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Panda Cub's Death Due To 'Lung And Liver Damage'

Mei Xiang at the National Zoo earlier today. Her cub died last month.
Rod Lamkey Jr.
/
The Washington Times /Landov
Mei Xiang at the National Zoo earlier today. Her cub died last month.

The giant panda cub born at Washington's National Zoo did, as first suspected, die on Sept. 23 because of "lung and liver damage" stemming from problems with her development, zoo officials say.

According to the results of a necropsy, officials say, "her lungs were poorly developed and likely caused her to have insufficient oxygen, which would be consistent with the changes in the liver." The cub was only about a week old.

As for Mei Xiang, the mother, officials add that:

"We are happy to report that Mei is almost completely back to her old self! Her hormones have returned to normal levels, as has her behavior. Mei is choosing to go outside in the mornings. In the afternoons she can usually be found napping on her indoor rockwork. Mei's appetite has also returned, and she is eating almost all of her bamboo and all of her leaf eater biscuits and produce."

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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