The National Zoo's panda cub died of a combination of lung and liver problems, zoo officials announced in a press conference Thursday morning.
The lungs of the six-day-old female cub were not fully formed, according to a necropsy. As a result, her liver didn't get enough oxygen, causing damage that led to her death Sept. 23. The cub may have been born prematurely, the zoo said.
The mortality rate for females born in captivity is 20 percent in the first year.
Pandas are notorious for reproductive problems and high infant mortality. This death is certainly not unusual. Pandas are so rare because their species has not adapted and it would not surprise me if they become extinct in 100 years. It's called evolution, folks.
ReplyDeleteHey, when was the last time you saw a wooly mammoth or dinosaur?