Giant panda’s artificial insemination: National Zoo tweets procedure

Ready to go! #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/bBswnTQf

The microscope is set up, the pipettes are ready and the slides are prepped. A little more to do until we'll bring in Mei Xiang. #pandaAI

Here's Mei right now. Volunteers are watching her from our research station as we prepare. #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/5hHmOApC

There are 15-20 of the Zoo's scientists, animal keepers and vets in the room, waiting. Lots of equipment. #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/9PbIC3z5

Last night we couldn't get quality sample from Tian, so we used a frozen sample from 2005, the year Tai Shan was born! #pandaAI

Today we're using the same process using the "vintage" sperm. #pandaAI

Now we have to get Mei ready. #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/9Sfk5P1Q

Mei is wearing a blue mask to get anesthesia. The vets are monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure, too. #pandaAI

Dr. Desheng and Dr. Comizzoli are inserting a thin tube about 12 inches into Mei filled with sperm. #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/kRtzob5r

They use .25 mL straws of sperm. That's a total of 1.5 mL of sperm, or up to 800 million motile sperm in the sample! #pandaAI

Sperm frozen in 2005 from Tian Tian, our male giant panda, had good motility (lots of swimming). #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/Uq92D83d

One of our repro experts, Dr. Aiken-Palmer holds the next vial of 100,000 million sperm. "It only takes one!" http://pic.twitter.com/t4i0XLv4

They shifted the table and are positioning Mei's head lower than her pelvis. Gravity's important here. #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/khzSLzPc

Yesterday Mei and Tian Tian, our male panda, got to spend some time together—this is the only time of year they are put together. #pandaAI

When Mei and Tian are feeling the love, they bleat and chirp. This is one of the behavioral signals keepers track for breeding. #pandaAI

We're keeping Mei elevated for 10 minutes. We used 10 straws of sperm. #pandaAI

Female giant pandas can only breed during a short 24-72 hour window each year. #pandaAI

We've been monitoring Mei's hormones and watching the panda behavior for months now to determine the best time for an AI. #pandaAI

When I got the phone call that now's the time, I dropped everything to get to the Zoo, just like everyone else here! #pandaAI

This is the 8th year we've artificially inseminated Mei Xiang. #pandaAI

It's done! The keepers, vets and researchers had to move fast to carry her! But here they are! #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/QJVKVMXw

Mei did great and there's a sense of celebration and accomplishment in the air here! #pandaAI

Pandas experience delayed implantation, which means the embryo doesn't latch onto the uterine wall immediately. #pandaAI

Our vets will do ultrasounds, but because the cub would be so small, we wouldn't necessarily see it until one week before birth. #pandaAI

We'll know later this summer whether she's pregnant or if she experiences a pseudo, or fake, pregnancy. #pandaAI

And here's our slightly groggy, black-and-white rock star in recovery! #pandaAI http://pic.twitter.com/a1FAPJfh