FINNEY COUNTY — Southwest Kansas residents and staff at the Lee Richardson Zoo are mourning the loss of a red panda cub.

On Friday, veterinary and animal care staff at Lee Richardson Zoo made the painful decision to euthanize the smallest of the three red panda cubs born August 12, according to a social media report.

On October 2 while monitoring the cubs, animal care staff noted that one was losing weight rather than gaining and lagging substantially behind his brothers. Staff planned supplemental feedings and prepared formula. But when staff were next able to separate the cubs from their mother to provide the first extra feeding on Tuesday, the smallest cub was in crisis. He was moved to the veterinary clinic for tube feeding and attention to a an injury.

“The littlest red panda gave all he had as did veterinary and animal care staff but it just wasn’t enough,” said Sarah Colman, General Curator.

“The littlest one may have only been with us for a little while, but it hurts to have lost him. The two other cubs are doing well. One is big for his age, and the other is gaining weight more quickly than he was, since there’s less competition.”

Mother and cubs are indoors, where they will most likely stay until later this month or early November based on when Ember has elected to go outside with her previous litters.

Until then, footage of mom and cubs will be on the zoo’s website, the zoo Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as local cable channel 8 in southwest Kansas.