1st LD Writethru: Washington's National Zoo says one panda cub has died

The Smithsonian National Zoological Park said here on Wednesday the smaller of the two panda cubs born during the last weekend has died.

After spending the night with its 17-year-old mother Mei Xiang, the smaller cub, weighing about 3 ounces, became weaker Wednesday morning and had difficulty in breathing, said the zoo's chief veterinarian, Donald Neiffer at a press conference.

"Despite extreme efforts on the part of our dedicated staff, we weren't able to change things," said Neiffer, adding that the cub's death was quick.

The larger cub, born first, appears to be "strong, robust, behaving normally" and it is now with its mother, said zoo officials.

It was not the first time for the zoo and the public to receive bad news about death of a panda cub. In 2013, Mei Xiang, one of the two adult giant pandas which arrived here from China on Dec. 6, 2000, gave birth to a stillborn cub, and in 2012, she gave birth to a cub that died six days later.

If the larger cub makes it through, it would be Mei Xiang's third surviving panda cub. Mei Xiang gave birth to her first cub Tai Shan on July 9, 2005 and then her second cub Bao Bao on Aug. 23, 2013. Enditem