National Zoo Mourns the Death of Week-Old Panda Cub

SCIENCE -- September 23, 2012 at 9:18 PM EDT

National Zoo Mourns the Death of Week-Old Panda Cub

Mei Xiang on Sept. 17 with her cub. The cub died unexpectedly on the morning of Sept. 23. Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo.

On Sunday, at 9:17 a.m. ET, panda keepers at Smithonian's National Zoo heard distressed noises coming from Mei Xiang, the female giant panda. On the Panda Cam, zookeepers saw that her week-old cub was no longer moving.

A team of zookeepers retrieved the cub from the den and found the baby was not breathing and did not have a heart beat. They performed CPR, but veterinarians were unable to revive the cub.

Pamela Baker-Masson, associate director of communications for the zoo, said the cub, which did not yet have a name, showed no apparent signs of trauma or disease. It weighed just under 4 ounces. A necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

The NewsHour will have more on this story later this week as more details are released.

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