Zoo's new panda cuba star on the Internet

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Officials at the National Zoo yesterday began broadcasting over the Internet live images of the healthy giant panda cub born early Saturday morning to Mei Xiang.

Zoo officials are using a "Pandacam" to monitor the health of the mother and cub. Images taken by the Web camera can be found at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/.

Officials said they will not interrupt the mother and cub for at least three weeks unless an emergency occurs. Visitors will have to wait at least three months to see the cub in person.

The first few weeks of life are especially important for mother and cub bonding, making it critical to cease all human contact, said John Gibbons, a zoo spokesman.

"As with most newborn animals, the first few days and weeks of life are very critical from a health and relationship standpoint," Mr. Gibbons said yesterday. "You have to remember that the mother bear weighs about 240 pounds and is nursing and caring for a baby that weighs 3 to 5 ounces. Here's a panda bear that has arms and claws that are for breaking bamboo cradling this tiny creature. She's doing very well for a first-time mother."

The mother and cub seem to be bonding and doing well healthwise so far, Mr. Gibbons said.

"Right now, Mei Xiang is the model mother, spending most of her time cradling and nursing the cub and resting, and the cub is the model cub, doing everything a 2-day-old cub should be doing with a lot of squeaking and squawking -- a usual fussy newborn," he said.

The cub is about the size of a stick of butter, officials said.

The inside portion of the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat will remain closed during the bonding period. The outside portion -- which Tian Tian, the cub's father and the zoo's only male giant panda -- has access to, will remain open to the public.

The five previous giant panda cubs born at the zoo since 1983 died within days.

Although the new cub appears to be healthy now, zoo officials cannot be sure that it will not develop a life-threatening infection over the coming weeks, Mr. Gibbons said.

"It's a day-by-day thing of evaluating its progress," he said. "The fact that it's moving a lot and vocalizing a lot and doing well now is a good sign."

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to the zoo in late 2000 on loan for 10 years from the Chinese government in exchange for $10 million for conservation projects.