Newborn Panda Cub at National Zoo is Nursing Well, has Healthy Set of Lungs [VIDEO]

Zookeepers and veterinarians at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. have been busy taking care of the their giant panda Mei Xiang and her newborn cub.

All week long on their panda blog, the National Zoo has been making updates about the panda pair. Today they released a video of Mei Xiang after she apparently put the cub down for the first time.

Like most mothers, pandas are very protective of their offspring, and since pandas give birth to some of the most premature babies in the animal kingdom, the mother bears are extra attentive to their young, hardly ever putting them down. This is great for the pair's bonding, but it prevents panda keepers at the zoo from ascertaining the health of the newborn cub.

In the few moments Mei Xiang put the cub on the ground, zookeepers were able to assess that it has been nursing well based on the shape of the cub's belly. The cub's lungs also appear to be very healthy, as evidenced by the wailing squawks the cub makes when it is out of its mother's grasp.

"Keepers and veterinarians continue to monitor the mother and cub visually and, so as not to upset Mei or endanger the staff, will allow Mei Xiang's behaviors to direct how they access the cub," the Zoo write on its blog, adding that "all visual and audible indications tell us that both are doing well."

Throughout the week keepers have tried to feed Mei Xiang and keep her hydrated, but as is typical to nursing pandas, she did not have much interest in eating. Wednesday zookeepers were able to entice her with some apple juice, but she did not put the cub down the entire time she was drinking.

Despite repeated attempts, zookeepers have yet to get their hands on the panda cub for a second health evaluation. The cub's first came on Sunday, two days after it was born. The blind, immobile cub appears healthy, but its gender will remain unknown for several weeks.