Latest Panda News
Sep. 21, 2020
Our giant panda cub has reached a big milestone—today marks one month since its birth Aug. 21! Watching this little one grow under the care of its amazing mother, Mei Xiang, over the past four weeks h... read more
Sep. 18, 2020
It’s hard to believe that our giant panda cub is four weeks old! We are encouraged that the newborn appears to be growing well. This is a sign that it is getting good nutrition from mother Mei Xiang’s... read more
Sep. 14, 2020
Exciting news! When giant panda Mei Xiang left the den yesterday to eat some bamboo, the panda team was able to retrieve her 3-week-old cub for its first neonatal exam.
During the quick checkup, ke... read more
Sep. 09, 2020
Our giant panda cub is growing! As our newborn packs on the grams, it is becoming a bit easier to spot on the Panda Cam. Now that the cub’s markings have come in, we have a few weeks to go before the... read more
Sep. 04, 2020
As we celebrate the birth of our newest giant panda cub, take a look back at our top 10 favorite moments from the cub's first two weeks, as seen on the Panda Cam! Follow along on social media using th... read more
Sep. 03, 2020
Giant panda Mei Xiang continues to be a wonderful mother to her newborn. Last night, she gently set the cub down on the floor of their den and walked into her main indoor enclosure to drink some water... read more
Aug. 31, 2020
Over the weekend, giant panda Mei Xiang continued to take excellent care of her newborn cub. Although we have not yet had an opportunity to conduct an exam on the cub, we can tell from our observation... read more
Aug. 28, 2020
Last night around 5:40 p.m., giant panda Mei Xiang left her cub to drink some water. Once again, her brief departure gave us a good look at the week-old newborn on the Panda Cam. We were encouraged to... read more
Aug. 27, 2020
Big news! Last night, our Panda Team observed giant panda Mei Xiang approach the doorway of her den several times, “testing” her cub’s reaction to being placed on the floor. Then, early this morning,... read more
Aug. 26, 2020
Giant panda Mei Xiang continues to exhibit excellent maternal care and is attentive to her cub. Regular, loud cub vocalizations are signs of good health and music to the panda team’s ears! Last night... read more
Aug. 25, 2020
Giant panda Mei Xiang and her newborn cub continue to do well. As Mei Xiang shifts from a resting position (laying down) to a nursing position (sitting up) and vice-versa, she occasionally holds the c... read more
Aug. 24, 2020
Mei Xiang, our 22-year-old giant panda, continues to be a devoted mother. Our newborn cub has little fur and cannot regulate its own body temperature, so Mei Xiang cradles the cub to keep it warm. Int... read more
Aug. 23, 2020
Our panda team observed Mei Xiang and her cub overnight and were happy with the behaviors they saw. As expected, Mei Xiang is being an excellent and attentive mother. She has already established posit... read more
Aug. 21, 2020
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Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at Smithsonian’s National Zoo today, Aug. 21. Animal care staff witnessed the birth at 6:35 p.m. Mei Xiang pi... read more
Aug. 14, 2020
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Veterinarians at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected tissue consistent with fetal development during giant panda Mei Xiang’s (may-SHONG) ultrasound this morning, Aug. 14.... read more
Jul. 20, 2020
Summer is in full swing at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat, which means that Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have transitioned from eating the stalk (or culm) of the bamboo to only eating t... read more
Jul. 02, 2020
A family meal among prairie dogs, the soothing sounds of a cheetah’s purr and a Pride cake fit for a giant panda. As summer kicks off at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institu... read more
Jun. 05, 2020
Behold a brunch between a sloth and a golden lion tamarin, catch a close-up of newborn black-footed ferret kits and get a glimpse of giant pandas gorging themselves on bamboo shoots. All of these even... read more
May. 15, 2020
This is the sound of a giant panda eating his favorite meal.
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Mar. 23, 2020
A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang (m... read more
Mar. 16, 2020
Happy national panda day! Here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit, we are celebrating with giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, as well as our red panda pair, Asa and Jackie. We l... read more
Mar. 10, 2020
You may not like needles or giving blood when you go to the doctor’s office, but did you know that blood is an important diagnostic tool for veterinarians? When an animal is feeling sick, one of the v... read more
Feb. 28, 2020
Add a little sunshine to a gray winter day with a trip to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There’s still plenty to see from December through March. This guide will help you plan for a cold-weather visi... read more
Jan. 14, 2020
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have been having some adventures around the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat! Keepers have been utilizing the extra space in the giant panda habitats to switch ou... read more
Dec. 26, 2019
Saving species is what we strive to do every day here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. As the year winds down, we’re reflecting on some of our biggest conservation... read more