The National Zoo's panda cub is walking!
...Well, almost.
Keepers say that over the weekend, the nearly three-month-old cub was able to get her hind legs underneath her, stand up and take a few steps. However, she hasn't gotten very far yet -- and in at least one case, she tired herself out so much that she had to stop and take a (probably adorable) nap.
On Sunday, she was almost able to walk out of the den by herself, standing in the doorway and trying to get her hind legs in the right place -- "but she tired herself out and took a nap in the doorway instead," keepers said Tuesday.
A video shows not a whole lot of actual walking, but plenty of squirming and wiggling.
Now that the cub is getting more mobile, mama Mei Xiang has started bringing her out of the den for short treks into the indoor enclosures. "On Saturday she took the cub out of the den and put her on the floor of the larger indoor enclosure while she got a drink," keepers said.
The cub, nearly three months old, now tips the scales at 10.34 pounds.
An online poll to select her name will close Nov. 22. More than 99,000 have voted so far, the zoo said. She will be named in a ceremony Dec. 1, on her 100th day of life.
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