Giant Panda Update: Cub's First Steps!

The panda cub is taking small steps! Over the weekend and yesterday cam watchers may have noticed that she has been able to get her hind legs underneath her and stand up. She hasn't gotten very far yet though, she's only takes a few steps before sitting back down and crawling. On Sunday she almost walked out of the den all by herself. She stood in the doorway of the den trying to get her hind legs underneath her and walk, but she tired herself out and took a nap in the doorway instead.

As the cub becomes increasing more mobile, Mei Xiang has started to take her out of the den for short forays into the indoor enclosures. On Saturday she took the cub out of the den and put her on the floor of the larger indoor enclosure while she got a drink.

Keepers weighed the cub quickly again this morning - and she now weighs 10.34 pounds (4.7 kilos).

Don't forget to cast your vote to name our giant panda cub! More than 99,000 people have voted so far! The poll is open until November 22. On December 1, when the cub is 100 days old, we will announce the winning name.