A giant panda at a US zoo has given birth to her third cub.

 

　　15-year-old Mei Xiang is based at Washington's Smithsonian's National Zoo.

 

　　Dr. Suzan Murray is the chief veterinarian in the zoo.

 

　　"Mei Xiang seems to be doing very well as does her cub. The cub is making a lot of noises, squealing a lot. And again Mei Xiang is being a poster child for a great panda mom. She is holding the cub and cradling it and so at this point everything looks great and we're very pleased."

 

　　Zoo keepers and veterinarians will examine the cub within the next 48 hours.

 

　　A Chinese panda expert performed artificial inseminations on Mei Xiang in March after she failed to breed naturally with male panda Tian Tian.

 

　　Mei Xiang had previously given birth to two cubs, one in 2005 and a cub which died while a week old last September.

 

　　Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species.

 

　　There are about 1,600 known to be living in the wild and some 300 in captivity, mostly in China.