Red panda dies at Toronto Zoo, 3 weeks after cub

A 10-year-old female red panda named Sakura passed away this week after experiencing health issues, the Toronto Zoo announced Thursday only three weeks after one of her cubs died.

Preliminary results indicate the panda had a cardiac arrest overnight, the zoo said in a Facebook post.

They said further testing will be carried out to determine whether it was "a primary heart event or something systemic."

Sakura gave birth to two cubs in June. One of the cubs died at the end of July.

A post-mortem on the cub showed he had no fat reserve, amid other health issues, according to a post by the zoo from Aug. 1. It said red pandas have a high mortality rate in their first year.

After Sakura's death, the zoo said they are "now directing [their] full attention and energy" into her only surviving cub, nicknamed Biggie.

Sakura arrived at Toronto Zoo in January from the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

Toronto Zoo had detailed Sakura's health issues in previous Facebook posts. On Jul. 21, the zoo posted that Sakura had begun showing behaviours suggesting "abnormal neurological activity."

The post said she was being examined in the zoo's wildlife health centre.

After Sakura's death, the zoo said an MRI of her brain did not reveal the cause of her neurological symptoms.

Staff had started supplemental feedings with two-month-old Biggie "in anticipation of health issues with mom," the Facebook post said.

"While we feel confident we are doing our best to help this cub grow, it should be noted that we continue to be cautiously optimistic, as the first year of a red panda cub's life is the most challenging," the post said.