cub:
Overnight it was evident to panda keepers and veterinarians that our healthy panda cub was active and nursing appropriately throughout the night. Mei is showing proper maternal care, which includes short sleep cycles, adjusting the tiny cub in her arms for better positioning and grooming. The panda team heard strong vocalizations from the cub and observed it a couple times during the night. The cub is growing more hair, its tail looks plump and the cub overall looks great. #PandaStory
Posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on Thursday, August 27, 2015