Community Corner
Zoo's Panda Cub Squawking and Thriving (And Has Not Been Eaten)
If you're going to travel to the National Zoo to see the newest little guy, watch — and listen — for what's in store.
By Todd Richissin
The new panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo is a noisy little bugger, which tells staff the cub is healthy, according to the latest update on the cub born last Friday.
The Smithsonian National Zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth Friday evening to a healthy cub. A second cub born Saturday was stillborn.
Zoo staff have been closely monitoring the health and activities of the mother and cub pair.
"All visual and audible indications tell us that both are doing well" according to an update on the zoo website.
The zoo released a short video today that shows the cub making quite a racket squawking away just after 3:30 a.m. Mei Xiang who looks to have been awoken by the cub picks it up with her mouth — and cradles it.
As you'll note from the video, the cub has a nice round little belly, a sign of healthy nursing habits, according to the panda team.
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