Her pregnancy escaped notice until just a few days ago, but by Saturday afternoon Mei Xiang, a giant panda at the National Zoo, was showing signs that birth was imminent.
So many online fans crowded to the panda-cam to watch the intimate event that they crashed the live video.
For those watching live, the tension was building. Mei Xiang was restless, having contractions, licking her body and staying in her den -- all behaviors consistent with a baby on the way, the zoo said in a post on its Facebook page.
As the IT division worked to restore the live video, the experts tended to the expectant mother, whose water broke in the late afternoon.