Female giant panda Mei Xiang celebrates 24th birthday at U.S. zoo

WASHINGTON, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Female giant panda Mei Xiang celebrated her 24th birthday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo here on Friday.

The zoo's nutritionists prepared her a panda-friendly cake made of diluted apple juice, leaf eater biscuits, bananas, apples, and pears.

Mei Xiang's male cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will turn two years old on Aug. 21. Tian Tian, the cub's biological father, will mark his 25th birthday the same week.

Giant pandas have been living in the Smithsonian's National Zoo since 1972. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian came to the U.S. capital in December 2000.