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Latest Panda News

Giant panda Mei Xiang holds her small cub in her arms. The cub has small visible claws and has started to get its black and white markings
Sep. 09, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 19
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. 
Giant panda Mei Xiang cradles her newborn cub Aug. 31, 2020.
Sep. 04, 2020
Top 10 Giant Panda Cub Cam Moments
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!
Mei Xiang eats sugar cane with her cub.
Sep. 03, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 13
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...
Giant panda Mei Xiang holds her 10-day-old cub in her forearms. The cub's tiny paws are peeking out.
Aug. 31, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 10
Our giant panda cub appears to be growing nicely! Over the weekend, the Panda Cam revealed a peek of its tiny paws compared to those of mother Mei Xiang. 
The bigger the giant panda cub gets, the more distinct its markings get. If you look closely, you can very clearly see black eye patches starting to come in.
Aug. 28, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 7
Last night, giant panda Mei Xiang gave us another peek at her precious cub! If you look closely, you can see its iconic black eye markings starting to appear.
Giant panda Mei Xiang briefly placed her cub on the ground in the early morning Aug. 27, 2020.
Aug. 27, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 6
Big news! Early this morning, our Panda Team observed giant panda Mei Xiang leave the den twice to get a drink of water at 4:27 a.m. and 5:59 a.m. Her brief reprieve offered Panda Cam viewers a look a... read more
Giant panda Mei Xiang and her cub, which was born Aug. 21, 2020.
Aug. 26, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 5
Last night around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang placed the cub on the floor of her den for just a few seconds, giving all of those watching the Panda Cam a fantastic view of her growing cub.
Giant Panda Mei Xiang holds her cub gently in her mouth as she readjusts her position.
Aug. 25, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 4
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: Giant panda Mei Xiang holds her cub born Aug. 21, 2020 between her paws to keep it warm.
Aug. 24, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 3
Mei Xiang, our 22-year-old giant panda, continues to be a devoted mother. Interestingly, she has found a new position to hold this cub.
Giant panda Mei Xiang cradles her newborn cub Aug. 22, 2020. The cub was born Aug. 21, 2020, at 6:35 p.m.
Aug. 23, 2020
#PandaStory: Cub Day 2
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
Giant Panda Mei Xiang rests with her tiny, newborn cub in her den at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Giant Panda House
Aug. 21, 2020
Giant Panda Cub Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at Smithsonian’s National Zoo today, Aug. 21 at 6:35 p.m.
An image of an ultrasound showing a giant panda fetus
Aug. 14, 2020
Veterinarians Find Fetal Tissue on Giant Panda Ultrasound
Veterinarians at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected tissue consistent with fetal development during Mei Xiang’s ultrasound this morning, Aug. 14.
Giant panda Mei Xiang at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.
Jul. 20, 2020
Giant Panda Update: From Bamboo Shoots to Training Chutes
Summer is in full swing at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat. Read the latest update on Mei Xiang and Tian Tian from Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas. 
Giant panda Mei Xiang eats a "rainbow" cake in honor of Pride 2020 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Asia Trail habitat.
Jul. 02, 2020
Bringing the Zoo To You: June 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
Red panda Asa eating a bamboo shoot at Asia Trail.
Jun. 05, 2020
Bringing the Zoo to You: May 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
Red panda Asa eating a bamboo shoot at Asia Trail.
May. 15, 2020
Melodious Munches: Pandas and Bamboo Shoots
It's bamboo shoot season, and the Zoo's giant pandas and red pandas are indulging in their favorite food! 
Mei Xiang
Mar. 23, 2020
Giant Panda Mei Xiang Is Artificially Inseminated at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang, March 22, at 9:45 a.m.  
Female giant panda Mei Xiang surveys her yard at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat.
Mar. 16, 2020
Celebrating National Panda Day
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.
Veterinarians looking at slides of panda blood at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Mar. 10, 2020
Learning More About Panda Health One Drop of Blood at a Time
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, obtaining a... read more
Giant panda Tian Tian plays in the snow.
Feb. 28, 2020
Your Go-to Guide for a Winter Day at the Zoo
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...
Giant panda, Mei Xiang, climbing a tree.
Jan. 14, 2020
Pandas Frolicking in Winter
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have been having some adventures around the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat!
Giant panda Bei Bei climbs a tree on the morning of his last day at the Smithsonian's National Zoo before leaving for China
Dec. 26, 2019
2019’s Conservation Stories Worth Celebrating (Part One)
As the year winds down, we’re reflecting on some of our biggest conservation success stories of 2019.
Bei Bei in his hammock at the Bifengxia Panda Base.
Nov. 27, 2019
Bei Bei Has Settled in at Bifengxia and the Panda Team is Back!
Bei Bei is settling in at his new home in China at the Bifengxia panda base. He did very well on the FedEx Panda Express and spent most of the 16-hour trip eating and sleeping.
a keeper feeds a giant panda bamboo in a crate
Nov. 19, 2019
Giant Panda Bei Bei Departs Smithsonian’s National Zoo for China
Bei Bei the 4-year-old giant panda, began his journey to China on Nov. 19, 2019.
Sept. 8, 2019: Giant panda cub Bei Bei at 2 weeks old.
Nov. 08, 2019
Snapshot: Bei Bei in Pictures
Giant panda Bei Bei knows how to work his angles! Check out some of our favorite snaps of this remarkably photogenic bear from the past four years.