Panda Cub Dies At National Zoo After Six-Hour Effort To Save Its Life
Sad news from Smithsonian’s National Zoo–one of the twin panda cubs, born to mom Mei Xiang, has died. According to a statement from the zoo, the panda cub died around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The panda cub was smaller than its twin, weighing in at 3 oz. at birth, while its twin weighed 4.8 oz. The panda cubs were born hours apart on Saturday to 17-year-old Mei Xiang.
#Panda Twins: Mei Xiang gave birth to 2nd cub at 10:07pm #PandaStory @NationalZoo http://t.co/0SGcF0rBeg pic.twitter.com/Y8opOEnftC
— ABC7News (@ABC7News) August 23, 2015
On the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Facebook page, staff employees gave an update before the panda cub died. Mei Xiang didn’t seem to care for the smaller cub as much as she did the larger cub.
“Mei Xiang has not been a willing participant in the panda team’s efforts to switch the cubs since 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon… The panda team is caring for the smaller cub and will continue efforts to swap the cubs about every four hours. However, because the smaller cub has been away from Mei, the panda team is now managing it more intensely.”
Though the cub had spent the night with its mom, Wednesday morning zoo keepers noticed the panda cub was lethargic and seemed to have difficulty breathing, the Washington Post reported. Around 7:15 a.m., efforts were made to save the cub’s life. Veterinarians gave the cub oxygen, CPR, and attempted to resuscitate it with drugs. USA Today reported the panda cub eventually went into cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived.
“Despite extreme efforts on the part of our dedicated staff, we weren’t able to change things,” Don Neiffer, the zoo’s chief veterinarian said. “We kept going, and we kept listening, and then at 2:05, I said, ‘Sorry, guys, we’re done.’ ”
Neiffer said the panda cub’s death was “very quick.”
Twin births among pandas, especially those living in captivity, are very rare. The birth of Mei Xiang’s twins marked only the third time panda cub twins were born in a U.S. zoo and had those who work at the National Zoo overjoyed.
Brandie Smith, the zoo’s associate director for animal care sciences, said Wednesday, “We were so incredibly hopeful. When we realized the cub wasn’t going to make it, it was devastating.”
The sex of the panda cub, however, was never determined. This is the third time in three years Mei Xiang has lost one of her cubs.
The zoo remains hopeful about the survival of the remaining panda cub.
Neiffer later added, “We have one healthy panda and we remain optimistic about that panda’s future.”
Neiffer and Smith said while this is a devastating situation, there’s opportunity to learn “exponentially” from the panda cub’s tragic death.
[Image via Facebook]
