A red panda at the Toronto Zoo on Dec. 26, 2009.CHRIS YOUNG/The Canadian Press
The Toronto Zoo says one of its red panda cubs has died, highlighting the fragility of the species in their first few months whether under human care or in the wild.
The zoo says two cubs were birthed in June by Sakura, a 10-year-old geriatric red panda who had arrived at the zoo earlier this year.
The zoo says Sakura recently began experiencing significant health issues, and staff stepped in to provide additional care for her cubs.
It says while Sakura was receiving care, the smaller of the two cubs died Thursday when it was just shy of six weeks old.
A post-mortem examination found that the cub had multiple health issues, including no fat reserve and signs of lung aspiration.
The zoo says red pandas have low rates of offspring survival both in the wild and in captivity, and as a few as 40 per cent of cubs reach their first birthday.