Mei Xiang

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Say Goodbye to Tian Tian and Family

Giant panda, as well as mate Mei Xiang and cub Xiao Qi Ji are heading back to China on Wednesday

(Newser) - For nearly a quarter century, giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have called the Smithsonian's National Zoo in DC home, part of a "panda diplomacy" initiative with China established during the Nixon years that involved loaning pandas to the US for breeding and research purposes. Now, the...

DC to Lose Famous Trio Due to 'Punitive Panda Diplomacy'

Amid strained relations with China, it's not clear if deal for pandas struck by Nixon will be renewed

(Newser) - The National Zoo's three giant pandas—Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji—are set to return to China in early December, with no public signs that the 50-year-old exchange agreement struck by former President Nixon will continue, reports the AP . National Zoo officials have remained...

Giant Panda Delivers 'Miracle' Cub' at DC's National Zoo

Mei Xiang, 22, is oldest giant panda in US to give birth, also first to do so in US using frozen semen

(Newser) - "A precious giant panda cub has arrived!" That was the excited tweet Friday evening from the National Zoo in Washington, DC, announcing the birth of what the Washington Post calls a "miracle cub." Giant panda Mei Xiang, 22, delivered a "wonderful, wiggly cub" at 6:...

We Now Know the Panda Cub's Gender

Surviving panda twin is a male: National Zoo

(Newser) - The National Zoo's panda parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have a son. The zoo announced this morning that the surviving panda cub is male and the son of the zoo's male panda, Tian Tian. Mei Xiang gave birth to fraternal twins Saturday, but the smaller cub—also...

Tiny Panda Cub Twin Dies
 Tiny Panda Cub Twin Dies 
UPDATED

Tiny Panda Cub Twin Dies

Mei Xiang loses the smaller of her two babies

(Newser) - A heartbreaking update to the story of Mei Xiang's panda cubs: The smaller twin born to the National Zoo panda has died. The new mom had started ignoring the smaller cub in favor of nursing the bigger one, and the zoo tweeted today, "We are sad to report...

Panda Mom Is Ignoring One of Her New Cubs

Smaller cub in care of vets is having digestive issues

(Newser) - Workers at the National Zoo are continuing to care for one panda cub while the other is safely in the care of its mother—but it appears Mei Xiang has decided she is "not a willing participant" in the zoo's swapping program , reports Smithsonian . Since the twin cubs'...

How National Zoo Is Keeping Its Panda Twins Alive

Officials cautiously optimistic about cubs' future, still waiting to exhale

(Newser) - Panda mama Mei Xiang gave birth to a rare healthy cub , then a surprise twin , on Saturday evening, leaving officials at the Smithsonian's National Zoo giddy—perhaps even moreso because the twins are off to a good start thanks to new techniques in panda care. Their sex won't...

Surprise! Panda Actually Gave Birth to Twins

Mei Xiang pulls a fast one on the National Zoo

(Newser) - The National Zoo's blessed event yesterday has multiplied by two, with the unexpected addition of a second panda cub, reports the Washington Post . Zoo officials were still celebrating the birth of Mei Xiang's first cub yesterday at 5:34pm—with a rep crowing that the zoo was "...

Inside the Insanely Tricky Process of Breeding Pandas

Cross your fingers: a panda cub could be on the way

(Newser) - Congratulations are in order for the National Zoo's female giant panda—or so veterinarians hope based on an ultrasound yesterday: Mei Xiang is presumably pregnant. Experts are cautious as the 1.5-inch-long fetus could still be reabsorbed or the panda could miscarry. Research vet Pierre Comizzoli says the ultrasound...

Panda News at National Zoo: 'We Have a Cub!'

Mei Xiang gives birth to a female

(Newser) - A giant panda at Washington's National Zoo has given birth to her third cub, a female. Mei Xiang gave birth late this afternoon, two hours after her water broke. Zoo officials said its panda team heard the cub vocalize and said Mei Xiang picked the cub up immediately and...

