A second rare red panda cub born at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo has died, the zoo reported on its website Saturday.
Xiao, the panda mother, had twins, but only one lived for two weeks. Xiao had the cubs by her 3-year-old mate, Junjie.
“We knew that the mortality rate for red panda cubs was very high,” said zoo animal curator Mark Weldon in the announcement.
More than half of all red panda cubs die in the first 30 days of life.
“As a first-time mother, Xiao did a lot of things right,” Weldon said in the announcement. “Our keepers also did the best they could in this situation.”
Because red pandas breed only once a year in late winter, there is no possibility of more cubs until next spring.
