Trying To Help Panda Twins Survive Is Still A Challenge

Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced one of its newborn panda cubs has died.

The cub was the smaller of two twins born Saturday. Viewers around the world tuned in to the zoo's live stream to watch the birth.

The larger cub is alive and looks strong from what zoo workers can tell. (Video via Smithsonian National Zoological Park)

But they've had trouble taking the larger cub from its mother to monitor its health. They had been attempting to swap the cubs regularly, but the mother hasn't been cooperating.

Giant pandas tend to ignore one cub whenever they give birth to twins, which is part of the reason zookeepers had tried to swap them.

The zoo had said earlier the first week after birth is particularly high-risk for panda cubs. The small cub had been given antibiotics and was bottle fed and kept in an incubator. Video via Smithsonian National Zoological Park)

At a press conference Wednesday, a spokesman said the zoo is proud of the team's work and that they hope to learn from their experience caring for the newborns.

This video includes images from Getty Images.