Panda cub born amid COVID-19 pandemic in Washington's zoo, greets public first time

The panda cub named, Xiao Qi Ji, born in Smithsonian's National Zoo amid the COVID-19 pandemic greeted visitors in person for the first time as the zoo in Washington reopened with all the necessary guidelines. Xiao Qi Ji was born on August 21, 2020, and its name means “little miracle.” The cub’s parents are Tian Tian and Mei Xiang who birthed the cub at the age of 22. 

While the news was announced just weeks after the zoo was shut down due to a pandemic, Xiao met with the public for the first time when it opened on May 20, this year with admitting at least 5,000-6,000 visitors each day. Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, there were as many as 20,000 visitors each day. The Smithsonian first shut down all its facilities in mid-March 2020. Hence, the only way to the panda cub’s life was through zoo’s popular ‘panda cam.’

‘Playful panda cub in a crate’

Most recently, in an update about Xiao’s life at the zoo, the official Instagram account of the facility posted an adorable video of “playful panda cub in a crate” wishing a happy weekend to its followers. The caption further added, “Enrichment toys like this milk crate encourage giant panda Mei Xiang and her cub, Xiao Qi Ji, to keep physically active and mentally sharp through play and exploration.” Earlier on May 14, the official site explained that “giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji will soon learn a few husbandry behaviours that enable him to voluntarily participate in his own healthcare.”

On May 9, Xiao and its mother Mei climbed a tree and sat near the base, the zoo revealed as more and more people appeared to be interested in panda cub’s day-to-day life. Eve the latest video on Instagram about Xiao received at least 154,122 views and hundreds of comments. Netizens either said, “Love this” or “obsessed” or simply posted hearts in the commented section.

IMAGE: AP/@smithsonianzoo/Instagram