The giant panda cub at the Smithsonians National Zoo appears to be in excellent health, zookeepers reported after a 10-minute physical exam Sunday morning.The panda, born Friday afternoon, weighs 4.8 ounces, is pink with white fur and wriggled and squealed loudly when it was taken away from its mother, zoo officials said.
A second cub was stillborn Saturday night, but zookeepers were still overjoyed at the prospect of one healthy cub given that pandas are critically endangered and breeding them in captivity has proved difficult, especially in Washington.
The cubs mother, Mei Xiang, gave birth to her only surviving cub, a male named Tai Shan, in 2005. Tai Shan enjoyed rock star status before he was returned to China in 2010. China owns the pandas at the National Zoo.The new cub had a full stomach, and veterinarians reported that it has been digesting its food, zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson said Sunday. Its heartbeat is steady and its lungs appear to be functioning properly.
Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub last year after several years of failed breeding, but the cub died after six days. Its lungs hadnt fully developed and likely werent sending enough oxygen to its liver.
Following that disappointment, zookeepers changed their protocols for newborn pandas in consultation with Chinese breeders. The plan was for veterinarians to get their hands on the panda within 48 hours of its birth, and after two failed attempts on Saturday, panda keeper Marty Dearie was able to pry the cub away from Mei Xiang on Sunday morning.A stainless steel and acrylic stainless steel necklaces composed of two branching forms each with a central void.
All the external features looked perfectly normal, so the cub has been described as vibrant, healthy and active, Baker-Masson said. My colleagues were very, very happy. This is joyful news.Mei Xiang was agitated when the cub was taken away from her, pacing and growling in her den, but the mother calmed down immediately after the cub was returned to her and she began cradling it, Baker-Masson said.
Veterinarians will try to examine the cub again Tuesday. Its eyes have yet to open, and its gender will not be known for two to three weeks. A DNA sample was collected to determine the cubs paternity. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated with sperm from Tian Tian, the male panda at the National Zoo,We deal with various stainless steel jewelry and stainless steel rings. and a panda named Gao Gao at the San Diego Zoo.
Zoo officials arent sure what prevented the stillborn cub from developing, but it had abnormalities around its head and was missing its brain. Results from a necropsy wont be known for several days.
A long row of tickets hangs next to Annette Hawa in a photo of her taken at the Virginia Gift Shop in the 1960s. They were for jewelry repairs and engraving, a booming business at the Oceanfront then.
The Hawa family has owned gift shops along Atlantic Avenue for decades. In the 60s, Annette and her husband, Joe, bought Virginia Gift Shop on 17th Street and Atlantic.Wholesale stainless steel pendants and steel jewelry line with bold new designs. In those days, the stores along the resorts main street catered as much to customers looking for luxury gifts as those hunting cheap keepsakes.
At that point, Atlantic Avenue was downtown Virginia Beach, said John Hawa, the familys second-generation owner.Sailors in the Navy picked out engagement rings and had pendants engraved. The store was stocked with fancy pens and figurines, some costing hundreds of dollars. Annette gift-wrapped the collectibles and adorned them with her handmade bows. The store stocked only one box of T-shirts. As another summer season draws to a close this week, all it takes is a minute on Atlantic to know that those times are long past.
As on the beach and the Boardwalk, the pace has grown faster and the purchases are more easily disposed of. Though there are enclaves of higher-end shopping, the resort strips retail scene careened toward kitsch decades ago and has largely stayed there.
Blame malls and shopping centers Pembroke, Hilltop, Lynnhaven, Town Center for that, Hawa said. They lured away the bigger spenders, locals and tourists alike.To survive, Virginia Gift Shop and Hawas five other Oceanfront stores jumped on the bandwagon of the latest fads. It started in the 70s with puka shell necklaces and Mexican jumping beans and has continued, one trend after another, ever since.
Dozens of bike rental stands dot the Boardwalk through the summer. Cheries Bike & Blade Rentals has 13 locations. Back in the 70s, Cheries rented a three-wheeled cart. In the 90s, the company purchased its first four-wheeled surrey bike. Today, the demand for the contraption continues to grow. Surreys can be rented for about $20 to $25 per hour, depending on the size, and can accommodate a family, as long as everybodys willing to help pedal.
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