14 DAY TRIAL // Staff at Smithsonian's National Zoo has been courteous enough to release pictures of the baby panda born at this facility this past August 23.
The one above was posted on the Zoo's official website only yesterday. As one can easily notice, the cub is incredibly small, and completely white. Some might even mistake it for a rat.
“This morning, the panda team was able to give the cub its first neonatal exam. The cub is robust, fully formed, and is a bright, healthy shade of pink. It weighs 137 grams, which is about 4.8 ounces.”
“Its heart rate is steady, and vets were able to hear breathing sounds from both lungs. It's belly was nice and full, its mouth was normal, and it was obvious that the cub is both nursing and digesting. All signs are that we have a very healthy, active, vibrant cub,” the Zoo said in a statement.
Veterinarians expect to figure out whether the panda cub is a boy or a girl in two – three weeks' time. They also hope to determine who its father is.
According to staff at the National Zoo, this panda cub was supposed to have a twin brother. Unfortunately, the latter was stillborn.
Veterinarians who have had the chance to examine its body say that it had several abnormalities, and that it passed away while it was still inside its mother's womb.