Mei Xiang, a 22-year-old panda living in the United States, gave birth to a baby. Fans watched the ＂crowded collapse＂ live broadcast room.
"Mei Xiang" in the video on August 21st.
Meixiang’s profile picture
On the evening of August 21, the delivery room of the National Zoo in the United States delivered good news. Meixiang, a giant panda living in the United States, successfully gave birth to her cubs. At present, the mother and baby are safe.
Because Mei Xiang is 22 years old, it is rare to give birth to a cub smoothly. The American media used the word "miracle" to describe Mei Xiang giving birth again.
Excited panda fans in the United States sent "congratulatory messages" from all over the country, and the panda live room in the zoo once collapsed due to the skyrocketing number of views.
National Zoo:
Meixiang takes care of the baby carefully.
The National Zoo in Washington, DC, announced on the 21st that Mei Xiang, a giant panda in the park, gave birth to a cub that day, and the mother and baby were safe.
The National Zoo of the United States said on social media that Mei Xiang entered the "production mode" at around 3 pm local time on the 21st, and gave birth to her cub three and a half hours later. The zoo said that Mei Xiang was "taking care of the newborn panda baby carefully, caring for it and snuggling up to it".
Pamela Baker-Mason, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said that next, the breeder would let Mei Xiang raise the cubs independently and would not interfere.
"Maybe when the time comes, I will check the cubs while Mei Xiang is eating, but it is mainly on her own. Meixiang only needs to follow the instinct to take care of the cubs as before, and it and the cubs will be safe and sound. "
According to media reports, the zoo may be judging the sex of the cubs by detecting DNA, and when the cubs are "100 days", they will agree with the Chinese side on the name of the cubs.
Steven Monfort, director of the National Zoo in the United States, said that the giant panda is an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and the birth of this precious cub brought much-needed moment of joy to the world.
On March 22 this year, the National Zoo of the United States artificially inseminated Meixiang, and the sperm frozen for five years came from the giant panda "Tim Tian" in the park.
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian started their careers in the United States in 2000. Their other three children, Beibei, aged 5, Taishan, aged 15, and Baobao, aged 7, have all returned to China.
The number of people watching the panda live broadcast
Soar by 1000%
Because Meixiang is over 22 years old, the garden originally did not expect it to give birth smoothly this year.
According to the garden, due to Meixiang’s age, the probability of successful childbirth is less than 1%. Therefore, Washington post used the word "miracle" to describe Mei Xiang giving birth again. According to the garden, Meixiang is the oldest panda born in the United States, and the cub born that day is also the first panda baby born in Washington in five years.
In addition, Meixiang is the first giant panda in the United States to give birth successfully after artificial insemination with frozen sperm, which is a "great achievement" in science.
Monfort said that Meixiang is "old" and the possibility of giving birth again is very low, but she still wants to give it another chance to contribute to the survival of the giant panda species.
The giant panda in the National Zoo is a household name in America. After Mei Xiang became pregnant this time, scientists and breeders observed it for five months.
About two weeks ago, ultrasound images showed non-uterine tissue, and it was not until last week that the fetus was confirmed to be found, and the garden immediately entered the state of delivery. The nationwide "Panda Powder" also pays attention to the live panda broadcast 24 hours a day, hoping to witness this exciting moment.
It is said that since last Friday, the number of people watching the panda live broadcast has soared by 1000%, which may be due to too many people watching, and the live broadcast website "crashed" several times, which made many people who were anxiously waiting for the birth of the panda baby also "collapsed".
Monfort said that the bandwidth of the garden website is limited, which can’t satisfy such a large number of enthusiastic fans. "I am worried that such a large amount of traffic will ruin the network."
The news that the National Zoo welcomed panda cubs quickly spread all over the United States. Major mainstream media made long reports, and netizens also shared their joy and sent blessings on social media.
Julie Pace, an Associated Press correspondent in Washington, said on social media, "This is the news we need in 2020!" There are other fans who hand-painted the portrait of Mei Xiang to celebrate.
Don Naif, the chief veterinarian of the park, said that the news that Meixiang gave birth during the COVID-19 epidemic was surprising.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, also sent his best wishes on social media, congratulating Mei Xiang and the National Zoo.
"Over the past 20 years, Mei Xiang and her children have been lovely witnesses of Sino-US cooperation and have constantly brought joy to the American people. This is a valuable gift at an unusual moment. " According to Xinhua News Agency