National Zoo says smaller panda cub twin has died
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a tweet on Wednesday afternoon the National Zoo in D.C. confirmed the smaller of the two panda cubs born over the weekend to panda mom Mei Xiang has died.
During a press conference on Wednesday an official said that when dealing with pandas every birth is a success. Despite the loss, they will continue to focus on the bigger panda. The panda mom was having trouble caring for both cubs.
Dr. Don Deiffer, the chief veterinarian, said during the press conference the bigger twin is still with the mother panda and doing well. The smaller cub had been doing well, but on Wednesday morning the little cub had not increased in weight, exhibited respiratory issues and was weak. Things turned for the worse and the cubs condition declined into the early afternoon. The cub eventually died.
The panda mom did not show preference for one cub over the other, Deiffer said. While disappointed, Deiffer said they want to remain optimistic about the surviving panda.
Pandas won't usually nurse twins if left to their own devices, officials were trying to switch the cubs every four hours to allow the mother to nurse and bond with one cub at a time.
Mei Xiang accepted the smaller cub for feeding Tuesday afternoon, but Wednesday morning at swap out the smaller cub had begun having the issues.
The smaller cub weighed 86 grams at birth, and the larger cub weighed 138 grams. According to the zoo, bear cubs have the smallest infant-to-mother size ration of any placental mammals at about 1 to 700. Panda mother Mei Xiang currently weighs about 238 pounds.
Additional veterinarian staff members were brought in to assist with the pandas from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, along with an additional panda keeper from Zoo Atlanta to work with the team in Washington.
Mei Xiang's first cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005. Her second cub, Bao Bao, turned 2 years old on Sunday.
The zoo has also had disappointments in the past. Mei Xiang gave birth to another stillborn cub in 2013. And in 2012, she gave birth to a cub that died after just six days. Its lungs hadn't fully developed.