Overview
- The zoo welcomed twin red panda cubs to first-time parents Ruby and Raj on July 2, the first red panda births at the park since 1993.
- One cub died during a routine checkup on July 21 and the other was moved to hand-raising and intensive care after failing to nurse properly.
- Zoo veterinarians provided round-the-clock treatment including incubator housing, tube and bottle feedings, antibiotics, fluid therapy, nebulization and supplemental oxygen before the second cub died over the weekend.
- A necropsy found a large pericardial effusion, or fluid around the heart, and some lung congestion, and the zoo says multiple diagnostic tests and a review with AZA Red Panda SSP experts are ongoing to determine the cause.
- Red pandas are endangered with fewer than an estimated 10,000 in the wild and high neonatal mortality, so the zoo says lessons from the investigation will inform future breeding care and no new breeding is expected until next season.