National Zoo’s panda Mei Xiang gives birth to twins
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The Smithsonian National Zoo's Giant Panda Mei Xiang, mother of panda youngster Bao Bao who was born Aug. 23, 2013, sleeps in the indoor habitat at the zoo in Washington.
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WASHINGTON >> The National Zoo in Washington says its adult female panda has had twins.
The first cub was born Saturday at 11:35 a.m. HST and the zoo said on Twitter that a second was born at 4:07 p.m. The zoo has said both cubs appear healthy.
If the cubs survive, they would be the 17-year-old panda’s third and fourth surviving offspring.
Mei Xiang’s first cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and returned to China in 2010. Her second cub, Bao Bao, turns 2-years-old on Sunday and still lives at the zoo.
The zoo’s chief veterinarian Don Neiffer said earlier in the day after the first cub was born that a second cub was a possibility.
