USA-PANDA/NEWSER Zoo switching out nursing panda cubs to help overworked Mei Xiang

Record ID: 142902

  • Title: USA-PANDA/NEWSER Zoo switching out nursing panda cubs to help overworked Mei Xiang
  • Date: 23rd August 2015
  • Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 23, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. DON NEIFFER, CHIEF VETERINARIAN FOR SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO SAYING: "When the baby comes out and goes to the incubator, the first thing we do is perform a physical examination and obtain a weight on that animal. At that point, we will determine whether we are seeing enough of a weight gain or if we are seeing some weight loss to the point where we may have to supplement that cub while it is in the incubator."
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACX2NTFP3Q9E6K78U0PKSUNWG7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Zoo staff are assisting giant panda Mei Xiang adjust to life with her new twins by occasionally switching out one of the cubs and keeping it in an incubator, zoo staff said on Sunday (August 23).
    Giant Panda biologist Laurie Thomspon and other staff monitored Mei Xiang to see if she was strong enough to pick up the second cub on her own.
    "She was really struggling. She was trying but she wasn't able to pick up both of the cubs...At the right moment, we were able to go in and grab one of the cubs and take it out safely when Mei Xiang was not really close to it," Thompson said.
    Mei Xiang, who was artificially inseminated tool officials by surprise on Saturday (August 22) when she gave birth to twins - more than four hours apart.
    "I heard her make a similar sound that she had made earlier in the day before she had given birth, sort of a grunting sound and I looked over at the camera and out popped the cub," Thompson said.
    Mei Xiang gave birth to her first cub at 5.34 p.m. (2134 GMT and the second cub arrived at 1007 p.m. (0207 GMT), Thompson said.
    One cub was placed in an incubator in line with protocol when twins are born.
    Dr. Don Neiffer said the first few hours after birth a critical time for the panda cubs.
    "Baby pandas are born quite in need of maternal care. They have next to no fur. They are not able to thermo-regulate very well and they need to constantly be receiving some calories and fuel for the furnace."
    To track each cub's progress, officials have taken to measuring and weighing each cub as they switch them out.
    "We will determine whether we are seeing enough of a weight gain or if we are seeing some weight loss to the point where we may have to supplement that cub while it is in the incubator," Neiffer said.
    Mei Xiang previously has given birth to two surviving cubs: Tai Shan in 2005 and Bao Bao in 2013.
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