Shortly after the deaths of her two twin cubs in July, Ruby the 2-year-old red panda died at the Santa Barbara Zoo on August 5.
“It was so devastating and shocking to us for Ruby to get critically sick and then pass so quickly, especially following the cubs’ deaths,” said zoo spokesperson Andrea Gruber.
While the zoo is still waiting for Ruby’s postmortem lab results, Gruber attributed her death to Addison’s, a rare hormone-related disease. It was very likely triggered by pregnancy and the extreme physiological stress that came with it, she said. “All our veterinarians and keepers worked around the clock to do everything to save Ruby,” she added. Addison’s is very difficult to detect in the early stages, because animals often exhibit little to no signs, Gruber explained.
Despite intensive medical treatment, including ICU-care, oxygen support, and bringing in outside specialists, Ruby rapidly declined and succumbed to her illness.
Kristen Wieners, the zoo’s director of animal care, announced Ruby’s death on the zoo’s Instagram page on August 6. In the video, she explained through shaky breaths that Ruby’s death was “tremendously sad,” and that the zoo will share more about her cause of death as they learn more. Veterinary teams do not believe that her condition was connected to the cubs’ deaths, the zoo said in the video’s caption.
The video was met with hundreds of comments expressing heartbreak and support.
“We know how deeply our community cared for Ruby and her family,” the zoo said. “Ruby touched the hearts of everyone who knew her, and she will be deeply missed.”
