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305:: spending more time in her den, sleeping more, cradling objects, and licking her body. She went on to give birth to two live male giant panda cubs, both fathered by Tian Tian. She gave birth to the first live cub at 5:35pm on August 22, 2015, and delivered the second, larger cub later that night at 10:07 PM On August 26, 2015, the National Zoo announced that the smaller of the two cubs had died. The surviving cub was, like Bao Bao, a high-profile birth for the zoo. On September 25, 2015, the cub was officially named
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269:, in which she acted pregnant but was not. Another cub was born on the night of September 16, 2012, and was a surprise to zookeepers. As of September 17, zoo officials did not know the sex of the cub. The cub, whom officials believed to have been a female, was found deceased on September 23, 2012, after Mei Xiang expressed distressed, honking-like sounds. Initial findings from the
324:, Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated using only frozen sperm to avoid too much close contact. In August 2020, the National Zoo announced that Mei Xiang was pregnant. A few days after announcing that they had detected fetal tissue, the zoo tweeted a short video of an ultrasound showing a panda fetus. On August 21, Mei Xiang gave birth to a live male cub who was later named
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On March 30, 2013, veterinarians at the
National Zoo artificially inseminated Mei Xiang after natural breeding failed to occur. At approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on August 23, 2013, it was announced that Mei Xiang had given birth to her third cub. Mei Xiang gave birth again the following
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Giant pandas are thought to be solitary creatures, except for mating season and mothers with young cubs. In keeping with the habits of wild pandas, Mei is generally alone, although Mei and Tian are occasionally together outside of breeding season. Tian and Mei are trained to participate in a full
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tissue. The liver was also hard in places. The cub's death was determined to be the result of insufficient oxygen to the liver. This was because the lungs were not fully developed, and consequently, the lungs were unable to pick up oxygen for the
258:, a male, was born July 9, 2005. He was the first panda cub to be born at the zoo and live for more than a few days. He lived at the zoo until February 4, 2010, when he moved to China, as per an agreement between the United States and China.
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Province; she weighs about 230 pounds. Her mother was Xue Xue and her father was Lin Nan; both parents were wild pandas. She and Tian Tian, a male, are the
National Zoo's second pair of giant pandas.
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ruled out the possibility that it could have been crushed by Mei Xiang. However, it showed fluid in the giant panda cub's abdomen (which is usually abnormal), and some discoloration of some of the
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328:(English: Little Miracle), making her the oldest panda in the United States to give birth, at 22 years old. This meant the first success for this type of procedure.
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294:("treasure", colloquially meaning "baby") when she turned 100 days old. She lived at the zoo until February 21, 2017, when she moved to China.
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On
November 8, 2023, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji left the National Zoo and returned to a panda reserve in Chengdu, China.
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twice in April 2012 with Tian Tian's sperm. Zoo officials estimated her chances of pregnancy at 10% after she had previously had five
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Mei Xiang and Tai Shan outside in the snow at the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. in February 2006.
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Mei Xiang outside in the snow at the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. in February 2010.
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Mei Xiang munching on bamboo at the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. in November 2017.
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Mei Xiang was born on July 22, 1998, at the China
Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in
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Mei Xiang outside at the
Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. in June 2014.
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190:. Four of her cubs have survived to adulthood. Mei Xiang's most recent cub is a male, named
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cub, a female. The surviving cub was later revealed to also be female. She was later named
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In August 2015, veterinarians found what was believed to be a giant panda fetus on an
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627:"Baby Panda Seen "Kicking and Swimming" on Mei Xiang's Ultrasound, National Zoo Says"
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Mei Xiang has given birth to seven cubs, all at the
National Zoo and fathered by
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of China. He lived at the zoo until
November 19, 2019, when he moved to China.
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676:"National Zoo welcomes panda cub, an unexpected arrival from aging Mei Xiang"
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556:"National Zoo's surviving panda cub is a boy – and he is growing up quickly"
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309:, which means "precious, treasure." The name was chosen by First Ladies
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medical examination, including a blood draw, without anesthesia.
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In March 2020, shortly after the National Zoo closed due to the
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538:"Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute"
465:"Giant panda artificially inseminated at U.S. National Zoo"
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China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
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Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian National Zoo in August 2021.
