National Zoo’s panda cub died on September 23, 2012

Mei Xiang & Tian Tian's panda cub died at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on September 23, 2012. The cub was on September 16, 2012 and brought already much joy to many of it's fans.

Here is the official announcement:

We are brokenhearted to share that we have lost our little giant panda cub. Panda keepers and volunteers heard Mei Xiang make a distress vocalization at 9:17 a.m. and let the veterinarian staff know immediately. They turned off the panda cam and were able to safely retrieve the cub for an evaluation at 10:22 a.m., which we only do in situations of gravest concern. The veterinarians immediately performed CPR and other life-saving measures, but sadly the cub was unresponsive. We'll have more updates as we learn more, but right now we know is that the cub weighed just under 100 grams and that there was no outward sign of trauma or infection. We'll share information with you as we learn more.

Rest In Peace little one! I am sure Ling Ling & Hsing Hsing will addopt you in heaven…

Source: National Zoo