Liver Problem Killed Baby Panda: Zoo

Mother Mei Xiang reportedly improving

(Newser) - A National Zoo veterinarian says a liver problem was indeed to blame for the death last month of a 6-day-old giant panda cub. Chief veterinarian Suzan Murray told a news conference today that the cub's cause of death was liver necrosis, or the death of liver cells. Murray says...

Liver Defect May Have Killed Panda Cub

Mei Xiang didn't crush baby girl; zoo 'devastated'

(Newser) - Mei Xiang, the giant panda at Washington's National Zoo who lost her cub yesterday , "was a good mom who protected her cub and did not crush her," says the zoo’s chief veterinarian today. Preliminary necropsy findings did not reveal a cause of death, but did indicate...

National Zoo's Panda Cub Dies
 National Zoo's Panda Cub Dies 

National Zoo's Panda Cub Dies

Baby found dead after Mei Xiang was heard making distressed sounds

(Newser) - The long-awaited panda cub born Sept. 16 at the National Zoo in Washington has died, reports the AP . Zookeepers found the cub dead this morning after hearing distressed sounds from mom Mei Xiang. A cause of death is yet unknown, though the cub appeared outwardly to be in good condition....

National Zoo Welcomes Panda Cub

Mei Xiang gives birth to long-awaited second cub

(Newser) - After five consecutive false pregnancies since 2007, the National Zoo finally has a little panda bundle of joy: The zoo's giant panda female, Mei Xiang, gave birth to a cub last night at 10:46pm, reports the AP . Zoo staffers have yet to see the cub, which is ensconced...

Outcome of Hu's Visit: We Get Pandas Longer

Five more years, to be exact

(Newser) - Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, those sweet, cuddly pandas that rank among our national treasures, actually aren't ours—but we get to keep them for a little while longer. At last night's state dinner, Obama announced that China, which has been loaning us the creatures under an agreement that expired...

DC Panda's Pregnancy a Fake
 DC Panda's Pregnancy a Fake 

DC Panda's Pregnancy a Fake

Mei Xiang not expecting after all, National Zoo says

(Newser) - Mei Xiang's latest pregnancy has turned out to be another fake, disappointed zookeepers at the National Zoo say. The panda showed all the signs of pregnancy—including elevated hormone levels, building bamboo nests, and cradling objects as if they were cubs—but tests have revealed that she isn't really pregnant,...

Tai Shan Turns 4
 Tai Shan Turns 4  
birthday slideshow

Tai Shan Turns 4

(Newser) - Tai Shan, the giant panda who captivated the world as a cub, turned 4 today and celebrated with a huge birthday cake only an animal could love. The three-tiered concoction was a frozen medley of water, beet juice, shredded beets, and bamboo, WTOP reports. Tai Shan, who is now considered...

National Zoo Panda Not Pregnant

(Newser) - Giant panda Mei Xiang, whose first cub became an international superstar, is not pregnant, National Zoo officials said today. The panda, who was artificially inseminated in January, experienced her third false pregnancy in as many years, the Washington Post reports. Four-year-old Tai Shan, Mei Xiang's only cub to survive infancy,...

DC Zoo's Panda on Pregnancy Watch

(Newser) - The National Zoo’s female giant panda may be pregnant, the Washington Post reports. Volunteers are monitoring Mei Xiang around the clock after zookeepers noticed behavioral changes that indicate the mom to celebu-panda Tai Shan is expecting, including creating a bamboo den in a dark and quiet place, and cradling...

Panda Lovin' Leaves DC Zoo Wanting
Panda Lovin' Leaves DC Zoo Wanting

Panda Lovin' Leaves DC Zoo Wanting

Bears fail again at 'competent mating'; keepers help out

(Newser) - A romantic day in the park amid inaugural hubbub wasn’t enough to propagate the genes of two famous pandas at Washington’s National Zoo, the Washington Post reports. The pair had given mating calls, prompting hopes for the conception of a new member of the endangered species, which is...

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