14 DAY TRIAL // This past Sunday, people working at the US National Zoo were stricken with grief when their discovered that the baby giant panda born there just a few days back had passed away.
Apparently, what drew the zookeepers' attention at first was the fact that the cub's mother, Mei Xiang, was displaying signs of acute distress.
After entering the latter's enclosure, they discovered that the baby giant panda that the female had brought into the world - after as many as five failed pregnancies - had died.
Sources inform us that, although the zoo's staff took the time to inspect the cub's body, they could find neither external injuries, nor any signs that the cub might have died as a result of an infection.
Because Chinese traditions require that baby pandas are given a name precisely 100 days after they are brought into the world, this particular cub died without anyone getting a chance to find a suitable one for it.