The Toronto Zoo's red panda cub has died

Baby Spice, or Dash, can be seen above. (thetorontozoo/Instagram)

A red panda cub recently born to The Toronto Zoo died Sunday, the zoo confirmed.

In a release issued Monday, the zoo said Baby Spice, recently renamed ‘Dash’ after a public naming contest, showed no signs of illness as early as Saturday morning.

On Sunday morning, zoo staff found the cub vocalizing and lying on his side, “extremely weak.”

The panda was rushed to the Wildlife Health Centre where he was treated and briefly stabilized, before he stopped breathing and had no pulse.

“Resuscitation attempts were made but were unsuccessful,” the zoo said.

The zoo says a post-mortem exam was conducted to collect samples for additional testing, “which will be required to better understand the possible cause of his rapid decline.”

“Dash brought us keepers so much joy,” a statement issued by the panda’s keepers said.

“We enjoyed watching him grow and meet every milestone with gusto. [..] We are sad that our time with him was so short but we will cherish every moment we shared with him.”

Dash’s mother, Paprika, is being closely monitored, the zoo said.

RED PANDAS DIFFICULT TO BREED: ZOO

The zoo says the loss of Dash underscores the “fragility” of red panda cubs – even months after their birth.

They point to a high percentage of of early pregnancy loss in the species compared to others – 40 per cent of pregnancies being lost prior to birth as shown in a recent 10-year study by the Cincinnati Zoo.

Wild red panda cubs face similar mortality rates due to their vulnerable state at birth and the on-going anthropogenic pressures, according to the facility.

“Red pandas are a very complicated species and for several decades [the] Toronto Zoo did not have success with breeding them,” the zoo’s statement said, adding that, for the past 10 years, the zoo has been studying pregnancy-related hormone changes in an effort to better understand the lack of breeding success.

The zoo says they will be submitting the results of their findings in a scientific journal in an effort to add to the literature on red panda reproduction.

 

 

 

 

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