China News Service, Washington, August 22. Title: The National Zoo welcomes panda cubs: "A wonderful miracle"
China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
"This is really a wonderful miracle." Steven Monfort, director of the National Zoo of the United States, was interviewed by the media outside the Panda House on the morning of the 22nd. This is the sentence he repeated the most.
The American giant panda "Mei Xiang" gave birth to a cub at the National Zoo in Washington at 6:35 pm on the 21st. This is the first time the park has welcomed panda cubs in the past five years.
"Mei Xiang" and the male giant panda "Tian Tian" came to the United States in 2000. Since 2005, they have produced three pandas "Taishan" (15 years old), "Baby" (7 years old) and "Beibe" (5 years old), and they have returned to China.
According to the China-US agreement on giant panda breeding, the male giant panda "Bei Bei", who has reached 4 years of age, returned to Chengdu, Sichuan Province in November 2019. Smith, the deputy director of the National Zoo, once thought that "Babe" may be the last panda cub in the park for a long time to come, "because it represents the end of an era for the National Zoo's Panda Project."
Zookeeper Laura Thompson witnessed the birth of 4 children of "Mika". Yesterday, when she heard the panda cub's call after birth through real-time monitoring, she was still very excited. "'Meixiang' is an advanced mother, but it is in very good condition. Everyone in the zoo was surprised by the arrival of the panda cubs."
"Mixiang" just celebrated its 22nd birthday on July 22 this year. This is also the first time that an American zoo has successfully conceived and gave birth to a panda through artificial insemination with frozen semen.
The National Zoo of the United States is the first American zoo that started raising pandas after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The park currently has an experienced giant panda breeding and scientific research team, and maintains long-term cooperation and exchanges with Chinese counterparts.
Thompson said that from conception to childbirth, the zoo’s breeding team has been in communication with their Chinese counterparts. "If it were not for the impact of the new crown epidemic, we would have invited our Chinese colleagues to come and assist one week before the cubs were born."
At present, the National Zoo has a team of 4 people who pay close attention to the situation of "Mei Xiang" and the panda cubs 24 hours a day. Thompson said that from the scene of Mei Xiang picking up her cubs and starting to breastfeed quickly after giving birth, she is already a very experienced mother. The garden party also has sufficient experience and resources to ensure the health of the panda cubs.
As for the sex of the panda cubs, it has not been confirmed. "Panda cubs generally need to pass DNA testing to accurately know their gender. We expect to complete this work sometime next week." Thompson said.
"Mei Xiang" and "Tian Tian" have been in the United States for 20 years, and their leases will expire in December this year. Monfort revealed that he went to Beijing in January this year to discuss the renewal of the lease of two giant pandas with China. "Our communication is going well, there should be results soon, and it looks very positive."
Monfort told a reporter from China News Agency that after years of cooperation, the friendship between the researchers of giant panda breeding in the United States and China is not just a relationship of partners, but more like friends. "It is a wonderful thing for the giant panda to thrive in the United States. The birth of this panda cub is a testament to the successful cooperation between the United States and China and a symbol of the potential for cooperation between the two countries."
For the American people, if you want to see this panda cub in person, you need to wait for a while. According to the garden, it will take at least 3 months for the panda cubs to meet with the public. (Finish)