422:"Female panda cub died of insufficient oxygen to liver"
651:"Giant Panda Cub Born at Smithsonian's National Zoo"
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603:"'The whole world celebrates' birth of panda cub"
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380:"Cub is born to National Zoo's giant panda"
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520:"National Zoo panda cub healthy, vibrant"
254:Mei Xiang has given birth to seven cubs.
1034:National Zoological Park (United States)
439:Ruane, Michael E. (17 September 2012).
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286:night, Saturday, August 24, 2013, to a
378:DiMargo, Carissa (17 September 2012).
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7:
172:"beautiful fragrance") is a female
441:"National Zoo welcomes baby panda"
14:
487:"Breaking: MEI XIANG IS IN LABOR"
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999:
704:Giant Pandas at the National Zoo
495:. 23 August 2013. Archived from
518:Nuckols, Ben (25 August 2013).
682:. Associated Press. 2020-08-21
574:"2015 Panda Updates August 23"
463:Sutton, Jane (30 March 2013).
349:"Meet Mei Xiang and Tian Tian"
1:
753:Giant pandas around the world
601:Khalil, Ashraf (2020-08-23).
404:"National Zoo Panda Cub Dies"
194:, born on August 21, 2020.
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655:Smithsonian's National Zoo
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844:Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing
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313:of the United States and
282:to deliver to the liver.
146:230 lb (104 kg)
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263:artificially inseminated
1024:Individual giant pandas
1005:Individual giant pandas
934:Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan
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48:Ailuropoda melanoleuca
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299:obstetric ultrasound
964:Wang Wang and Fu Ni
740:Famous giant pandas
608:News & Observer
446:The Washington Post
428:. October 11, 2012.
154:Beautiful fragrance
115:Xue Xue and Lin Nan
92:Government of China
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1029:1998 animal births
904:Su Lin (born 2005)
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169:[mèiɕjɑ́ŋ]
16:Female giant panda
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322:COVID-19 pandemic
267:false pregnancies
176:who lived at the
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359:on 3 June 2010
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78:July 22, 1998
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657:. 2020-08-21
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578:the original
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408:NBC New York
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363:17 September
361:. Retrieved
357:the original
353:National Zoo
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315:Peng Liyuang
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178:National Zoo
164:
163:(Chinese 美香
160:
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102:National Zoo
46:
944:Xiang Xiang
924:Tian Tian ♂
919:Tian Tian ♀
492:Smithsonian
174:giant panda
151:Named after
43:Giant panda
1018:Categories
954:Xiao Qi Ji
869:Meng Xiang
686:2020-08-22
661:2020-08-22
636:2020-08-18
584:2015-08-29
335:References
326:Xiao Qi Ji
218:Motherhood
198:Background
192:Xiao Qi Ji
137:Xiao Qi Ji
74:1998-07-22
989:Zhen Zhen
969:Yang Yang
949:Xiao Liwu
879:Ming Ming
874:Meng Yuan
864:Mei Xiang
859:Mei Sheng
839:Ling Ling
819:Kang Kang
524:USA Today
503:23 August
467:. Reuters
426:USA TODAY
288:stillborn
188:Tian Tian
165:Měi Xiāng
161:Mei Xiang
120:Offspring
112:Parent(s)
98:Residence
20:Mei Xiang
979:Yuan Zai
909:Tai Shan
829:Lin Bing
542:Facebook
471:30 March
385:NBC News
271:necropsy
256:Tai Shan
125:Tai Shan
974:You You
959:Xin Xin
894:Shi Shi
889:Pan Dee
884:Pan Dah
854:Mei Lan
849:Lun Lun
834:Lin Hui
824:Lan Lan
814:Jia Jia
809:Hua Mei
799:Gao Gao
789:Chi Chi
779:Bei Bei
774:Bao Bao
769:Bai Yun
307:Bei Bei
292:Bao Bao
208:Sichuan
133:Bei Bei
129:Bao Bao
38:Species
984:Yun Zi
939:Xi Lan
914:Taotao
204:Wolong
143:Weight
135:, and
59:Female
929:Tohui
804:Gu Gu
764:An An
275:liver
88:Owner
784:Basi
505:2013
473:2013
365:2012
64:Born
180:in
104:in
56:Sex
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