Baby panda dies at zoo

A week-old panda cub has died at the National Zoo in Washington.

Last Sunday evening, the 14-year-old Mei Xiang gave birth to her second baby. Her first, Tai Shan, was born in 2005.

Panda keepers and volunteers immediately called veterinarian staff when they heard Mei Xiang make a distress call at 9:17 am, a news release stated. They turned off the panda cam and were able to safely retrieve the cub at 10:22 am. Vets performed CPR and other life-saving measures, but the cub was unresponsive. The cub weighed just under 100 grams. There was no outward sign of trauma or infection.

The cub was previously described as hairless, like a pink rat, and very vocal and active.

The cause of the death is under investigation and is expected to be announced on Monday, chief veterinarian Suzan Murray said.

"It is not uncommon (that a panda cub dies within a week)," she said. "It is a very sensitive time during the first week when the cub doesn't have a good immune system and it is not very strong yet. But at the same time the cub was looking great, as was his mom, so we really didn't think there was anything wrong."

The zoo let the cub stay with its mother until Mei Xiang made an unusual "honking" sound on Sunday morning, Murray added, and then zoo staff stepped in to remove the cub.

"It is very hard to tell how sad Mei Xiang is. She is resting and eating a little bit while a group of keepers are watching her closely," she said.

Zoo director Dennis Kelly said they are consulting with colleagues in Sichuan.

Tian Tian and Mei Xiang have resided at the zoo since December 2000. Their first offspring, and the zoo's first surviving panda cub, Tai Shan, was born on July 9, 2005.

Tai Shan was sent back to China in 2010 for the nation's panda breeding program.

The first panda couple to live at the Washington zoo, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, had five cubs, but none survived more than a few days.

tanyingzi@chinadailyusa.com