The Santa Barbara Zoo announced today the death of its second red panda cub.
The cub died early Sunday, after having been in 24/7 care since July 19.
A necropsy revealed congestion in the lungs and a large amount of liquid surrounding the cub’s heart, but the exact cause of death is unknown. Further testing is underway to better determine what surrounded the cub’s death.
Veterinarians started seeing changes in the cub’s breathing pattern on Saturday, while appearing very fatigued after feeding sessions. His condition declined over the next 24 hours. The cub finally succumbed to its conditions after having received fluid therapy, supplemental oxygen support, nebulization and changes to its antibiotics regimen.
“This is an incredibly sad and disappointing outcome,” Santa Barbara Zoo officials said in a press release. “While neonatal mortality can be high in red pandas, the loss of both cubs has been heartbreaking for everyone involved in their care.”
This was the second cub of first-time parents Ruby and Raj to pass away this month. Infant red pandas have a high mortality rate around 40%.
The press release added that Ruby had displayed encouraging and attentive maternal behavior and that they “can contribute to future reproductive success” during the next breeding season.
As the Zoo has previously stated, red pandas are members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List” of endangered species, with an estimated 2,500 red pandas left in the wild.
