Drum roll, please ...

At last, the newest panda cub to be born at the San Diego Zoo ...

Bai Yun, proud and prolific mother of NEW CUB at the San Diego Zoo.

Photo by Matthew Field (GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0) / Wikimedia Commons

... has a name!

No longer known as simply "little sausage," the pudgy, prosperous panda is now known as 

"Little Gift,"

or Xiao Liwu, in his native Chinese tongue.
 
After receiving thousands of suggestions from panda fans, the zoo narrowed the selection down to six choices, which were put to a popular vote. 

Xiao Liwu officially received his name at a zoo ceremony yesterday morning. 

Learn more about the San Diego Zoo's successful panda breeding program HERE.  

Grow, Baby, Grow!

The giant panda cub that was born at the San Diego Zoo in July is pushing five pounds! Considering the many unsuccessful attempts that have been made to breed pandas in captivity, every pound this little one gains is cause for celebration. 

Week-old panda cub at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Photo by Colegota and post-processed with The GIMP [CC-BY-SA-2.5-es] / Wikimedia Commons

It sounds like his momma, Bai Yun, is doing a beautiful job caring for her cub. Let's hear it for maternal instinct! According to zoo officials, she has even started taking the little fellow out of the den when she needs a bite of bamboo.

This pint-sized panda epitomizes the value of captive breeding, which has been responsible for saving endangered animals from extinction and reintroducing many species to the wild.

Keep your ears open in November when the cub's name will be revealed. The zoo is waiting until he reaches 100 days old in keeping with Chinese tradition.