A panda cub whose birth in China was broadcast live last week on the internet, attracting interest around the world, has died, according to a newspaper report.
The cub died unexpectedly at a panda breeding centre in Chengdu in Sichuan province on Tuesday morning, the West China City Daily said. It was thought to be the first giant panda born this year, state media reported.
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The cub was cared for by its mother Aibang and was monitored 24 hours a day by staff at the base. There were no signs of anything wrong with the cub until it cried out and fell from its mother at about 5am on Tuesday, the report said.
An autopsy found nothing abnormal in the cub’s internal organs and the cause of its death is still unclear.
The breeding base said sudden death in panda cubs is rare, but not unprecedented.