Toronto Zoo red panda dies from cardiac arrest

Sakura gave birth to two cubs, one of which died in July

- ILYAS HUSSEIN

An 11-year-old geriatric female red panda named Sakura died from a cardiac arrest overnight at the Toronto Zoo this past week.

Sakura had been suffering from significant health challenges over the last few months, not uncommon for her age, as she showed abnormal neurological activity.

"We do not know if this was a primary heart event or something systemic that led to cardiac arrest and thus, we are doing extra testing to figure that out," the zoo said in their statement posted on Thursday.

The news of her death comes three weeks after her male cub, nicknamed "Smalls" due to his size, died in an incubator at the zoo.