Mei exhibited signs of pregnancy in July when she started sleeping more, eating less, building a nest and spending more time in her den. (Photo : The Global Times)
Mei Xiang, a rare giant panda, recently gave birth to a cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo located in Washington, D.C., drawing praise from ecstatic zoo officials.
The tiny cub was born at 5:35 p.m. (2134 GMT) and was described by zoo officials as pink, hairless and about the size of an adult mouse.
"All of us are thrilled that Mei Xiang has finally given birth and although the cub is vulnerable at this tiny size, we know that Mei will be an excellent mother," said Dennis Kelly, director of the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Zoo officials stated that Mei exhibited signs of pregnancy in July when she started sleeping more, eating less, building a nest and spending more time in her den.
Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in April with frozen semen from a male giant panda named Hui Hui, who resides at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province.
Immediate preparations for the birth were underway when the giant panda's care team noticed Mei Xiang's water break.
They plan on conducting a neonatal exam in the coming days and will have no knowledge as to the cub's sex in the meantime until a later date.
In 2005, Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub, which was sent to China.
She also had another cub named Bao Bao, who is currently two years old and living with her in Washington. However, she lost at least two other cubs, as one was stillborn in 2013 and the other lived for just a mere six days in 2012.
Pandas are known to breed infrequently, especially now that most of them are in captivity. In addition, their number has severely dwindled throughout the decades as increased human activity threatens their survival.
