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Caption: Keeper Shellie Pick cares for the smaller panda cub in an incubator overnight at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, Aug. 24. Here she is weighing the cub, stimulating it to go to the bathroom, and taking its temperature.
Photo Credit: Heather Roberts, Smithsonian's National Zoo
Mei Xiang has not been a willing participant in the panda teamâs efforts to switch the cubs since 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon. She has the larger cub in her possession. The panda team is caring for the smaller cub and will continue efforts to swap the cubs about every four hours. However, because the smaller cub has been away from Mei, the panda team is now managing it more intensely. The little cubâs behaviors are good. The team is concerned about its fluctuating weight since the cub is now more than 48 hours old. The most important thing for the panda team is to help the cub get enough fluids and nutrients. To accomplish this, they are bottle and tube feeding the cub. The cub has shown some signs of regurgitation which can lead to aspiration in such a tiny creature. To be prudent, the veterinarians are administering antibiotics to prevent possible infection. Itâs very important to keep the cub hydrated so they are alternating an infant electrolyte solution with formula and administering fluids under the skin. The cub is urinating and defecating well. The veterinarians have not seen any sign of respiratory distress.
Our observations of the larger cub from yesterday indicate it is doing well and weâre confident Mei Xiang is taking very good care of it. We remain in a high-risk period.
Weâve received a lot of questions about the tiny size of the panda cubs. Bear cubs have the smallest infant-to-mother size ratio of any placental mammal at approx. 1 to 700. Mei Xiang currently weighs about 238 pounds. One of the cubs weighed 86 grams at birth, a 1 to 1,256 ratio of cub to mom. The larger cub weighed 138 grams at birth, a 1 to 783 ratio of cub to mom.
Asia Trail keepers (who successfully hand-reared a sloth bear named Remi last year), additional veterinarian staff and a panda keeper from Zoo Atlanta have been well integrated into the panda team. The entire Zoo community appreciates the outpouring of well-wishes from around the world.
Follow #PandaStory on Instagram (@SmithsonianZoo) and Twitter (@NationalZoo) for the latest updates. If the giant panda cam cannot connect due to high-demand, download the Zoo's app (App Store or Google Play) to get access to all of the Zooâs animal cams.
Caption: Keeper Shellie Pick cares for the smaller panda cub in an incubator overnight at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, Aug. 24. Here she is weighing the cub, stimulating it to go to the bathroom, and taking its temperature.
Photo Credit: Heather Roberts, Smithsonian's National Zoo
Mei Xiang has not been a willing participant in the panda teamâs efforts to switch the cubs since 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon. She has the larger cub in her possession. The panda team is caring for the smaller cub and will continue efforts to swap the cubs about every four hours. However, because the smaller cub has been away from Mei, the panda team is now managing it more intensely. The little cubâs behaviors are good. The team is concerned about its fluctuating weight since the cub is now more than 48 hours old. The most important thing for the panda team is to help the cub get enough fluids and nutrients. To accomplish this, they are bottle and tube feeding the cub. The cub has shown some signs of regurgitation which can lead to aspiration in such a tiny creature. To be prudent, the veterinarians are administering antibiotics to prevent possible infection. Itâs very important to keep the cub hydrated so they are alternating an infant electrolyte solution with formula and administering fluids under the skin. The cub is urinating and defecating well. The veterinarians have not seen any sign of respiratory distress.
Our observations of the larger cub from yesterday indicate it is doing well and weâre confident Mei Xiang is taking very good care of it. We remain in a high-risk period.
Weâve received a lot of questions about the tiny size of the panda cubs. Bear cubs have the smallest infant-to-mother size ratio of any placental mammal at approx. 1 to 700. Mei Xiang currently weighs about 238 pounds. One of the cubs weighed 86 grams at birth, a 1 to 1,256 ratio of cub to mom. The larger cub weighed 138 grams at birth, a 1 to 783 ratio of cub to mom.
Asia Trail keepers (who successfully hand-reared a sloth bear named Remi last year), additional veterinarian staff and a panda keeper from Zoo Atlanta have been well integrated into the panda team. The entire Zoo community appreciates the outpouring of well-wishes from around the world.
Follow #PandaStory on Instagram (@SmithsonianZoo) and Twitter (@NationalZoo) for the latest updates. If the giant panda cam cannot connect due to high-demand, download the Zoo's app (App Store or Google Play) to get access to all of the Zooâs animal cams.
Elephants at the Smithsonian's National Zoo I love how these gentle giants are leaders with a playful cheeky side! They develop strong friendships and take care of one another. We should all emulate these amazing qualities and be like the elephants! đ
Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
Nikon D90, Nikkor 80mm-200mm f/2.8 AF-D, Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
"Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to the animals, for they are without sin, while you, with all your greatness, you defile the earth wherever you appear and leave an ignoble trail behind you -- and that is true, alas, for almost every one of us!" ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
When we pick up with our contestants the battle has already started. ~~ Attribution: Smithsonianâs National Zoo