ワシントン国立動物園でパンダの赤ちゃんが生まれました！！

メイシャンがついにママに！！

メイシャンは、このHPをつくるきっかけになったパンダさんです。

メイシャンとティエンティエンは、中国で出会い、
ともに海を渡ってワシントン動物園で暮らしていたんです。

その出会いが・・・すごくステキだったんです。
すごくすごく惹かれあってた２匹で。
だから、別れ別れにならずに
ずーっと一緒に居られてよかったなあって思ってたんです。

だけど、自然には受精しなかったみたいで、
今回は人工授精だったみたいなんだけど・・・。

でもでも、よかった！
メイシャン、おめでとう！

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20050710-00000650-reu-ent.view-000&


★ワシントン動物園の記事★より
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/

Panda Mating Season 2005 8212; July 9: Mei's a Mom!

Zoo veterinarian Suzan Murray watching the wonderful moments along with FONZ Panda Watchers.

Female Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub at 3:41 a.m. on July 9.
Mother and cub seem to be doing fine.
At a 9 a.m. briefing,
Head Veterinarian Suzan Murray and Assistant Curator Lisa Stevens reported
that the cub is active and loudly vocal,
and Mei is showing signs of being a great mother.
She picked up the cub within about two minutes of its birth
and has been cuddling and cradling it since then.
When mom dozes off, and the cub squeals,
she immediately wakes up and attends to it.

Volunteer watchers noticed signs of Mei Xiang going into labor,
including restlessness and panting,
about 1 a.m. Panda keeper Brenda Morgan was called in
and was here to see the birth on the video monitors

the only way anyone is seeing the new mom and her cub.
Suzan and Lisa arrived a few minutes later.

Animal care staff are adopting a hands-off approach
to keep the atmosphere for Mei and cub calm.
They will intervene only if the cub shows signs of distress
or Mei begins to ignore it.
At present, though, all indications are
that the cub is healthy and mother is attentive.
This hands-off approach means
we won't know the weight or sex of the cub for some time.


Lisa Stevens (right) and a FONZ volunteer
watching Mei Xiang caring for her cub, about 7:30 a.m. on July 9.

We'll post more details as we get them.

The indoor area of the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat is closed
for about three months to minimize disturbing Mei and her new cub. Visitors can see Tian Tian when he is outdoors, weather permitting.
During the hottest part of the day,
Tian often stays indoors in the air-conditioning,
so it's best to visit in the early morning.