Newborn panda cub dies in Washington Zoo – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Newborn panda cub dies in Washington Zoo




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Washington Zoo has said that the smaller of their twin panda cub has died. The zoo’s adult panda, Mei Xiang gave birth to the twins on Saturday. The surviving twin appears happy and healthy, according to the zoo.

The newborns were separated because pandas often give preference to the stronger cub, leaving the weaker cub to die. One was to be bottle fed by keepers, while the other would be fed by the mother. This would be rotated so both were able to be nursed and bond with 17-year-old Mei Xiang.

However, the zoo said on Tuesday the panda mother would not feed the smaller twin. Mei Xiang had two other cubs in 2005 and 2013 and both survived. The panda was artificially inseminated by two potential fathers, Hui Hui, a panda in China, and the National Zoo’s Tian Tian.

Pandas are one of the world’s most endangered species. There are about 300 giant pandas in captivity and roughly 1,600 in the wild in China.

 

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