Birth of new giant panda cub at National Zoo 'moment of pure joy' amid pandemic

The birth of a giant panda cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has reignited worldwide panda-mania, providing a much needed “moment of pure joy” amid a nearly six-month-long pandemic.

“I’m pretty sure we broke the Internet last night,” zoo Director Steve Monfort said Saturday morning, after the cub’s birth at 6:35 p.m Friday.

The Washington, D.C., zoo’s Panda Cam has been crashing since mother Mei Xiang’s pregnancy was announced earlier this week.

Zoo officials said they had a hard time getting into their own livestream, and they’re now working to boost their capabilities. They also said traffic on the zoo’s livestream spiked 1,200 percent over the past week, according to the Associated Press..

“When we have a giant panda baby, the whole world celebrates, said Brandie Smith, the zoo’s deputy director.

 The worldwide interest and celebration is reminiscent of the birth of giant panda cub Tai Shan in July 2005 at the zoo. Tai Shan's popular name became “Butterstick,” after zoo officials revealed the cub at birth was the size of a butter stick. 

He was the first panda cub born at the National Zoo to survive for more than a few days. The birth garnered international headlines. And free tickets for a first-glimpse of the cub months later were gone within two hours. Tai Shan was to return to China two years after he was born, as part of an agreement with China .

Smith said the cub born Friday is “doing well” and that Mei Xiang, who birthed Tai Shan, “knows exactly what she is doing.”

“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and with the birth of this precious cub we are thrilled to offer the world a much-needed moment of pure joy,” Monfort also said.

Mei Xiang has also given birth to two other surviving offspring besides Tai Shan – Bao Bao and Bei Bei, who were also returned to China.

Mei Xiang, the oldest giant panda to successfully give birth in the United States. She gave birth in a small den, where she created a nest out of branches. Although the place looks tiny for a big panda, the zoo said giant pandas in the wild give birth in small dens, according to the wire service.

“We need this! We totally need this joy,” zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson said when the pregnancy was confirmed. “We are all in desperate need of these feel-goods.”