Dayah, the red panda mother of the Budapest Zoo, has died

"A little-known panda disease claimed a heavy toll: the red panda amdoparvovirus caused serious changes in several of Dayah’s organs

The disease has only been known to science since 2018 and we still hardly know anything about it. According to research, 50% of red pandas living in zoos carry the virus, which only results in a small percentage of cases of actual disease. That is why there is no vaccination or screening protocol for the disease. So Dayah probably came to us already infected.

What could have activated the disease in him? We don’t have a scientifically supported answer to this, because even researchers don’t know what an indicator can be. Currently, several groups of scientists, including the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, are researching the background of the disease together with the University of Veterinary Medicine.

What we know for sure is that caring for offspring, just as it does for humans, also takes a heavy toll on the body of the panda mother, but did this influence the spread of the virus? We don’t know.

Why didn’t we foresee the coming of trouble? Because there is no single characteristic “RPAV syndrome”. An infected red panda can even be completely asymptomatic, as Dayah was until almost the last moment. In case of suspicion, the infection can of course be detected with PCR/qPCR tests, but this only shows the presence of the virus, not the fact of the disease. Dayah’s serious condition was only revealed during the autopsy.

However, the tragedy does not end there. Dayah’s cub, Cékla, was left an orphan. During the first critical days, thanks to the devoted care of our colleagues, we are already over it, but we cannot sit back, because Cékla is unfortunately visually impaired. What this means for the future of the little panda, we do not yet know, but our colleagues are helping its development in every humanly possible way."

Source is the FB page of the Capital Zoo and Botanical Garden.