Daniela Berson
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) The smaller of two panda cubs born at the National Zoo this week is spending more time with zookeepers than with its own mother.
The National Zoo is trying to get Mei Xiang to bond with both cubs by allowing her to hold one cub at a time and switching them out on a regular basis.
But Mei Xiang is clinging to the larger cub, and she’s very reluctant to let it go.
While the larger cub is doing well under its mother’s care, its smaller sibling is under constant care and supervision by panda biologists and zoo staff.
Without its mother the smaller cub is losing weight and has even spit up its formula, though it is still considered to be in stable condition.
Pandas are known to pick one cub over another when they give birth to twins.
Veterinarians are feeding the smaller cub by hand and providing antibiotics to prevent respiratory distress.
On average, newborn pandas are 700 times smaller than their mothers at birth.
The larger of the two cubs is nearly 800 times smaller that its mother while the other cub is more than 1,000 times smaller.
The first week is critical to panda development and zoo staff are trying to encourage interaction between Mei Xiang and both of her cubs.
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: National Zoo)
