SALT LAKE CITY — One of the red pandas at Utah's Hogle Zoo has died after a recent, sudden decline in her health.
The zoo announced Saturday that Priya, a female red panda, passed away. They said she had recently been placed under "veterinary advisement," then over a few days went into critical condition. She was then taken to the intensive care unit at a local veterinarian care center. She was there for about three days under 24-hour "unprecedented levels of critical care" before her passing, the zoo said.
Priya was five years old. Red Pandas' average lifespan is 8-10 years in the wild and 15 years in zoos, according to the Red Panda Network.
"We can't thank our teams, the red panda field experts, and the AVC team enough for their support and partnership in Priya's around-the-clock care," the zoo's announcement read.
A necropsy was conducted, and the zoo said its animal health team is working to determine the cause of Priya's death.
"Priya was a confident, bossy red panda who loved to train and interact with her keepers," Hogle Zoo's announcement continued. "She was a great mom to Hogle Zoo's first red panda cub, Dorji. Red panda cubs grow up fast; at five months old, Dorji is doing well. He is weaned entirely and is often seen munching biscuits and bamboo."
