Panda cub a capital joy Pandamonium: Mei Xiang gives birth to her cub. A giant panda gave birth to a cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington on Friday evening. Mei Xiang was under watch when her waters broke on Friday afternoon, and zoo officials said labour could go into the night, but a short time later the birth was announced. The giant black-and-white pandas have become a favourite in the US capital. The pandas have their own webcam and web page, and their image adorns Washington's metro transit cards. "I'm glued to the new panda-cams and thrilled to hear the squeals, which appear healthy, of our newborn cub," zoo director Dennis Kelly said. Our expansive panda team has worked tirelessly analysing hormones and behaviour since March, and as a result of their expertise and our collaboration with scientists from around the world, we are celebrating this birth. This is the third cub born at the zoo to Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. The first was sent to China in 2010. The second died six days after its birth last year. Shortly after Friday's birth, the zoo tweeted: "Mei Xiang picked the cub up immediately to begin cradling and caring for it."