National Zoo's Newborn Panda Cub Missed its First Check-up, Mom Wouldn't Let Go

Mei Xiang, the giant panda and new mother at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., is so attached to her newborn cub that zookeepers were unable to take it away from her to perform routine tests, The Associated Press reported Saturday night.

The zoo's team of panda caretakers will have to wait at least one more day to take a close look at the newborn cub; they plan to attempt to get a hold of the cub again Sunday. In addition to Mei Xiang being typically protective of her new cub, getting it away from her in its infancy is also a challenge because of the cub's size - it could fit well within the palm of an adult's hand.

The procedure -- called "the grab" -- whereby the cub is in quickly taken from the grasp of its mother for a brief-but-critical medical exam, was attempted twice on Saturday, the Washington Post reported. The zookeepers and veterinarians at the National Zoo had never attempted the grab before.

In an attempt to distract Mei Xiang, zookeepers used pears, honey and sugar cane, but it was not enough to lure Mei Xiang away from the her cub. The Post said the giant panda sniffed briefly at the pear but stayed focused on the cub, which she kept cradled under her chin.

Panda keeper Marty Dearie, who was on the grab team, told the Post the cub was "not in a position where we feel safe to grab it."

"There always is a danger when you're around an animal that weighs 240-some-odd pounds and has a jaw that can break a piece of bamboo," he said. "She is an animal that can cause damage if she needs to."

The cub, which was born August 23 at about 5:32 p.m EST, is the third for Mei Xiang. Her first cub, Tai Shan, was born July 9, 2005 and now lives at the Panda Base in BiFengxia in Ya'an, China. Mei Xiang's second cub was born on September 16, 2012, but died from liver complications just days after birth.

The zoo's Curator of Mammals said zookeepers are "cautiously optimistic" about the new cub's health.

The National Zoo has two webcams established for people to peek in on the mom and its newborn.