Who is the daddy of this panda cub?
Print Edition
A GIANT panda gave birth to a cub at the United States National Zoo on Friday, raising hopes for a rare success after a series of false pregnancies.
“WE HAVE A CUB!!” the Washington zoo said on Twitter, after the birth was shown live on two Internet webcams from the panda’s den.
The tiny pinkish-white cub was born at 5:32pm, about two hours after its mother Mei Xiang’s water broke, the zoo said. Mei Xiang picked up the cub and began nursing.
“I’m glued to the new panda cams and thrilled to hear the squeals, which appear healthy, of our newborn cub,” said zoo director Dennis Kelly. “Our 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.”
The sex of the cub remains unknown for now.
The birth was the third for Mei Xiang, who along with her male counterpart Tian Tian is on loan to the US zoo from China.
However, no one is yet sure about the father’s identity.
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian tried to conceive a cub naturally during their once-a-year mating ritual this winter.
But after reproductive specialists determined that bid was unsuccessful, they performed artificial insemination using sperm samples from both Tian Tian and another male panda, Gao Gao, from the San Diego Zoo.
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