National Zoo's latest PandaCam shows Mei Xiang care for baby panda in reminder there is joy in this world

article

Mei Xiang cares for panda cub in latest PandaCam. (National Zoo)

WASHINGTON - It may be a holiday weekend, but the National Zoo's super panda mom Mei Xiang is still hard at work caring for her newborn.

The Zoo on Saturday shared a new clip of Mei Xiang and the still unnamed cub, who was born late last month:

“We can tell the cub is doing well from its vocalizations and the mother’s behavior,” Deputy Director Brandie Smith, a former curator of the zoo’s giant pandas, told FOX 5 in August.

Zoo staff remain ready to intervene if something seems wrong, but Smith said Mei Xiang, who has reared three cubs to adulthood, “knows exactly what she is doing.”

Zoo officials said Mei Xiang has started leaving her den to drink, in a positive sign that the cub can stay warm on its own for short periods.