Condolences pour in for 6-day-old panda

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

As condolences poured in from around the world, National Zoo officials waited Monday for word on why a 6-day-old panda cub died and lamented a heartbreaking setback to their closely watched breeding program.

The cub had liver abnormalities and fluid in its abdomen, but a cause of death will not be known until full necropsy results are available within two weeks.

The cub, believed to be female, died Sunday morning, less than a week after its birth surprised zoo officials and visitors. Zookeepers had all but given up on the panda mother’s chances of conceiving after six years of failed attempts.

“Every loss is hard,” National Zoo director Dennis Kelly said. “This one is especially devastating.”

This much is known: The cub appeared to be in good condition. It had been drinking its mother’s milk. And it wasn’t accidentally crushed to death by its mother. At birth, the cubs are hairless, their eyes are closed and they’re about the size of a stick of butter. Their mothers weigh about 1,000 times more.

Native to China, giant pandas have long been the face of the movement to preserve endangered species.

Thousands of people had watched an online video feed of the cub’s mother, 14-year-old Mei Xiang, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newborn during its few days of life. Fans from around the country and the world shared their sympathy on social-media sites, and many said they shared an emotional connection with the burly, black-and-white bear.

Since the cub’s death, Mei Xiang has started eating and interacting with her keepers again. She slept Sunday night while cradling a plastic toy in an apparent show of maternal instinct, Kelly said.

Kelly Parsons of Alexandria, Va., who brought her two young sons to see the pandas Monday, said she felt for Mei Xiang.

“It sounds like the mom is in mourning. Whether you’re a parent to an animal or a human being, it’s just so sad, the loss of a child,” she said.

Suzan Murray, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, cautioned that while it may appear the panda is grieving as she cradles the toy, Mei Xiang is a wild animal and her thoughts and emotions are not well understood.