Panda inconsolable after crushing cub

[Cannikin]

BEIJING - Staff at a zoo in southwest China are in mourning after a sleep-deprived panda dropped her two-day-old baby and crushed it to death, local media reported on Friday.

“It was very sudden, but also unavoidable,” Guo Wei, panda department chief at Chongqing city zoo in the southwestern region of Chongqing, told the Chongqing Business News daily.

Ya Ya, a seven-year-old panda and new mother of twins, “appeared tired” when nursing the younger cub in a patch of grass, the paper said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14726425/from/RS.4/

[xchrom]

1. you mean animals grieve?

but but -- that would mean they understand!

my condolences to all -- especially to mama.

[China_cat]

6. Koko, the signing gorilla

gave evidence that she not only understood the concept of death when her kitten died, but that she understood that it would happen to her and the people she worked with.

[xchrom]

8. oh yes -- i followed that whole event with her.

as far as i'm concerned animals are kindred -- and that's all there is to it.

[BlueIris]

2. So sad.

Sniffle.

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. That makes me want to cry.

:cry: :( I feel so bad for her and the cub.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. .

:( :cry: Poor Mama. The part about her wailing and looking for the cub broke my heart.

[miss_american_pie]

5. Oh how awful

The poor mama.

[MiniMandaRuth]

7. *Hugs Panda*

Poor dear... that must be the worst ever. And the part about wailing.... I think I need to go cry now.

[derby378]

9. That's the saddest thing I've read in a long time

Mind you, I've been knee-deep in Bush administration horseshit. That's saying a LOT.

I hope the poor dear recovers. Some animals have died from grief after suffering similar losses.

[xmas74]

10. Poor, poor thing!

[redqueen]

11. Oh my

That's got to the most awful thing that could possibly happen to a parent... how terribly sad.

:cry:

[skygazer]

12. Oh, poor mama panda!

:cry: I remember once helping to deliver stillborn twin calves - the sadness in the poor cow's eyes as she sniffed the dead babies is something I'll never forget. She'd gone through so much and had nothing to console her - it really was heartbreaking.

Anyone who's seen an animal grieve like that knows darn well they have feelings.

[SeattleGirl]

13. That is so sad.

The poor mama. :cry: