US mourns death of week-old panda

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Aaron Schauer and his wife planned to see the newborn giant panda at the National Zoo in Washington DC on Sunday, but as they walked to the panda habitat around noon, they heard that the week-old cub had passed away only about two hours earlier.

"We are very disappointed because the newborn panda was one of our reasons for visiting the city," Schauer, from Arkansas, said.

Fourteen-year-old panda Mei Xiang gave birth to the cub on Sunday evening. It was her second Washington-born cub, after Tai Shan in 2005.

Zoo officials said panda keepers and volunteers heard Mei Xiang utter a cry of distress at 9:17 am, and they immediately informed the zoo's veterinary staff.

They turned off the "panda cam" and were able to retrieve the cub for an evaluation at 10:22 am.

Veterinarians immediately performed CPR and other life-saving measures but the cub was unresponsive.

There were no outward signs of trauma or infection. The cub, weighing just under 100 grams, was previously described as hairless, the size of a stick of butter, like a pink rat, and very vocal and active.

The cause of death is under investigation and the result will be released later, chief veterinarian Suzan Murray said.

"It is not uncommon" for a panda cub to die within a week, she said.

"The first week is a very sensitive time when the cub doesn't have a good immune system and it is not very strong yet. But at the same time, the cub was looking so great, and we really didn't think there was anything wrong."

Questions:

1. In which part of the US is the National Zoo?

2. How old is the mother panda, Mei Xiang?

3. How many panda cubs have been born and survived at the National Zoo?

Answers:

1. Washington DC.

2. 14.

3. One.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.