Washington’s 22-year-old female panda, Mei Xiang, has given birth to a cub, Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced Friday evening. The cub, whose sex is yet unknown, was born at 6:35 p.m., and the zoo says she’s caring for it attentively. It may be several days before keepers can retrieve the cub to perform a neonatal exam. In the meantime, they'll be monitoring the mother and baby 24/7. (You can watch Mei Xiang and her cub on the zoo’s panda cams.)

“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and with the birth of this precious cub we are thrilled to offer the world a much-needed moment of pure joy,” said Steve Monfort, the zoo’s director, in