Unbelievable! National Zoo giant panda cub dies
Video found on YouTube V2343.
The Washington Post has just reported through Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, September 23, 12:09 PM AP:Giant panda cub born Sept. 16 at National Zoo in Washington dies; cause of death not known
"WASHINGTON — A giant panda cub born last weekend at the National Zoo in Washington has died.
Zoo officials say the cub was found dead Sunday morning after panda keepers heard sounds of distress from its mother, Mei Xiang.
Staffers were able to retrieve the cub about an hour later. The cause of death is unknown. The cub appeared to be in good condition, and there were no outward signs of trauma or infection.
The cub had been a surprise at the zoo. Fourteen-year-old Mei Xiang had five failed pregnancies before giving birth. Panda cubs are born about the size of a stick of butter and are delicate infants.
They're at risk for infections and so small that it's not unheard of for panda moms to accidentally crush their young. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."
My own response to this news is first off, this leaves alot of questions, as I don't know how accurate this article is. My first is why did it take the zoo an hour to remove the cub when Mei began to vocalize her distress. Other zoos have small doors built into the den areas so that they can reach in and remove the cub if needed, ASAP. Maybe the NZ did I don't know.
The zoo has incubators why didn't they remove the cub to ensure it was healthy and doing well and then place him/her back with Mei. What is the purpose of having incubators if you don't use them. I know incubators are also needed in case of twins being born but as an example, Zoo Atlanta removed their newly born cub from Lun Lun right away when they realized their cub was thought to be struggling. They saved his life and helped him to overcome an infection.
The NZ has been very public about returning Mei Xiang or Tian Tian or both back to China because of pregnancy issues. What I don't understand is how you cannot feel privileged with having two 'endangered giant panda's in your care but instead publicly report that you want to switch them out because you think they are damaged goods.
This has been a sore spot for me since they began talking about this and publishing it in the media. Sorry, to those who feel no one should criticize a zoo, as I have been told many times, but today, with this tragic news, I just have to question what are the Smithsonian National Zoo's priorities?
Wild Giant panda（ 国家地理100年典藏-拯救大熊猫）part6（the end)
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