Giant pandas at US Smithsonian's National Zoo all healthy, Chinese, US experts say

Wei said giant pandas are solitary animals and cubs generally separate from their mothers when they are between 18 months and two years old.

Xiao Qi Ji, according to the Chinese giant panda expert's judgement, has fully adapted to living on his own with the amount of activity and food consumption in line with his age.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to live at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, located in northwest Washington, D.C., in December 2000.

Brown-Palsgrove said it is "so exciting" to be part of the efforts to conserve giant pandas and "share this win together" with colleagues in China.

"It's so exciting to have a species that we feel like we're saving," Brown-Palsgrove said. "We've made such inroads in our conservation. The numbers have increased in the wild."

Giant pandas are loved by people across the world, Wei said, adding that it needs collaboration and partnerships to learn more about the species so as to better protect them.